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Solution to Wandering Stars

Author: Josh Dillon

In this puzzle, Hermes (the messanger god) describes a code using historical events, each of which can be pinpointed to a single day. As hinted by the title "wandering stars" (which is the etymology for the word planet), each event is associated with two gods who are also planets. Hermes hints that "where they reside" is important: it's the positions of the planets on the historical days that yield one letter in semaphore. This site is very useful for the calculation of planet positions. An example is given to removes the abiguity as to the orientation of the solar system (we choose the vernal equinox to be up and the sun to be viewed looking down on its north pole, which seems fairly natural):

Take, for example, the moment when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin planted that American flag on the moon. You might have seen the clear influence of both the god of love and the god of war in that moment, but I am sure you did not comprehend the message they were sending you all the way from where they reside.
The American flag was planted on the moon at 4:41 UTC on July 21, 1969 (though the exact time is unimportant). The gods involved are Venus and Mars.

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The fact that the clue is about both space and a flag are also hints. To clarify the references to planets, only one aspect of each Roman god is used:
  • Mercury: Travellers
  • Venus: Love
  • Mars: War
  • Jupiter: Thunder
  • Saturn: Time
  • Uranus: The Sky
  • Neptune: The Sea
Also, each pair of gods is given in order from the sun.

Taking the clued letters in the presented order gives "BAND OF TIME FOUND SEVENTH." Since time is the aspect of Saturn in the puzzle, the phrase hints the seventh ring of Saturn discovered. The rings are named in order of their discovery, the seventh ring is the G Ring. Therefore, the solution is G RING.


With the aid of the god of thunder and the god of the sky, Orville Wright pilots the first airplane.
On 12/17/1903, Jupiter and Uranus form the letter B in semaphore.
With the aid of the god of love and the god of time, Sir Francis Drake returns from the second circumnavigation of the world.
On 9/26/1580, Venus and Saturn form the letter A in semaphore.
With the aid of the god of love and the god of the sea, Charles Darwin returns to England aboard the H.M.S. Beagle.
On 10/2/1836, Venus and Neptune form the letter N in semaphore.
With the aid of the god of war and the god of the sky, James Cameron pilots a tiny submersible to the bottom of the Mariana Trench.
On 3/26/2012, Mars and Uranus form the letter D in semaphore.
With the aid of the god of travellers and the god of time, Henry Stanley delivers his famous line, "Dr. Livingstone, I Presume?"
On 11/10/1871, Mercury and Saturn form the letter O in semaphore.
With the aid of the god of war and the god of time, James Cook sets out from England on his journey to Australia.
On 8/26/1768, Mars and Saturn form the letter F in semaphore.
With the aid of the god of war and the god of the sea, Valentina Tereshkova becomes the first woman in space.
On 6/16/1963, Mars and Neptune form the letter T in semaphore.
With the aid of the god of time and the god of the sea, Ponce de Leon sights Florida.
On 4/2/1513, Saturn and Neptune form the letter I in semaphore.
With the aid of the god of thunder and the god of time, Henry Hudson arrives in his namesake bay.
On 8/2/1610, Jupiter and Saturn form the letter M in semaphore.
With the aid of the god of travellers and the god of thunder, Robert O'Hara Burke, William John Wills, and company set out from Melboune to cross the Australian continent.
On 8/20/1860, Mercury and Jupiter form the letter E in semaphore.
With the aid of the god of thunder and the god of the sky, Che Guevara begins his famous journey on his motorcycle, La Poderosa II.
On 1/5/1952, Jupiter and Uranus form the letter F in semaphore.
With the aid of the god of war and the god of the sea, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark finally reach the Pacific Ocean.
On 11/15/1805, Mars and Neptune form the letter O in semaphore.
With the aid of the god of the sky and the god of the sea, Yuri Gagarin becomes the first person in space.
On 4/12/1961, Uranus and Neptune form the letter U in semaphore.
With the aid of the god of love and the god of the sky, Vasco da Gama becomes the first European to reach India over water.
On 5/20/1498, Venus and Uranus form the letter N in semaphore.
With the aid of the god of war and the god of love, Auguste Piccard and his assistant Paul Kipfer become the first humans to reach the stratosphere.
On 5/27/1931, Venus and Mars form the letter D in semaphore.
With the aid of the god of war and the god of the sea, Ibn Battuta sets out from Mecca for the first time, turning his Hajj into a journey of 75,000 miles.
On 11/17/1326, Mars and Neptune form the letter S in semaphore.
With the aid of the god of travellers and the god of the sea, Arthur Eddington, observes an eclipse and confirms Einstein's theory of general relativity.
On 5/29/1919, Mercury and Neptune form the letter E in semaphore.
With the aid of the god of love and the god of war, Leland Stanford drives golden spike that completes the First Transcontinental Railroad.
On 5/10/1869, Venus and Mars form the letter V in semaphore.
With the aid of the god of war and the god of the sky, Charles Lindbergh begins his famous solo flight across the Atlantic.
On 5/20/1927, Mars and Uranus form the letter E in semaphore.
With the aid of the god of the sky and the god of the sea, Ferdinand Magellan sets out to circumnavigate the world.
On 9/20/1519, Uranus and Neptune form the letter N in semaphore.
With the aid of the god of war and the god of the sea, Jack Kerouac publishes On the Road, the novel that defined the Beat Generation.
On 9/5/1957, Mars and Neptune form the letter T in semaphore.
With the aid of the god of time and the god of the sea, Christopher Columbus reaches the New World.
On 10/12/1492, Saturn and Neptune form the letter H in semaphore.