Item #: SCP-054-IT
Object Class: Keter
Special Containment Procedures: As of 2013, SCP-054-IT is contained by an Orbital Observation Module OC2-A1, designated Containment Area 054-INT, equipped with solar wind and gamma rays and furnished with three research laboratories, staff quarters, and microgravity generator2.
The personnel assigned to SCP-054-IT must undergo annual rotation and, before being sent to the Area, undergo standard training for astronauts. Aerospace entities should be discouraged from exploring, launching rockets or satellites and from passing through the region of space occupied by SCP-054-IT.
Description: SCP-054-IT is a vaguely spherical cloud of gas and dust, with a diameter ranging from 18 to 24 km; it has a geostationary orbit at about 30,000 km high, with the center approximately perpendicular to the coordinates ██° ██′ ██″ N ██° ██′ ██″ E, in Piedmont, and is therefore easily observable from the telescopes of Site Urano. Spectrometric analyzes have shown that SCP-054-IT is mainly composed of hydrogen and helium, with modest quantities of carbon and oxygen and traces of other elements.
Occasionally, regions of SCP-054-IT collapse and trigger nuclear fusion reactions, taking on the appearance of small stars (collectively designated as SCP-054-IT-1) although their mass is not sufficient to generate the necessary pressures and temperatures . Instances of SCP-054-IT-1 can be described as small-scale versions of normal stars, with enormous variability in size, color, lifespan and temperature; the Foundation has observed and cataloged over 4500 instances of SCP-054-IT-1, according to a classification similar to the spectral classes of Harvard3.
The instances of SCP-054-IT-1 end their existence in different ways depending to their size: the smaller ones increase in radius, volume and brightness over the course of several months, then cool down and lose mass over the course of 1-10 years; the larger ones, on the other hand, become turbulent and eject material at high speed for a few weeks, then violently explode in an SN Event and leaving a neutron star as a residue (designation -N), very rare and long-lived objects4. Theoretically, the formation of black holes within SCP-054-IT would also be possible but, at the time of the last revision of the article, no instance of this type has yet been detected.
Below is a list of the notable elements found within SCP-054-IT.
Discovery log: SCP-054-IT was observed for the first time in February 1990, following the appearance of "new stars" in the skies of northern Piedmont. After ascertaining its anomalous nature, SIR-I launched an intense disinformation campaign, disseminating articles on the leak of information on new military equipment tested in the area, censoring information that could compromise secrecy, while the Superintendency requested the Council of O5 the placement of a concealment system that conceals SCP-054-IT; the Council approved and started the creation of the Satellite Macro-Array (MArSat), a structure made up of eight satellites that support a reinforced metal alloy grid capable of projecting a deforming field of 12 Nortia[[, which prevents the movement of objects towards the Earth and, at the same time, prevents direct observation through telescopes not belonging to the Foundation.
The system was activated in October 1991; later, it was expanded with laboratories and support structures until it was declared an International Research Area in 2013 thanks to the unique conditions present in SCP-054-IT, which allow to observe cosmological phenomena otherwise on a scale too large to be appreciated.
Update dated 17/05/18: In 2015, deformation sensors of reality more sensitive than the existing ones were implemented in Area 054-INT, in order to more accurately monitor the deformations caused by the MArSat and assess their effects on SCP-054-IT and SCP-054-IT-1; unexpectedly, they identified a background signal that was previously undetectable and similar, albeit much weaker, to that produced by SCP-003-IT . It is not currently known whether it has a source or whether it completely permeates SCP-054-IT, but it is believed that this may be a relevant element of the anomalous properties of SCP-054-IT.
Incident 054-A091: On 12/07/17, at 16:07, object 054-N005 passes near instance 054-A091, with a radius of 23.4 m, mass of 8.1 T and average temperature of 23,200 K, which is thrown out of its normal position due to the gravitational alterations caused by it and directed towards the Earth; the staff of the Area activated the defensive systems and tried to stop it, but was only able to slow down the descent to about 650 m/s5.
At 4:15 pm, the Superintendency was notified of the situation and ordered simulations to be carried out to calculate the position and outcomes of the impact. These data were obtained after about 6 hours of work and indicated that the event would take place within 5 months with location in the Tyrrhenian Sea about 130 km from the island of Ischia with a power of between 5 and 10 kilotons. The Superintendency transferred the information to the Council of O5 and to the rest of the Foundation's management groups; in addition, they ordered the preparation of contingencies for the concealment of the event and damage minimization.
054-A091 entered the atmosphere on 12/15/17: a third of its mass dispersed during the fall while the remaining part crashed 150 km from the coast, releasing around 6.7 kilotons of energy. The SSM-II ("Legio Atlantidis") was sent to the site of the impact and reported the complete annihilation of 054-A091; the First Naval Unit remained in place until February 2018 as a base for experiments and observations, while the SIR-I ("Aureæ Notitiæ") dedicated itself to the censorship of the event. Following the incident, the O5 Council approved the implementation of reinforced shielding systems, completed in August 2018 and cost ██ million dollars.