The best guess for the moment is that the gravitational forces at work between the three stars could serve to dampen the oscillations at HD181068's surface.

BBC: Kepler star trio find is mystery to astroseismologists

Perhaps its greatest moment came in 1979 when it was the first telescope to observe a gravitational lens, an effect where a "massive" object bends electromagnetic radiation such as light around it.

BBC: Aye to the telescope

It seems inconceivable that a gravitational pull as strong as London's should weaken, but the city's moment will, inevitably, pass.

ECONOMIST: On a high