With the new eyepiece in place Hiller noted that the haze had condensed into fine dust, each particle of which contrasted dimly against space compared to the stars over which it was super-imposed. And it did move! Part of it already was creeping into the invisible curve of the eyepiece rim.
He pulled back from the telescope to look at Dave's grim features. The quickening in his stomach meant anxiety, he recognized it easily. Anxiety over what? How could he have known then what it meant? Subawarely, he must have.
"What the hell is it, Dave?"
Hollender handed him photographs out of a transparent file cabinet. "Here're some blowups under high power. Visible proof from these, but nothing highly accurate from the spectography."
"But this is asteroid stuff," Hiller nodded at the photographs. "They look like pinhead star clusters."
"That's what they are, clusters," Dave replied seriously. "Fragments of planetoids, evidently, revolving around common centers of gravity."
"What're they doing around here? I mean, are they strays from the Asteroid Belt or something?"
Dave swept the back of his hand over a row of astronomical texts. "If you can find any mention of 'em in there, I wish you'd let me know. And they're a long way from the Asteroids."
"Well, you're the damn astronomer in this blowout," frowned Hiller impatiently. "What's a good guess on 'em?"