Night is like an ocean which inonduates civilization and makes every house an island. Bonfires, torches, candles and lamps keep the darkness at bay, but outdoors darkness encloses one on all sides. At night humanity is collectively blind and huddles in its homes, fearful of predators, ghosts, monsters and roving goblins. It is customary to keep doors bolted and windows shuttered after dark, and people knocking on doors after sunset can expect to be met with suspicion at best.
With the scarcity of manmade light, it is hard not to notice the night sky, should one dare to go outdoors.
There are two moons. The greater is pearly white, it is known variously as Luna or Selene. When its face yellows, it is an omen of rain. eclipses of the moon warn of chaos. The smaller is dwarfed by Luna and is rather dim, seen most clearly on those rare occasions when it eclipses it as a red dot. The Franks call it Le Sanglant.
The stars form constallations, whose generally tend to bear more than a passing resemblance to whatever object they are named for. The Wheel does for instance form a near-perfect circle. The stars shine somewhat brighter down on Ymirea than their counterparts do on Earth.
The iris noctis is some sort of luminous, misty veil which sometimes appears in the night sky, in the upper atmosphere beyond the clouds. It is most pronounced around equinoxes. It tends to be purple, pink and blue, with rare green nuances. It gives a little light on its own, but not enough to blur the stars. When the iris noctis grows red, it is held to be an omen of future bloodshed.
Globusants (from "globus sanctus" - "holy globe"), are phenomena of the air or aether. These spheres are most irregular, apart from their globular shape. Some glow with their own light, some reflect the ambient light, as were they of glassed silver, and some are dull. Globusants may appear singly or in numbers, and seem to increase in frequency around the corners of the year.
Globusants appear in the lower atmosphere, and may hover immobile, or scoot about like leaves on the autumn wind.
Globusants are variously said to be the vessels of gods or angels, of sylphids or elves. Some say that they are globs of chaos, erupting into the world, miasmic airs drawn from the earth, or drops of luminous aether dislodged and descended from the upper atmosphere.
The sky is present in the mind of most Ymireans (the humans, at any rate). It is not simply "something up there", it is the foremost timepiece - few people own clocks. It is also the source of life and death. A storm, or the lack of one, can mean famine.
The sun, called Hyperion by sages, is whiter than Sol. Eclipses of the sun warn of great evil
In the early mornings and late evenings (first and sixth stroke) the strongest stars and the iris noctis may be dimly visible.
Save for in some unnatural cities in the Confederation, light is scarce at night, limited to torches, lamps, candles and fires. Even in the main streets of capitals, there are plenty of deep shadows in the night. The sun is the primary light source for everyone, and the day's work must usually end when the sun goes down.