Professor Turing reveals more planetary images during his entrance - some familiar, as they have been shown last lesson, and some new. Students look excitedly at the images as they are revealed.

Good evening, students, and welcome back to Astronomy class. Last lesson, we briefly discussed the many astronomical items that make up our Solar System. We have, for example, planets, moons, asteroids, and more. We also have, of course, the Sun - the source of all magic. We talked about the Inner Planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars) and the Outer Planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune) as well as the similarities and differences between them. For your reference, I have posted the image from last lesson - the one that shows the planet's’ order from the Sun - in front of the class.

Planets of the Solar System
Source: NASA

Next week, there will be a final. There will also be a guest speaker, and she will be talking about Dr. Mansour, the astronomer who developed the A.M.E. concept. We will also be talking about von Rheticus. Fun fact - there is a portrait of him in the school. If you have not found it yet, see if you can find it before next class! It will be a good lecture, so please be sure to pay attention even if the lecture is right before the final.

Any questions so far? No? Good. Then let’s begin.

Differences Among Inner Planets

In the previous lesson, we learned about the Inner Planets and how they are similar to one another. For example, they are small in size, and they have few or no moons. They are also very rocky, and they have metallic cores. Their surfaces possess discernible texture because they do have a hard surface, and they have craters. While I did not mention this additional fact specifically, I showed images of the planets, and we all could see that the Inner Planets, though they are small, are spherical in shape.

The Inner Planets, however, are not exactly the same. In terms of magic, the Inner Planets were associated with different - and sometimes conflicting - qualities. For example, Venus was associated with calmness, while Mars was associated with chaos. In Alchemy next year, you will learn about how the diametrically different properties of Venus and Mars can be used to change certain qualities of elements. 

Inner Planets in Detail
Source: Wikipedia

Here is the picture of just the Inner Planets again. In the top row, we have Earth on the left and Venus on the right. In the bottom row - Mars on the left, Mercury on the right. Size-wise, the planets are depicted to scale. As you can see, Mercury is the smallest of the Inner Planets. Venus and Earth are similar in size but look very different.

Let us talk about Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun. As you can see from the picture, it is essentially a cratered ball of rock. In fact, with its mare-like sections and many craters, it may even look a little like our Moon. There is an atmosphere on Mercury, but it is very thin - too thin to burn up any space rocks that manage to get pulled towards the planet by its gravity. We will talk more about gravity in future years. Also, because the atmosphere is so thin, the planet has both very hot areas and very cold areas at the same time. That being said, this ball of rock is associated with the magic of speed and intuition. Perhaps it’s the 88-day year that gives it its association with speed, and perhaps it’s the planet’s varied temperatures and vulnerability to space rocks that give it its penchant for intuition.

Image of Venus; taken by NASA
Source: Wikipedia

Venus and Earth are considered “sister planets” because they are roughly around the same size and adjacent to one another, Venus being the second planet from the Sun. Venus has cloud cover and an atmosphere thick enough to burn up many incoming meteorites. However, the planet is also very different from Earth. For example, Venus is covered by clouds made of sulfur dioxide, and the atmosphere of Venus is mostly carbon dioxide. This atmosphere makes Venus a very hot planet, as it traps in a lot of the heat. In Alchemical applications, Venus represents love and calm, even though there are many storms on the planet. Do the storms represent the hidden side of love, and does the atmosphere’s effect in burning up meteorites bring about a sense of calm? Magical astronomers are still debating. 

Then, of course, follows Mars, our red neighbor on the other side. Of all the Inner Planets, it is furthest from the Sun. Mars also has a thin atmosphere, but thicker than Mercury’s. That being said, you can see Mars’ red surface from Earth, so the atmosphere must not be very thick. Even though Mars’ atmosphere is made mostly of carbon dioxide, it does little to stop meteorites from crashing into the surface. The surface is red because of the iron oxide in the Martian crust. Likewise, Mars is associated with chaos, youth, and masculinity. The red is said to symbolize blood and the reactive, violent qualities that come with the planet. 

Differences Among the Outer Planets

The Outer Planets, as well, hold their differences. This section will focus on the differences between Jupiter and Saturn, as these two planets have the most impact on the A.M.E. Jupiter and Saturn have many similarities - they are the largest and second largest planets in the Solar System, and they are both made of primarily hydrogen and helium. However, Jupiter is associated with the qualities of strength and guardianship, while Saturn is associated with wisdom. 

Jupiter’s Great Red Spot
Source: NASA

Jupiter is known for its distinctive bands and its Great Red Spot, a storm so big that it is actually bigger than the size of the Earth! Inside these storms, the winds whirl at high speed, which seems interesting, especially since the planet itself has characteristics of strength. In fact, one can argue that Jupiter portrays strength in a very complex and unique manner - as it has the ability to remain emotionally intact even in a turbulent state of mind.

Then, of course, there are Saturn’s rings, perhaps the planet’s most recognizable feature. Even though the rings appear to be solid, they are not: instead they are made of myriads of small pieces of ice and rock, not exactly the most exciting building blocks. That being said, the magic that originates from light being reflected from Saturn has the characteristic of wisdom. Perhaps’ Saturn’s ability to create beautiful rings out of broken pieces of rock and ice - rough and jagged - are an analogy of wisdom itself.

Comets

Halley’s Comet
Image Source: Space.com

Comets are essentially ice-covered rocks. The ice can be water ice, or it can be ice of other materials, such as frozen carbon dioxide or methane. These celestial objects come close to the Sun with varying frequency, and when they do approach, their magic becomes available for us to use. Luckily, a good number of Solar System comet paths have been charted, and thus we as astronomers have a good idea of when the next comet will come visit. 

One example is Halley’s Comet, which is pictured at front of the class. Unlike the planets, which orbit in an almost-circular path around the Sun, this comet’s orbit is elliptical and crosses the orbits of the Outer Planets. However, approximately once every 75 years, you can see the the comet in the Earth’s skies, and it is one of the few comets that can be seen without a telescope.

There is much power to be had by harnessing the magic from these comets. When Halley’s Comet last visited Earth’s neighborhood in 1986, there was plenty of excitement within the Magical astronomy community, and much Magical research relating to the comet was performed and published. Even Magical newspapers covered the arrival of the comet in great detail. We will learn more about the magic and influence of comets in future years.

Thank you for coming to class today. Class is dismissed.