SCP-227: Complete Antikythera Mechanism

SCP-227: Complete Antikythera Mechanism SCP-227 is a five-kilogram bronze mechanism covered in dials, hands, inscriptions, and small cranks. It resembles reconstructions of the Antikythera Mechanism, the real ancient Greek astronomical calculator. Unlike that corroded archaeological find, this object was recovered on land and appears intact and functional. Preliminary testing even suggests it may repair itself, although further testing needs O5 approval. Three cranks control the device. The top makes rapid adjustments, the middle moves more slowly, and the bottom allows fine tuning. Turning the top crank can make some hands spin extremely quickly and heat the mechanism enough to risk injury or damage. Smaller dials appear and disappear as the settings change, and the number of hands on them varies too. Most of its writing is Attic Greek. Other inscriptions include Linear A, Cretan hieroglyphs, and unidentified languages. The readable material largely explains how to operate the machine. One additional passage is expunged, and the report says its significance is still being investigated. At first, the device looks like an unusually accurate astronomical computer. The front has symbols for the Sun, Moon, and planets, alongside symbols nobody understands. Rear dials correspond to ancient calendar cycles, including the Metonic and Saros cycles. At least two calendar systems have not been identified. Further study reveals knowledge far beyond the historical comparison. One set of markings tracks 50000 Quaoar, a distant Kuiper belt object discovered by modern astronomers. The researchers cannot explain how the mechanism's designer knew its orbit. Another discovery comes when a researcher briefly sees a new dial while turning the fast crank. Fine adjustments place its first appearance on February 23, 1987, the date the supernova SN 1987A was first observed from Earth. That suggests the mechanism can represent events beyond ordinary repeating astronomical cycles. Then the researchers find a limit. They cannot advance the device past a redacted date. Applying up to one hundred newtons to the bottom crank does not move it farther, and stronger attempts are prohibited to avoid damage. At the stopping point, many unfamiliar dials and symbols appear. Some researchers suspect an end-of-the-world event. The file mentions a brown dwarf and a gamma-ray burst among the possibilities, but it does not establish a cause or even confirm that the stopping point means catastrophe. The unfamiliar symbols leave those interpretations unconfirmed. The final addendum complicates the prediction further. The stopping date shifts years into the future, accompanied by changes in the symbols. Nobody knows why. Meanwhile, the Foundation protects the Safe-class object with climate control, gloves, and careful transport. They are preserving a machine whose most important reading they still cannot interpret. Original Entry: https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-227