Seveneves

The novel opens with the sudden and inexplicable destruction of the moon. In the aftermath, astronomers designate this moment as “Zero” or “A+0.0.0.” An amateur astronomer witnesses the event while observing the Moon. Scientists refer to the unknown destructive force that destroyed the moon as “the Agent.” The explosion breaks the moon into seven large fragments along with rubble, most of which remain in lunar orbit.

Rufus MacQuarie, a miner in Alaska, witnesses the moon’s destruction and immediately checks the position of the International Space Station (ISS).

An Arjuna asteroid known as Amalthea has been captured and tethered to the ISS. After years of continual upgrades, the station has become informally known as Izzy. Rufus’s daughter, Dinah MacQuarie, works on Izzy studying Amalthea. Under the command of Ivy Xiao, Dinah uses specialized robots to explore the asteroid and harvest metals. While she works in her remote lab, her father sends her a Morse code message urging her to look at “what used to be” the moon (11).

Dr. Dubois Jerome Xavier Harris, popularly known as Doc Dubois or Doob, attends a fundraising event when the moon explodes. For a moment, he doubts the reality of the sight, until the sudden ringing of phones convinces him that this is “the birth cry of a new age” (14).