- Next up, on the biggest planet the prince has seen, he meets a geographer who thinks the prince is an explorer.
- The geographer explains that he records oceans and mountains and towns, but when the little prince asks him if the planet they are on has oceans and mountains and towns, the geographer has no idea. It is an explorer's job to go out and find these things, he says; the geographer only writes them down. (That’s real expertise for you!)
- The geographer goes off on how difficult it is to find reliable people to do the exploring, but then has a brainwave: the prince could serve as his explorer.
- The prince tells his new acquaintance about the asteroid he lives on: about his volcanoes and his flower, which the geographer refuses to record because it is “ephemeral” (15.37).
- This makes the prince worry about his flower, which he now realizes is vulnerable and will not live forever.
- He decides to peace out on this place. Being an explorer for the geographer isn’t really for him. On his new acquaintance’s recommendation, the prince decides to travel to Earth.