The Court Astronomer Had a Brass Orrery and a Very Private Theory
Dark stars and crescent moons are stitched across the midnight-blue velvet of this astronomer's coat, and a matching blue cap sits tilted above her mottled face. The tortoiseshell coloring swirls black, orange and brown across her head, and yellow-green eyes look out past the viewer toward some distant, important planet. At her side stands a brass orrery, a tangle of golden rings and spheres that seems to turn by itself. A white ruff circles her neck. Madame Nova looks like she has worked out the orbit of the laser dot and is not sharing the results.
Tortoiseshell cats are known for that patchwork of black and orange, and like calicos, they are almost always female. Many people describe them as having a lot of spirit, sometimes called tortitude, though personality depends far more on the individual and on how the cat was raised and socialized. Cats do love watching the night sky through a window, and a window perch can give them hours of entertainment. If you offer one, keep it secure, since cats can push through loose screens. Evening play sessions also help active cats settle down for a calmer night.
The stars will keep spinning, the rings will keep turning, and the astronomer will keep her private notes. She is clearly the sort of scholar who prefers to be asked politely.
