My father sparked my love for outer space. I hope he sees a picture of James Webb
Load Later, Dawes became the inspiration for Kate Grenville astronomer Daniel Rooke di Lieutenant (2008), before appearing as herself, instructs Elizabeth Macarthur in stargazing, at Room Made of Leaves (2020). And at Ashley Hay’s Body in the Cloud (2010), Dawes is one of three characters united by their attraction to stars. Others are 1930s bridge workers and modern bankers. Dawes described Sydney Harbor as having “a few tricks” to its appearance, “like the inside of a telescope”. Despite being separated by time, all three miraculously see the same fallen man. It’s surprising how often astronomy appears in fiction about death. In the work of Kathleen Watson Broken Dream House (1908), astronomer Eric was the only child of a single mother. His career epitomizes his lofty ideals, but his obsession with heroism has devastating consequences. D’Arcy Niland writes about a girl who learns to live without her father at Call Me When The Cross Turns (1957, named after the annual ro