pedestrian
a person walking along a road or in a developed area
shabby
in poor condition through long or hard use or lack of care
huddle
crowd together; nestle closely
Orion
a conspicuous constellation (the Hunter), said to represent a hunter holding a club and shield. It lies on the celestial equator and contains many bright stars, including Rigel, Betelgeuse, and a line of three that form Orion's belt
indecipherable
not able to be read or understood
ionosphere
the layer of the earth's atmosphere that contains a high concentration of ions and free electrons and is able to reflect radio waves. It lies above the mesosphere and extends from about 50 to 600 miles (80 to 1,000 km) above the earth's surface
raucous
making or constituting a disturbingly harsh and loud noise
decipher
convert a text written in code, or a coded signal into normal language
demolition
the action or process of destroying or being destroyed
sleek
smooth and glossy
scintillating
brilliantly and excitingly clever or skillful
fetid
smelling extremely unpleasant
callous
showing or having an insensitive and cruel disregard for others
sluggish
slow-moving or inactive
moil
work hard
cruise
sail about in an area without a precise destination, esp. for pleasure
finite
having limits or bounds
loll
sit, lie, or stand in a lazy, relaxed way
nagging
annoy or irritate a person with persistent fault-finding or continuous urging
binary system
a system in which information can be expressed by combinations of the digits 0 and 1
inquiring
showing an interest in learning new things
bleak
an area of land lacking vegetation and exposed to the elements
revelation
a surprising and previously unknown fact, esp. one that is made known in a dramatic way
menace
a threat or danger
vertigo
a sensation of whirling and loss of balance, associated particularly with looking down from a great height, or caused by disease affecting the inner ear or the vestibular nerve
salutary
producing good effects, beneficial
parsec
a unit of distance used in astronomy, equal to about 3.25 light-years (3.08 × 1016 meters)
inkling
a slight knowledge or suspicion
thud
a dull, heavy sound, such as that made by an object falling to the ground
commotion
a state of confused and noisy disturbance
