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Observation made of the atmosphere of Venus simultaneously from Earth @-@ based telescopes and from the Venus Express gives scientists a better opportunity to understand the intermediate level of Venus ' atmosphere than is possible from either viewpoint alone . This will provide new information about the climate of the planet .
Spectrographic data taken of the well @-@ known atmosphere of Venus will be compared to studies of exoplanets whose atmospheres are thus far unknown .
The Hubble Space Telescope , which cannot be pointed directly at the Sun , used the Moon as a mirror to study the light that had passed through the atmosphere of Venus in order to determine its composition . This will help to show whether a similar technique could be used to study exoplanets .

= = Past and future transits = =

NASA maintains a catalog of Venus Transits covering the period 2000 BCE to 4000 CE . Currently , transits occur only in June or December ( see table ) and the occurrence of these events slowly drifts , becoming later in the year by about two days every 243 @-@ year cycle . Transits usually occur in pairs , on nearly the same date eight years apart . This is because the length of eight Earth years is almost the same as 13 years on Venus , so every eight years the planets are in roughly the same relative positions . This approximate conjunction usually results in a pair of transits , but it is not precise enough to produce a triplet , since Venus arrives 22 hours earlier each time . The last transit not to be part of a pair was in 1396 . The next will be in 3089 ; in 2854 ( the second of the 2846 / 2854 pair ) , although Venus will just miss the Sun as seen from the Earth 's equator , a partial transit will be visible from some parts of the southern hemisphere .
Thus after 243 years the transits of Venus returns . The 1874 transit is a member of the 243 @-@ years cycle # 1 . The 1882 transit is a member of # 2 . The 2004 transit is a member of # 3 and the 2012 transit is a member of # 4 . The 2117 transit is a member of # 1 and so on . However , the ascending node ( December transits ) of the orbit of Venus moves backwards after each 243 years so the transit of 2854 is the last member of series # 3 instead of series # 1 . The descending node ( June transits ) moves forwards , so the transit of 3705 is the last member of # 2 . From -125,000 till + 125 @,@ 000 only about ten series at both nodes each are needed for all the transits of Venus in this very long timespan , because both nodes of the orbit of Venus moves back and forward in time .
Over longer periods of time , new series of transits will start and old series will end . Unlike the saros series for lunar eclipses , it is possible for a transit series to restart after a hiatus . The transit series also vary much more in length than the saros series .

= = Grazing and simultaneous transits = =

Sometimes Venus only grazes the Sun during a transit . In this case it is possible that in some areas of the Earth a full transit can be seen while in other regions there is only a partial transit ( no second or third contact ) . The last transit of this type was on 6 December 1631 , and the next such transit will occur on 13 December 2611 . It is also possible that a transit of Venus can be seen in some parts of the world as a partial transit , while in others Venus misses the Sun . Such a transit last occurred on 19 November 541 BC , and the next transit of this type will occur on 14 December 2854 . These effects occur due to parallax , since the size of the Earth affords different points of view with slightly different lines of sight to Venus and the Sun . It can be demonstrated by closing an eye and holding a finger in front of a smaller more distant object ; when you open the other eye and close the first , the finger will no longer be in front of the object .
The simultaneous occurrence of a transit of Mercury and a transit of Venus does occur , but extremely infrequently . Such an event last occurred on 22 September 373 @,@ 173 BC and will next occur on 26 July 69 @,@ 163 , and again on 29 March 224 @,@ 508 . The simultaneous occurrence of a solar eclipse and a transit of Venus is currently possible , but very rare . The next solar eclipse occurring during a transit of Venus will be on 5 April 15 @,@ 232 . The last time a solar eclipse occurred during a transit of Venus was on 1 November 15 @,@ 607 BC . It could be noticed that the day after the Venerean transit of 3 June 1769 there was a total solar eclipse , which was visible in Northern America , Europe and Northern Asia .


= Ímar mac Arailt =

Ímar mac Arailt ( died 1054 ) was an eleventh @-@ century ruler of the Kingdom of Dublin and perhaps the Kingdom of the Isles . He was the son of a man named Aralt , and appears to have been a grandson of Amlaíb Cuarán , King of Northumbria and Dublin . Such a relationship would have meant that Ímar was a member of the Uí Ímair , and that he was a nephew of Amlaíb Cuarán 's son , Sitriuc mac Amlaíb , King of Dublin , a man driven from Dublin by Echmarcach mac Ragnaill in 1036 .
Ímar 's reign in Dublin spanned at least eight years , from 1038 to 1046 . Although he began by seizing the kingship from Echmarcach in 1038 , he eventually lost it to him in 1046 . As king , Ímar is recorded to have overseen military operations throughout Ireland , and seems to have actively assisted the family of Iago ab Idwal ap Meurig , King of Gwynedd overseas in Wales . After Echmarcach 's final expulsion from Dublin 1052 , Ímar may well have been reinstalled as King of Dublin by Diarmait mac Maíl na mBó , King of Leinster . Whatever the case , Ímar died in 1054 . He may have been an ancestor or close kinsman of Gofraid Crobán , King of Dublin and the Isles , the progenitor of a family that ruled in the Isles until the mid thirteenth century .

= = Familial background = =

Ímar was probably the son of Aralt mac Amlaíb ( died 999 ) , a man whose death at the Battle of Glenn Máma is recorded by the Annals of Clonmacnoise , the Annals of the Four Masters , the Annals of Ulster , and Chronicon Scotorum . If this identification is correct , Ímar 's paternal grandfather would have been Amlaíb Cuarán , King of Northumbria and Dublin ( died 980 / 981 ) , and a paternal uncle of Ímar would have been Sitriuc mac Amlaíb , King of Dublin ( died 1042 ) .

= = Struggle for Dublin = =

Ímar 's probable uncle , Sitriuc , ruled Dublin for almost fifty years between 989 and 1036 . There is reason to suspect that the latter 's realm included Mann by the second or third decade of the eleventh century . His reign in Dublin was finally put to an end by Echmarcach mac Ragnaill ( died 1064 / 1065 ) , who drove Sitriuc from the coastal town and claimed the kingship for himself . Previously , Sitriuc seems to have been closely aligned with Knútr Sveinnsson ( died 1035 ) , ruler of the kingdoms of England , Denmark , and Norway . Knútr 's apparent authority in the Irish Sea region , coupled with Sitriuc 's seemingly close connections with him , could account for the remarkable security enjoyed by Sitriuc during Knútr 's reign . It is possible that Echmarcach had been bound from taking action against Sitriuc whilst Knútr held power , and that the confusion caused by the latter 's death in 1035 enabled Echmarcach to exploit the situation and seize control of the Irish Sea region . Although there is no direct evidence that Echmarcach controlled Mann by this date , Sitriuc does not appear to have taken refuge on the island after his expulsion from Dublin . This seems to suggest that the island was outside Sitriuc 's possession , and may indicate that Mann had fallen into the hands of Echmarcach sometime before . In fact , it is possible that Echmarcach used the island to launch his takeover of Dublin .
Echmarcach 's hold on Dublin was short @-@ lived as the Annals of Tigernach records that Ímar replaced him as King of Dublin in 1038 . This annal @-@ entry has been interpreted to indicate that Ímar drove Echmarcach from the kingship . There is reason to suspect that Þórfinnr Sigurðarson , Earl of Orkney ( died c . 1065 ) extended his presence into the Isles and the Irish Sea region at about this period . The evidence of Þórfinnr 's power in the Isles could suggest that he possessed an active interest in the ongoing struggle over the Dublin kingship . In fact , Þórfinnr 's predatory operations in the Irish Sea region may have contributed to Echmarcach 's loss of Dublin in 1038 .
It is conceivable that Ímar received some form of support from Knútr 's son and successor in Britain , Haraldr Knútsson , King of England ( died 1040 ) . The latter was certainly in power when Ímar replaced Echmarcach , and an association between Ímar and Haraldr could explain why the Annals of Ulster reports the latter 's death two years later . Ímar 's reign lasted about eight years , and one of his first royal acts appears to have been the invasion of Rathlin Island within the year . The fact that he proceeded to campaign in the North Channel could indicate that Echmarcach had held power in this region before his acquisition of Mann and Dublin .
In 1044 , the Annals of Tigernach records that Ímar penetrated into the domain of the Uí Fhíachrach Arda Sratha and killed their chief . The annal @-@ entry also indicates that Ímar stormed the church of Armagh , and burned Scrín Pátraic ( the " Shrine of Patrick " ) in the attack . The following year , he again invaded Rathlin Island , and his subsequent slaughter of three hundred noblemen of the Ulaid , including a certain heir apparent named Ragnall Ua Eochada , is documented by the Annals of Clonmacnoise , the Annals of Inisfallen , the Annals of Tigernach , and the Annals of the Four Masters . This remarkable action may indicate that the Dubliners and Ulaid were battling for control of Rathlin Island . If so , it could be evidence that Ímar enjoyed the possession of Mann by this date . The domain of the Ulaid is certainly the closest Irish territory to Mann , and the control of the Manx fleet could account for the Dubliner 's ability to challenge the Ulaid . Whatever the case , within the year Niall mac Eochada , King of Ulaid ( died 1063 ) is recorded to have attacked Fine Gall — Dublin 's agriculturally @-@ rich northern hinterland — in what may have been a retaliatory raid .
The following year , the Annals of Tigernach states that Echmarcach succeeded Ímar . The Annals of the Four Masters specifies that Ímar was driven from the kingship by Echmarcach , who was then elected king by the Dubliners . After this point in Ímar 's life , all that is known for certain is that he died in 1054 , as recorded by the Annals of Ulster and the Annals of Loch Cé . Nevertheless , since these sources style Ímar in Gaelic rí Gall ( " king of the foreigners " ) , there may be evidence to suggest that , when Diarmait mac Maíl na mBó , King of Leinster ( died 1072 ) drove Echmarcach from Dublin in 1052 , Diarmait reinstalled Ímar as king .
After Ímar 's death , Diarmait appears to have appointed his own son , Murchad ( died 1070 ) , control of Dublin later that decade , as the Annals of the Four Masters accords him the title tigherna Gall , meaning " lord of the foreigners " in 1059 . In 1061 , Murchad invaded Mann and seems to have overthrown Echmarcach . Both father and son were dead by 1072 , and the Annals of Tigernach describes Diarmait on his death that year as King of the Isles ( rí Innsi Gall , literally " king of the isles of the foreigners " ) , a declaration which seems to indicate that , by the eleventh century at least , the kingship of the Isles was contingent upon control of Mann .

= = Involvement in Wales = =

The principal Welsh monarch during Ímar 's reign was Gruffudd ap Llywelyn ( died 1063 / 1064 ) . One of the latter 's main rivals was Iago ab Idwal ap Meurig , King of Gwynedd ( died 1039 ) , a man who had killed Gruffudd 's father in 1023 , and thenceforth ruled Gwynedd until his own demise in 1039 . Gruffudd himself may have been responsible for Iago 's slaying , and certainly succeeded to the kingship of Gwynedd after his death . It was likely in the context of Iago 's fall and this resulting regime change that the latter 's son , Cynan ( fl . 1064 ) , fled overseas and sought refuge in Dublin .
According to Historia Gruffud vab Kenan , the mother of Cynan 's son was Ragnailt ingen Amlaíb , a paternal granddaughter of Sitriuc . Further revealed by this source is the fact that this woman 's father , Amlaíb mac Sitriuc , built and commanded a Welsh fortress called Castell Avloed . Although it is unknown how long the Dubliners possessed the fortress , in 1036 another son of Sitriuc was slain in Wales by an apparent kinsman , an event which could be evidence of a struggle for control of the site . Echmarcach 's aforesaid expulsion of Sitriuc from Dublin in the same year could in turn indicate that this exiled monarch sought refuge in Wales .
Despite the uncertainty of its specific location , Castell Avloed appears to have been situated in territory formerly controlled by Iago , and there is reason to suspect that — after Iago 's fall and Cynan 's flight — Ímar oversaw military actions against Gruffudd . Three years later , for example , Brut y Tywysogion and the " B " and " C " versions of Annales Cambriæ report that this Welsh king was captured by forces from Dublin . The episode is further elaborated upon by a sixteenth @-@ century text compiled by David Powell ( died 1598 ) and a seventeenth @-@ century text by compiled by James Ware . According to these admittedly late versions of events , Gruffudd was captured by the Dubliners in the context of them supporting the cause of Cynan . The accounts further state that Gruffudd managed to escape his captors when the Dubliners were counterattacked by Welsh forces before they could return to Ireland . The evidence of Cynan cooperating with the Dubliners against Gruffudd suggests that , not only was Ímar personally involved as king , but that the Welsh fortress of Castell Avloed was still controlled by the Dubliners .
Another conflict that could have involved Ímar and the military forces of Dublin was Gruffudd 's final defeat of Hywel ab Edwin , King of Deheubarth ( died 1044 ) . According to Brut y Tywysogion and the " B " version of Annales Cambriæ this last stand of Hywel took place at the mouth of the River Tywi — perhaps in the vicinity of Carmarthen — and included Vikings from Ireland who supported Hywel 's cause . It is apparent that Gruffudd 's adversaries generally utilised foreign military support from Ireland 's Viking enclaves . Certainly , the Book of Llandaff declares that Gruffudd struggled against English , Irish , and Vikings during his career .

= = Ancestral figure = =

Ímar may have been the father , uncle , or possibly even the brother of Gofraid Crobán , King of Dublin and the Isles ( died 1095 ) . In 1091 , the Annals of Tigernach reveals that Gofraid possessed the kingship of Dublin in an annal @-@ entry recording his patronym as " ... mac Maic Arailt " . The Chronicle of Mann , on the otherhand , gives Gofraid 's patronym as " ... filius Haraldi nigri de Ysland " . Whilst the former source identifies Gofraid as the son of a man named Aralt ( Old Norse Haraldr ) , the latter identifies Gofraid as the paternal grandson of a man so named .
In the aforesaid record of the military actions conducted in 1044 , Ímar is merely named as the son of Aralt , a fact which could indicate that this was how he was known to his contemporaries . If correct , the patronym preserved by the Chronicle of Mann could merely be a garbled form of this style .
The patronym given by the Chronicle of Mann states that Gofraid 's father was from " Ysland " , a place which could refer to either Iceland , Islay , or Ireland . Other than this passage , there is no evidence hinting of a connection between Gofraid and Iceland . The chronicle elsewhere states that Gofraid died on Islay , although the island 's name is rendered " Ile " in this case . If " Ysland " instead refers to Ireland , the spelling could be the result of influence from a source originating in England , or a source written in Mediaeval French .


= Tessa Noël =

Tessa Noël is a fictional character in the television series Highlander : The Series , portrayed by Alexandra Vandernoot . A mortal artist and sculptor , Tessa is the French lover of the protagonist Immortal , Duncan MacLeod , played by Adrian Paul . Tessa is introduced in the pilot episode " The Gathering " , first shown in 1992 , and appears in all subsequent episodes until " The Darkness " ( 1993 ) , the fourth episode of season two , in which she is killed . Vandernoot returned to the program for a number of guest appearances in the season two finale , " Counterfeit " , broadcast in 1994 , and the two @-@ part series conclusion " To Be " / " Not To Be " ( 1998 ) .
Tessa is MacLeod 's mortal companion and bears the consequences of his immortality . These include her aging while he does not , the impossibility of having children together and the dangers of MacLeod 's involvement in the Game , an ongoing battle in which all Immortals must behead each other until a single victor remains . Fully aware of this situation , Tessa stays with MacLeod , demonstrating her courage , understanding , generosity and compassion .
The first series of Highlander was a multi @-@ national co @-@ production including the French entertainment conglomerate Gaumont , which resulted in a French @-@ speaking actor playing Tessa . Vandernoot had to adapt to the North American , fast @-@ paced method of series production and worked with a dialect coach . Her performance was generally praised by reviewers , who especially praised the strong on @-@ screen relationship that Vandernoot and Paul created between their characters . When Vandernoot decided to leave the show , her character was killed , leading to fierce protests among the show 's audience and subsequently prompted the producers to have Vandernoot play an evil lookalike of Tessa in the episode " Counterfeit " . Despite her return , Tessa 's death influenced the rest of the series , making it more pessimistic , and creating a significant precedent ; Tessa was the first main character of the series to die .

= = Story arc = =

Tessa Noël is a central character , who appeared in every episode of the first season of Highlander : The Series , and in the first four episodes of the second . After the character 's death , she later returned for cameo appearances in the episodes " Counterfeit Part Two " in the second season , and " To Be " and " Not To Be " , the sixth season 's final two episodes .

= = = Background = = =

Tessa was born on August 28 , 1958 in Lille , France . When she was seven years old , she fell in love for the first time with then @-@ nineteen @-@ year @-@ old Alan Rothwood ( Anthony Head ) . Tessa recalls in " Nowhere To Run " that she was " heartbroken " when he completed his studies and left the country . She remembered that at her first Christmas party in the ballroom of Alan 's house , she " couldn 't believe anything could be so beautiful . " Tessa mentions in " See No Evil " that she was educated at the Sorbonne in Paris , France .
Tessa 's first encounter with MacLeod is shown in a flashback sequence in " For Evil 's Sake " . She had recently left the Sorbonne and was working as an artist and conducting tours of the River Seine in Paris . In May 1980 , to escape Immortal Christoph Kuyler ( Peter Howitt ) who was trying to behead him , MacLeod jumped on a Bateau Mouche on which Tessa was working , and charmed her so that he could stay on board . Another flashback scene in the episode " Counterfeit Part Two " shows how MacLeod revealed his immortality to Tessa . On April 1 , 1983 , MacLeod made Tessa shoot him in the chest with a pistol . After he revived , MacLeod revealed himself to be an Immortal who could not age or father children , but did not mention the Game . MacLeod expected Tessa to show disgust or fear , but instead Tessa expressed compassion and sadness for his loneliness . As Tessa remains unaware of the Game , MacLeod occasionally fights other Immortals without her knowledge .

= = = Season one = = =

When the series begins , Tessa and MacLeod have been in a relationship for twelve years and are the proprietors of an antiques store , " MacLeod and Noel 's Antiques " , in the fictional city of Seacouver , Washington , United States . Immortals Slan Quince ( Richard Moll ) and Connor MacLeod ( Christopher Lambert ) break into their store , making Tessa aware of the Game . When she learns of this ultimate battle of good and evil , in which Duncan MacLeod must behead or be beheaded , she sarcastically remarks ; " And you didn 't think it was important enough to mention . " When Quince threatens Tessa to distract MacLeod , she first wants to flee with MacLeod , who prepared for her departure and beheads Quince . Aware that other Immortals will challenge MacLeod , Tessa decides to stay with him . They also allow Richie Ryan ( Stan Kirsch ) , a quick @-@ talking petty thief and street punk , to live with them because he was aware of MacLeod 's immortality .
In " Eyewitness " ( 1993 ) , Tessa witnesses the brutal murder of former artist Anne Wheeler ( Diana Barrington ) , and reacts angrily when she realizes that the police will do nothing about it , saying : " I 'm not hysterical , I don 't see things , and I 'm not looking for attention . I just want something to be done . " She decides to find the murderer on her own . When MacLeod tells Tessa that she is stronger than Anne , and that if something happened to him she would be fine , Tessa retorts , " You only think so because it suits you . " The murderer is Chief Police Officer Andrew Ballin ( Tom Butler ) who is beheaded by MacLeod after Ballin failed to kill Tessa .
In " Band of Brothers " ( 1993 ) , Tessa is chosen as the curator of a traveling exhibition entitled " An historical retrospective on sculpture and form " , which is based in Paris , France . Meanwhile , Immortal Grayson ( James Horan ) is seeking Victor Paulus , a protegee of MacLeod 's friend Darius ( Werner Stocker ) . Tessa decides to leave to Paris before MacLeod fights Grayson and her parting words are : " Remember . Paris is our city . I 'll be waiting for you " . After MacLeod beheads Grayson , he , Tessa and Richie , live in a barge on the Seine near Notre Dame de Paris .
In " Avenging Angel " ( 1993 ) , MacLeod and Tessa search for information about newborn Immortal Alfred Cahill ( Martin Kemp ) . Becoming Immortal has made Cahill insane ; he believes he is an angel sent by God to free the world from sin . Cahill starts with the last prostitute he met , Tessa 's old friend , Elaine Trent ( Sandra Nelson ) . Tessa is angry to learn the fate of her intelligent , beautiful friend , but later realizes that she " [ sounds ] like her judge and jury . " MacLeod believes that the only way to stop Cahill is to behead him , despite Tessa 's opinion that " Enlightened societies don 't kill their insane . They treat them . " When Cahill comes to the barge looking for MacLeod and finds Tessa alone , Tessa diverts him by welcoming Cahill as a messenger of God . Later , she tells MacLeod with disgust , " I had to crawl inside his head ... I had to think like him ... I had to become like him . "

= = = Season two = = =

The first episode of the second season , " The Watchers " ( 1993 ) , shows Tessa , MacLeod and Richie settling back to their antiques store in Seacouver and meeting the Watchers , a secret society that observes Immortals without interfering . In " The Darkness " ( 1993 ) , Tessa meets a fortune teller named Greta ( Traci Lords ) who urges her to flee the city . This reminds MacLeod of another fortune teller , who , back in 1848 , predicted that he would bury many women , but marries none . MacLeod impulsively asks Tessa to marry him , to which she agrees . The next day , Tessa is abducted by Pallin Wolf ( Andrew Jackson ) , a renegade Watcher who wants to behead MacLeod . In the meantime , MacLeod tells Richie that he is getting married because of the thought of losing Tessa . Tessa holds her ground in front of Wolf and tries to escape , but Wolf brings her back to her cell . MacLeod finally finds them and kills Wolf , then sends Tessa home with Richie . On their way to the car , Tessa and Richie are shot dead by Marc Roszca ( Travis MacDonald ) , a drug addict wanting their money . Richie 's previously unknown immortality is revealed when he returns to life on the spot , but Tessa dies . MacLeod , devastated , leaves their home and sells the antique store .
" Eye For An Eye " ( 1993 ) shows the aftermath of Tessa 's death . MacLeod tells Richie , " She was part of our lives , Richie . Never pretend she wasn 't . " MacLeod also advises Richie to get used to her loss , because it " won 't be the last time it happens to you . " Later , while MacLeod trains Richie roughly so that he can face Immortal Annie Devlin ( Sheena Easton ) , Richie angrily tells MacLeod , " You can 't get past it , Mac . I know . You 've seen a lot of people die . But you had to be the hero , you sent us out to the car that night , you could have been there ... You look me in the eyes and you tell me you don 't blame yourself for her death . " Some time later , MacLeod bitterly tells Devlin , " Nothing you do brings anyone back . Once they 're dead ... nothing . "
In the two @-@ part finale to series two , " Counterfeit " ( 1994 ) , James Horton ( Peter Hudson ) , a renegade Watcher who believes all Immortals must be eliminated , uses killer Lisa Halle ( Meilani Paul ) to try and kill MacLeod . Lisa undergoes plastic surgery to resemble Tessa and therefore is played by Vandernoot from that point on . MacLeod meets Lisa just after he admitted to himself how much he missed Tessa , and he is stunned by her resemblance with Tessa . Despite knowing that Tessa is dead and cannot return , he eagerly pursues a relationship with Lisa . He eventually admits the truth when he discovers a scar on Lisa 's jaw . Horton kills Lisa on Tessa 's grave before being himself killed by MacLeod .
" To Be " and " Not To Be " ( 1998 ) , the series finale , respectively depict MacLeod dreaming of a world in which he was never born . Vandernoot reprises her role as Tessa , this time never having met MacLeod . Tessa leads an unsatisfactory life in which she has a husband and children , but is forced to sacrifice her art and sculpture . In this storyline she has an affair with MacLeod but feels she has betrayed her husband .

= = Characteristics = =


= = = Relationship with MacLeod = = =

Tessa , and Kirsch 's character Richie , were designed as MacLeod 's mortal companions and contacts . Tessa and MacLeod are lovers and share deep feelings for each other . Adrian Paul commented that MacLeod spent twelve years with Tessa without wanting another relationship and that " ... she was a very important part of his life " . Vandernoot thought that " ... the relationship between Tessa and MacLeod was very deep because very soon , he told her about himself ( ... ) because he trusted her , and I think trust is a very good definition of their relationship . She trusted him entirely and he trusted her . " Tessa is thus MacLeod 's only mortal lover who knows of his immortality .
However , executive producer Bill Panzer was intrigued by the idea that a mortal would want to spend their life with an Immortal , this choice having several drawbacks . MacLeod does not age , while Tessa is mortal and will age . Despite their mutual wish , they know growing old together is impossible and this uneasy thought " ... haunts them both , sometimes more than others . " As an Immortal , MacLeod is also sterile and Tessa resigns herself to having no children . " The Sea Witch " deals with Tessa 's choice and its impact upon her life . In this episode , Tessa becomes very fond of a four @-@ year @-@ old girl and muses ; " For a while there , just for a few hours ... I felt like she was mine . I liked how it felt . But , she 's not ... I have my own life and it 's more than enough . " Panzer commented that " The Sea Witch " " ... brings forth in a very powerful way what exactly [ Tessa ] ' s giving up to be with MacLeod . "
Tessa occasionally meets MacLeod 's previous Immortal lovers . In " The Lady and the Tiger " , she immediately dislikes Amanda ( played by Elizabeth Gracen ) and the script notes that " ... sparks fly between the two women " . Although she quickly earns Amanda 's respect , Tessa feels like she has to compete with Amanda , while Amanda comments that Tessa is " ... quite refreshing in a gauche sort of way . " Gracen played Amanda 's interaction with Tessa ambiguously and a little flirtatiously . Tessa is usually jealous of MacLeod 's past lovers , but acknowledges in " Saving Grace " that " ... it would take me several lifetimes to find out everything in Duncan 's past . I know there 've been others , but I never thought I would meet one of them . "
In addition , Tessa shares with MacLeod the consequences of his involvement in the Game . She dislikes the Game and would like to escape from it with him , since she fears for his life . According to Vandernoot , Tessa " ... always thought that she [ would ] die before [ MacLeod ] " , but when he told her about the Game during " The Gathering " , " she [ realised ] that he [ could ] be killed " , thus she avoided thinking about it . Another consequence of the Game is that Tessa is sometimes exposed to danger from Immortals who want to use her to pressure MacLeod . Despite being captured by Quince in " The Gathering " , by the time of " Band of Brothers " , she is able to face Grayson : " If you think [ MacLeod ] will stand by , ... you have misjudged him terribly . So you 'd better kill me , now , and be done with it . " Grayson releases her and calls her " ... a remarkable woman , well worth keeping alive . " Consequently , Tessa is fully aware of the risks of their relationship , but stays with MacLeod , explaining in " Eyewitness " that " I know the risks I choose to take ... I stay with you because I want to . I won 't run . I 'm not the little woman and I 'll never be barefoot and pregnant . We all have things to face . This is mine . " However , she finds difficult to deal with her fears when MacLeod leaves to fight another Immortal .

= = = Character traits = = =

Vandernoot found Tessa 's personality " ... very nice , " " very understanding , generous , supportive . " MacLeod appreciates that Tessa always has a way of reminding him of his humanity . In " For Evil 's Sake " , she tells a guilt @-@ ridden MacLeod that " You may be Immortal , but you 're not omnipotent ... The world is not your responsibility . " Tessa often jokes about MacLeod 's immortality , for example telling him in " For Tomorrow We Die " that the last time MacLeod " ... wore a tuxedo was on the deck of the Titanic . "
Tessa is able to empathise with others , feel as they do , think as they do and so become like them . When MacLeod revealed his immortality to Tessa in " Counterfeit Part Two " , she can show compassion instead of the fear or disgust he expects : " I was just thinking how lonely you must be . Your parents , your friends ... having them all die . " Tessa is a very empathic and understanding character , for example , in " Saving Grace " , she is jealous of MacLeod 's former lover Grace ; however , when MacLeod assures her that he no longer loves Grace , her response is simply that " ... that 's all that need to be said . She 's your friend and she 's been hurt . You 'll help her . I 'd expect you to do no less . "
Furthermore , Tessa demonstrates great courage , for example in " Mountain Men " , where she is abducted by three mountain men led by Immortal Caleb Cole , who wants to marry her . Tessa refuses to submit and spreads doubt among them , resulting in Cole finally killing one of his own men before MacLeod rescues her . Reviewer Rob Lineberger of DVDVerdict.com commented that " ... this episode shows the tough stuff Tessa is made of . " Tessa is a very selfless character , although it has , occasionally , been known to put her into rather sticky situations , for example , in the episode " See No Evil " , Tessa 's friend , Natalie , is attacked by serial killer Michael Tanovsky and Tessa uses herself as bait : " Nobody 's watching over his next victim , Duncan ... and she 's going to die if you and I don 't stop him . " Lineberger commented that " [ in " See No Evil " ] , Tessa gets a taste for how Duncan 's life must feel when she faces the killer . " She hits Tanovsky with her car , telling MacLeod " I thought ridding the world of evil would feel better than this . " Panzer comments that having Tessa stop the killer " ... was kind of an unusual idea [ in television in 1992 ] , and this was the subject of a lot of meetings with [ then @-@ supervising producer ] David Abramowitz , myself and the people from the various networks , domestic and foreign , who were involved . " Tessa has a reputation for speaking frankly and for refusing to tolerate any nonsense . In " Innocent Man " , when MacLeod refuses to take her where an evil Immortal is , she says , " I know why you don 't want me there . You 're afraid that what happened to Lucas [ MacLeod 's friend who has just been beheaded ] could happen to you . " Tessa has no self @-@ pity and " ... doesn 't like euphemisms " . For example , in " For Tomorrow We Die " , MacLeod calls her " contrary by nature " Tessa parks her car without regard to interdictions , can drive a speedboat , is a poor chess player and dislikes war .

= = = Employment and career = = =

Tessa is a prominent professional artist . She organises exhibitions of her works and sells a metallic sculpture to the City of Seacouver to adorn a park . Tessa is often seen making art works and welding large pieces of metal together , drawing or using modelling clay . She is also seen sketching people with whom she has problems . Tessa believes that " ... an artist should never grow complacent . Change is good , " and fears the Paris art critics because " ... they are the worst " .

= = Character concept and development = =

In the script of " The Gathering " , Tessa is described as " ... a beautiful , elegantly casual woman , artist , free spirit , and proprietor of the most unusual antique shop in the city . " The script of the episode " Saving Grace " says that she has grace and style . Tessa is portrayed as a tall , thin woman with blonde hair and blue eyes . Because Highlander : The Series was an international co @-@ production , the producers cast a French @-@ speaking actor to play Tessa . Producer Gary Goodman explained that they wanted someone " ... that would be appealing on a television screen ... in the sense that you were comfortable with her accent and her character " . They chose Belgian actress Alexandra Vandernoot because she " ... was able to be exotic , pretty and not so unfamiliar to an American audience that she was accepted . "

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