Are The Stars Out Tonight

Well, I'm back. I hope this title and prompt are clear enough. I don't know if they're cloudy or right, but if you PM me with questions on what you think you should do hopefully I will only have ayes for you dear.

Sorry I could NOT resist that opening with this title. Some of you will go "What?" but a bunch will chuckle or at least groan.

This is one of those that came to me while walking (one of the few times my mind is not focused on other things) and will either play VERY hard or VERY easy depending on how you look at it and interpret things. I am hoping, as always, for a big turnout, some great AHA's and a lot of chuckles.

Based on my esteemed test solvers; MikeyG, Meg, rjy and Phillip Chow (who were really all over the place when it came to catching the "trick") I'd have to rate this a:

Kitten

Calico

PERSIAN+ (though I think lots of you will see this as a Lion)

Puma

Lion

The first part should be pretty clear, the next step is quite a departure from my usual style. It is an inferred answer, but the inference comes from a rather more subtle, but very visible, source.

Friday (or perhaps earlier) nudges, Tuesday reveal...my mailbox is always open!

I may have to start early on nudges, this has been up 5 hours, I have 9 solvers and 4 of them are people who test solved. I was afraid this would happen just because it was such a departure. So, here is a nudge:

Early Nudge In the constellation of possible methods of hiding a mechanism, what might one use in a puzzle named "Are the Stars Out Tonight"

Well, end of the first day and there are still only 13 solves if I take out the test solvers. I know that is not a function of all your ability, it is a function of an unclear puzzle. I am afraid I have made this one too difficult and for that I am sorry. As you know, my desire is to have LOTS of solvers. To that end I am posting my nudges early, and depending on what that does to the solver total I may post more.

Nudge 1] So, the title is "Are the Stars out tonight" and there are a bunch of stars named in the puzzle

Nudge 2] Note that the stars are not only NOT symmetrical but look almost ramdomly, or at least haphazardly placed

Nudge 3] The stars are NOT haphazardly placed, matter of fact they are placed VERY carefully

Nudge 4] Clues 40A and 62D both nudge toward what you are supposed to notice

I know I am competing with the MG and WSJ, but one more nudge:

Nudge 7] There is a hint in the graphic and even the difficulty rating!!!

THE REVEAL:

For a more complete discussion and a graphic of the reveal, go to the Muggles website: