The dust cloud passed through our solar system at a leisurely pace. Nothing in space happens fast. It was immense and covered the space between Mars and Venus. On its path through the solar system, it swallowed the earth and its moon, and blanketed our world for 4 weeks.

We experience seasons on earth because earth rotates on a tilted axis. Twenty-three and a half degrees puts us a little closer or a little further from the sun as our planet follows its circular orbit. This small deviation in distance to the sun is enough to create seasons. The smallest change affects earth’s climate in big ways.

When the dust cloud enveloped earth it blocked out forty-five percent of the sun. At first it was beautiful. The sky was lit with larger dust particles burning in the atmosphere. Space dust is very common. Space is an old and dusty place after all. Every year more than 5000 tons of dust falls to earth. This cloud was something different though, visible and thick enough to reduce the sun to the brilliance of an old, yellowed halogen light. It covered everything is a grey powder like film that choked people and machines alike.

Astronomers knew the cloud was in our way, and that it would disrupt life as we know it. The extent of this disruption could not be foreseen. In the early days of the cloud, when it could not yet be seen with the naked eye, it plugged up air filtration for mechanical and organic systems, causing widespread failures.

Before all planes were grounded a handful of air liners crashed when their wing-flaps locked in place and their engines failed due to the abrasiveness of these early dust particles. Cars suffered the same fate with the powder like dust first clogging air filters, before making its way into engines, destroying thousands of vehicles. It did the same to people and animals. It entered their lungs and eyes, and irritated skin like fiber glass does. Many developed a new kind of pneumonia that always resulted in death, and others went blind.

As the dust became thicker it changed into a course, sand-like texture. Scientists explained that the leading edge of the cloud contained glass crystals with jagged edges, and that earth entered the main body of the dust cloud that has a less lethal consistency, but with more volume that will obscure the sun for the next month at least.

When deprived of light plants stop photosynthesis, and slowly change color, becoming yellow. This happens because plants start to feed on stored energy, and when that is depleted, it wilts and dies.

Many trees died, and large fires were started by lightning from the dust cloud. Crops failed globally and water supplies were polluted. People looted stores and hoarded gas in the days leading up to the cloud’s arrival. Society completely collapsed in the first week of darkness.

More than half of people and animals died in the first ten days, from breathing in particles from the leading edge of the cloud. Many survivors remained burdened with coughing fits, shortness of breath and vision problems. In cities and towns, the dead were placed out on the streets, and soon were covered by dust, destined to become dust themselves.

Earth sped along its orbital path and emerged from the cloud thirty-one days later. It took another two weeks for the dust to settle, and even more time for the atmosphere to soak up enough heat to create weather. Many places got more rain than normal, and others nothing at all, causing more problems. Eventually the survivors got busy with cleanup and medical care for millions.

Three months after the planet passed through the cloud astronomers made a devastating discovery. In six months, Earths circular orbit would take us back into the cloud, and this time we will spend at least eighty days in its smothering embrace. Since the cloud seems to be passing through our solar system, we will encounter it multiple times as it slowly covers earth’s orbital plane. Depending on the size of the cloud we might be covered for many years before it passes through, and we see the sun again.

There was no way for life to survive. Even those with underground bunkers might not have enough to survive that long. To prevent more panic and bloodshed authorities decided to keep this knowledge to themselves, and to prevent this information from leaking, the astronomers were detained.

Governments colluded and prepared facilities to house select personnel, artwork, seeds, embryos of various species and provisions for an extended stay. The occupants of these facilities were selected for their mental and physical strength, and each was an expert in their fields. They were also young, providing more time for babies in the future.

Days before earth reentered the cloud, the selected few reported to their assigned posts, and the doors and airlocks were closed and locked behind them. Some stayed with their families, choosing to die with them.

Earth entered the dust for a second time and emerged eighty-four days later. All plant life perished, including all the algae in the oceans. The atmosphere remained polluted with thick concentrations of space dust as earth sped around the sun, just to be engulfed again, this time to remain in the dust for years.

Earth became grey, its oceans turned into a thick grey soup. Below the planet’s surface life continued. The last of humanity were muted, pale and thin, but determined to survive and one day again thrive on this spaceship made of rock and water.

She is not called mother earth for nothing.