The Earthcrossers by Mr S A Orbiter

Thanks to Geek Tech Online 

Title: The Earthcrossers

Author: Mr S A Orbiter

Publisher: Not known 

Source book: The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde 

‘An asteroid can be any size from a man’s fist to a mountain. They are the detritus of the solar system, the rubbish left over after the workmen have been and gone. Most of the asteroids around today occupy a space between Mars and Jupiter. There are millions of them, yet their combined mass is a fraction of the Earth’s. Every now and then an asteroid’s orbit crosses that of Earth. An Earthcrosser. To the Earthcrossers Society the arrival of an asteroid at a planet is the return of a lost orphan, a prodigal son. It is a matter of some consequence.’

The militant astronomical group The Earthcrossers was co-devised in the 1950s by Samuel Orbiter (the noted television astronomer) and Dr Theodore Müller (majored in physics before pursuing a career in medicine, struck off in ‘74 for gross professional misconduct, a fine tenor, was a good Hamlet at Cambridge, Brother of the Most Worshipful Order of the Wombat, and a keen train spotter). The Earthcrossers are an extremely secretive group, and unless you have the correct passwords you will struggle to attend one of their gatherings.

It is not clear whether Mr Orbiter’s book is about the organisation he founded or the asteroids. Or both.

Thursday Next and Victor Analogy attempt to infiltrate an Earthcrosser event. Large groups of members gather on hillsides when meteor showers are forecast. After answering a lot of astronomical questions, such as name the moons of Uranus: Cordelia, Ophelia, Bianca, Cressida, Desdemona, Juliet, Portia, Rosalind, Belinda, Puck, Miranda, Ariel, Umbriel, Titania and Oberon (more are listed on Wikipedia), Thursday and Victor are allowed past security. 

Don’t forget your catchers mitt. Just in case you have to catch a meteorite. Catch away from your body and if you do catch one be sure to put it down on the grass straight away as it will be extremely hot.

The Earthcrossers also features in The Woman Who Died a Lot.

Thanks to YouTube