Chapter 51 All-Sky Observation

In a small space laboratory approximately 50 meters in length, located in the orbit around the planet Luoshen, several clones were meticulously operating equipment suspended in a zero-gravity environment.

Silicon dioxide, which had already undergone high-purity refinement on the surface of Luoshen, was once again subjected to melting here to undergo further purification.

At the same time, special additives such as certain inorganic salts and basic oxides were introduced into the mixture.

Once all the processes were completed, this massive block of glass began to "grow" within the weightless space.

Free from the interference of gravity and existing in a state of high vacuum, they would be able to "grow" with extreme flatness and smoothness, entirely free of any distortion, while also attaining a massive scale.

This meant it would possess superior optical performance.

Following the preliminary processing came the much more delicate and advanced operations, such as polishing and thin-film coating.

After more than ten days of intensive labor, the primary mirror for this first space telescope was finally manufactured by Li Qingsong.

Without wasting a moment, Li Qingsong immediately retrieved it, installing it alongside several secondary mirrors into a pre-fabricated optical tube.

Thus, a space telescope operating in the orbit of Luoshen was successfully constructed.

Disregarding the technological level of its other components and judging purely by the quality of the mirrors, it had already attained the pinnacle performance standards of the nation-state era in human history, roughly comparable to the renowned James Webb Space Telescope of the past.

Of course, this did not imply that Li Qingsong's current technological prowess had reached that specific tier.

The reason for this outcome was simply the extreme convenience of entering space directly from Luoshen.

Here, Li Qingsong could manufacture and assemble the mirrors directly in the vacuum of space, unlike on Earth where they had to be manufactured on the surface and then—due to spatial limitations of rockets—cut into segments and reassembled in space, a tremendously cumbersome endeavor.

At this moment, this very first space telescope owned by Li Qingsong turned its lens toward the direction of Earth.

The light originating from Earth would be gathered by this massive mirror, which spanned six meters in diameter, allowing Li Qingsong to extract data concerning Earth from it.

After a continuous period of observation, Li Qingsong reviewed the acquired data.

The performance of this telescope was indeed formidable, and it had successfully gathered a wealth of information regarding Earth.

Even the composition of Earth's atmosphere could be precisely determined from this observation.

However...

It was still far too rudimentary.

It remained incapable of truly rendering a clear image of Earth.

There was no helping it; Earth was simply too far away, separated by a staggering distance of more than 15 billion kilometers.

To obtain finer details about Earth, or to directly ascertain what events had transpired upon its surface, was beyond the capability of current observational standards.

"I will revisit this once my technology becomes more advanced."

With no other choice, Li Qingsong temporarily abandoned his observations of Earth, shifting his focus to another matter entirely.

To scan the interstellar space surrounding Luoshen and ferret out the hidden enemy lurking in the dark!

Consequently, under the control of automated programs, this first telescope manufactured by Li Qingsong began sweeping the entire celestial sphere, gathering all information emanating from the cosmos in an attempt to pinpoint any anomalies.

This was a complex and gargantuan undertaking. Relying solely upon this single telescope, the task would likely take several years to complete.

Nevertheless, it mattered not. Following the deployment of the initial telescope, Li Qingsong rapidly manufactured over a dozen telescopes of identical specifications, positioning them in specific geometric formations across Luoshen's orbital path. Each was assigned a distinct sector of the celestial sphere to scan simultaneously.

While awaiting the celestial survey data, Li Qingsong did not neglect other fronts.

Within the space laboratory and the scientific research base on the surface of Luoshen, a total of 300,000 research clones worked tirelessly around the clock, researching new technologies and pushing their technical capabilities to the absolute limit.

Every single base and factory operated at full capacity; alongside the mass production of strategic military supplies, they were also validating currently employed technologies, laying the groundwork for subsequent optimization and enhancement.

Time slipped away quietly.

During this period, the dozen-plus survey telescopes gathered a vast amount of observational data.

Li Qingsong even witnessed a supernova explosion event suspected to originate outside the Milky Way, alongside numerous nebulae, galaxies, and massive stars.

Without a doubt, these data sets possessed immense value. Although they could not immediately elevate his technological and theoretical foundation in the short term, over the long term they would immensely broaden his horizons and establish a solid base for the future advancement of fundamental theories.

People on Earth would typically launch numerous large-scale telescopes and probes specifically to observe such phenomena.

Yet for now, Li Qingsong had no leisure to attend to these matters.

He remained wholly dedicated to high-intensity production while actively hunting for the traces of his enemy.

Eventually, an anomalous signal captured Li Qingsong's attention.

Space Telescope No. 3, during a routine celestial sweep, detected a faint point of light. Further observation revealed it to be a dwarf planet resembling Luoshen.

A dwarf planet?

Dwarf planets possessed low mass, small volume, and dim luminosity. Yet, since it had nonetheless been detected by his instruments, it could only prove one thing: it was not located far away from him.

Otherwise, he would have been utterly incapable of perceiving it.

At that instant, five of the dozen-plus space telescopes were re-tasked and focused upon it simultaneously.

Through precision measurements, Li Qingsong confirmed that its distance from him was a mere 40-odd million kilometers.

"Another dwarf planet a mere 40 million kilometers away from Luoshen? That is something I was completely unaware of until now."

Not only was Li Qingsong oblivious to its presence, but even the former human civilization had been ignorant of it.

Whether a dwarf planet could be discovered by humanity involved a certain degree of randomness and luck. After all, they were exceedingly small and dark.

Failing to discover this dwarf planet previously could be considered quite normal.

The existence of numerous dwarf planets at the periphery of the solar system was entirely expected.

According to predictions, between the Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud of the solar system, tens of thousands of dwarf planets might exist, while the numbers of asteroids and comets were beyond estimation.

Yet the sole anomaly was that Li Qingsong had detected traces of gas surrounding this dwarf planet.

These gases caused alterations in the color and wavelength of sunlight passing through them. It was precisely these shifts that signaled the presence of the gases.

However... how could a dwarf planet possibly have gas surrounding it?

The gravitational pull of a dwarf planet was far too weak to retain such stray gases. They would have been stripped away entirely by interstellar radiation.

That being the case, only a single possibility remained.

On this dwarf planet, a certain gas source existed, continuously replenishing the gases lost to the void.