His activities culminate on the Wild Card Day 1986, the 40th anniversary of the virus' release. The Astronomer has lost his followers in attacks on the Egyptian Freemasons by Fortunato and several other Aces, while managing to escape and partially reform the cult. His powers resemble and possibly exceed those of Fortunato, making him one of the most powerful aces. However, he can not use all powers simultaneously. Once the ritual is completed, the Astronomer is blessed with a huge energy reserve that allows him to utilize the following powers: astral projection, clairsentience, minor precognition, the ability to selectively erase memories, flight, invisibility from visual and mental senses, ego attacks, hand killing attacks, walking through walls, suppression of any single wildcard power directed against him, force fields, minor force walls, telepathy, and an assortment of energy blasts. He greatly enjoys having Demise slowly kill the victims, taking their suffering in anticipation of death as his energy source. The Astronomer practices a horrific form of death magic, gaining immense energy through the ritualistic slaying of his victims (usually young women). The Astronomer usually uses a wheelchair, although the proper use of his Ace powers can allow him to walk. He has wiped his own memory of all events prior to becoming the Astronomer. The Astronomer is an old man (born in 1925), who has thinning white hair, wears glasses and is best described as "mole-like" he is also noted as having a disproportionately large head, the upper part of which enlarges further when he is fully empowered. Once his plans were foiled, the Astronomer lived only for revenge. Unknown to him, the Shakti device of the Egyptian Freemasons lacked a power source and was designed to contact an alien organization, the Network. The Astronomer planned to conquer the world in the aftermath of an invasion by fungoid aliens called the Swarm.
He is the leader of a cult, known as the Egyptian Freemasons, that consists mainly of superhuman Aces and deformed Jokers. The Astronomer first appeared in the short story "Pennies from Hell" by Lewis Shiner in Wild Cards II: Aces High, though his presence was implied in "The Long, Dark Night of Fortunato" in the first volume of the series.
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