A list compiled by the Closed Celestial Bodies Division of the Galactic Navigation Bureau. The original document's official title was Long-Term Non-Detection Status of Navigational Reference Light Sources. It was initially created to record stars that could no longer be used on navigation charts. Each time a star became unusable as a navigational reference, the responsible officer entered its coordinates, mass, time of last observation, and presumed cause. The early entries are precise and concise. As the list progresses, its compilers become unable to follow the regulations.
▣ 04-771-Ga
Classification: Yellow main-sequence star
Last observation: Galactic Standard Year 88,201, Cycle 17
Status: No longer qualified as a navigational reference light source
Presumed cause: Declining luminosity and excessive energy collection by nearby light-harvesting facilities
The third planet of this star had the oldest park in the galaxy. There was only one tree in the park. Visitors photographed the sign declaring it “the oldest” more often than the tree itself. The evacuation ship did not take the tree. The mass allocation schedule for transport included a category for cultural artifacts, but none for trees.
▣ 09-118-Na
Classification: Red dwarf
Last observation: Year 88,940, Cycle 2
Status: Extinguished
Presumed cause: Failure to regulate the rate of nuclear fusion to sustain inhabited regions
There were 104 residents on a planet orbiting this star. The planet had three bridges. The first bridge had been built in preparation for floods, and the second in case the first bridge collapsed. The third was built in case both bridges were closed simultaneously. The river had dried up long ago. The residents could not decide which bridge to dismantle first. All three bridges were commemorative projects undertaken by different administrations. Even after the star grew dark, the bridge maintenance system continued cleaning the railings for 61 years.
▣ 12-600-Da
Classification: Blue giant
Last observation: Year 89,114, Cycle 30
Status: Location unknown
Presumed cause: Deficit along the light path or reduced luminosity caused by nearby light-harvesting facilities. No local observational data received.
The star had been visible to the naked eye. Twelve civilizations used its name in vows of love. “Until that star disappears.” After the star vanished, contract courts received 400 million lawsuits seeking to determine whether marriages and alliances had ended. The courts ruled that the expression was an idiom signifying permanence rather than an astronomical condition. The ruling prevented divorces and delayed wars. Yet no one could restore the star.
▣ 18-009-Ra
Classification: Binary star
Last observation: Year 89,992, Cycle 11
Status: Only one star remaining
Presumed cause: Unknown
The remaining star continued to orbit an invisible mass. Astronomers explained that a celestial body that had lost its light remained there. Poets wrote that the departed star was still holding on to its companion. Both explanations referred to the same motion.
▣ 20-441-Ma
Classification: Artificial star
Last observation: Year 90,003, Cycle 1
Status: Voluntary shutdown
Presumed cause: Energy conservation order
This star had been manufactured for advertising. The sunspots on its surface were arranged in the shape of the manufacturer's trademark. The company had disappeared 900 years earlier, but no party authorized to remove the trademark could be identified, so the star continued to shine. On the day the shutdown order was issued, the residents learned for the first time that this light in their night sky was not a star but an advertisement. They demanded that the star be restarted. It was not because they liked the advertisement. It was because some people had been born believing it was a star.
▣ 31-000-Ba
Classification: Star cluster
Last observation: Time cannot be converted
Status: Communications lost
Presumed cause: Absence of observers
The stars were not determined to have disappeared. The observatories that had watched them disappeared first. Under the regulations, the disappearance of a star had to be confirmed by three independent observation agencies. Only two agencies remained in that region. For 400 years, those two agencies waited for a third confirmation. Whether the stars existed during that time is unknown. The list states, “Determination deferred.”
▣ 44-Final
Classification: Unclassified
Last observation: The recorder's present
Status: Visible
Presumed cause: Not applicable
This star is still visible. It is below and to the left of the window, just above the shadow of the cooling tower. Today it is fainter than yesterday, but I have no equipment with which to provide measurements. I am the person compiling this list, not an observer. The regulations for compiling the list state that personal statements may not be entered. I know the regulations. If anyone remains who is responsible for deleting this, they may do so. I do not know whether this star has a name. I have not been allocated the power needed to look up its coordinates. So I give it a name. “Still.”
Still is still visible. This is the final entry remaining on the list. The date on which the star named “Still” disappeared was not recorded. For another 73 years, the Navigation Bureau's automated document system issued empty lists. It was not because no more stars had disappeared. It was because the agencies responsible for reporting their disappearance no longer connected to the system.