Dog Star (short story)
Encyclopedia
"Dog Star" is a 1961 science fiction
short story
by Arthur C. Clarke
about an astronomer and his dog, Laika
. The story was also published under the title "Moondog".
, saving his life. He comes out of the flashback just in time to sound the alert for a lunar tremor that, thanks to his prompt action, kills only two of his fellow crew members. He remembers his dead dog, realizing that Laika could not actually have saved him, for she was separated by 5 years time and a barrier that no man or dog could ever bridge (her death). It was his never sleeping subconscious mind, sensing the tremors, that knew how to wake him, by making him dream of Laikas's barking as she did in the earlier earthquake.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by Arthur C. Clarke
Arthur C. Clarke
Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE, FRAS was a British science fiction author, inventor, and futurist, famous for his short stories and novels, among them 2001: A Space Odyssey, and as a host and commentator in the British television series Mysterious World. For many years, Robert A. Heinlein,...
about an astronomer and his dog, Laika
Laika
Laika was a Soviet space dog that became the first animal to orbit the Earth – as well as the first animal to die in orbit.As little was known about the impact of spaceflight on living creatures at the time of Laika's mission, and the technology to de-orbit had not yet been developed, there...
. The story was also published under the title "Moondog".
Plot summary
An Astronomer on a moon base awakes from a dream in which his dog, Laika, is barking. He then flashes back to when he found Laika on the side of the road years ago, and how his fondness for her grew after she alerted him of an earthquakeEarthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
, saving his life. He comes out of the flashback just in time to sound the alert for a lunar tremor that, thanks to his prompt action, kills only two of his fellow crew members. He remembers his dead dog, realizing that Laika could not actually have saved him, for she was separated by 5 years time and a barrier that no man or dog could ever bridge (her death). It was his never sleeping subconscious mind, sensing the tremors, that knew how to wake him, by making him dream of Laikas's barking as she did in the earlier earthquake.