Cosmic String
Cosmic string, wrapped around a star as a light source
A video rendering of the string in deep space
Cosmic String, on a dark background
An attempt at adding the quizzical cosmic string Hubble shift to the image!
A still of the Hubble-shifted cosmic string
Side by side comparison of the previous Hubble-shifting trial, and a new one using cryptomatte to control what's red/blue-shifted, just to figure out what I think of it, really.
This is my impression of a cosmic string, which is relevant for a project I'm working on. The whole thing takes place on a planet that orbits a star wrapped in a cosmic string, or as some of us call them, "the black hole's scary uncle". The whole thing was inspired by a dream I had—a literal lucid nightmare—of exactly that, and you know that whole thing about pinching yourself and waking up? Yeah, that's bullshit. I just dreamt about the pain of pinching myself.
So, I pulled myself together, and took creative notes for the duration of the nightmare. I figured that I could at least make something of it. The idea evolved and now I'm building a product with a very detailed story line, and let me tell you, those don't show up every day, even for me, a professional writer. If it ends well, it's... well, it's acceptable.
Credit for the background of course goes to the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio.