Distant Astronomical (Fruiting) Body Discovered!

This just in:

From the profoundly dark skies of the northeastern tip of Floyd County in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains of southwest Virginia comes the announcement of the discovery of a new celestial body seen in clear detail for the first time.

This is the third moon, Boletus, of the distant dwarf red star, Geoaster. It appeared suddenly and was visible only in a forested section of the Terry’s Fork section of Virginia.

Unfortunately, the cratered body will never be seen again as it was infested by fruit and other flies and went to the bad the day after this remarkable distant image was taken by an astute and sagacious cosmologist and celestial photographer at the Goose Creek Observatory.

[You should have heard me hoot when I looked at this bolete through the viewfinder. “It’s a MOON!” I hollered. Of course I took away the surrounding forest floor and added the blackness of deep space plus a few other space objects, but did no other retouching to this image. I thought about making it a perfect circle, but then some moons are lumpy and irregular. The lighting was such that it enhanced the sense of spherocity and depth. Here, one of those AHA and HAHA moments in nature that are so memorable and gratifying. At least to me.]