three o'clock
But that planet was almost impervious to the illuminating rays of the sun and was barely discernible . Neptune itself shone brighter than it ever had , and was falling away from the sun at a rate of twelve hundred miles per second . All night Phobar watched the double mystery . By three o'clock , he was convinced , as far as lightning calculations showed , that the invader was hurtling toward the sun at a speed of more than ten million miles an hour . At three-fifteen , he thought that vanishing Neptune seemed brighter even than the band of fire running to the invader . At four , his belief was certainty . With amazement and awe , Phobar sat through the long , cold night , watching a spectacular and terrible catastrophe in the sky .