The Wound
Guttering stars
also: a guttering fold
Stars that are not exploding but flattening — light without usable warmth.
In full
Fusion still runs. What collapses is the usable gradient around the star, falling toward equilibrium far faster than nature would ever have done it. The result is a sky that dims on a schedule people can plan around, which is precisely why it can be lived with and filed away. It gives the Guttering age its name.
Key facts
- Not stellar death — gradient collapse.
- Light persists; usable warmth does not.
- Dims on a predictable schedule, which is what makes denial practical.
- Names an era, a book and a recurring image.