Guided Reading

The planet Neptune was not moving as expected.

Its path had changed, as if an invisible force were pulling it.

At first, the news did not interest most people.

Many had never even heard of Neptune. But astronomers knew this was serious.

At first, it looked like a tiny point of light, but every night it grew brighter and larger.

It was not following the normal path of the planets.

By the third day, newspapers around the world reported the story.

Some spoke of a possible planetary collision.

That night, people looked up at the sky, expecting something unusual.

Then, before dawn, a great white star appeared in the western sky.

It was brighter than any star people had ever seen. It did not twinkle.

It shone like a small, glowing disc.

Workers on the streets, sailors at sea, and travelers on the roads stopped and stared.

In observatories, scientists worked without rest.

They understood what had happened.

The new object had collided with Neptune.

The impact was so powerful that both planets

had turned into a single mass of burning fire.

The next night, the star returned—and it was larger.

People began to say it was nearer.

The words spread quickly through cities and villages.

Some laughed and said there was no danger. Others prayed.

because life does not stop easily, even when danger is near.

The scientists were afraid.

The burning mass was falling toward the sun at enormous speed.

If nothing interfered, it would pass far from Earth.

But Jupiter’s strong gravity could pull the star and change its direction.

If that happened, Earth would suffer terrible effects.

Soon, strange changes began. The air grew warmer. Ice melted.

Storms became violent. Rivers flooded their banks.

At night, the star shone so brightly that the moon looked pale and weak beside it.

In many parts of the world, people fled to higher ground. Ships crowded the seas.

Churches filled with those who prayed. Others waited silently.

Then one night, something unexpected happened.

The star did not rise at the usual time.

When it appeared, the moon passed in front of it. For a moment, people felt hope.

Then the heat became extreme. Heavy rain fell. Floods destroyed cities.

The star did not strike Earth. It passed by.

When the skies cleared, the world had changed.

Far away, astronomers on Mars saw that Earth had survived.