Magicis Stellarum et Plantae
written by Katherine Lutz
Astronomy textbook. - Second edition
Last Updated
05/31/21
Chapters
15
Reads
1,356
Why study astronomy? - Part II
Chapter 3
c. What Astronomy Is Not!
What Astronomy is not, however, is Divination. Astrology is the study of how the movements of the planets affect our personalities and our personal fortunes, predicting the future in the process. Whilst both disciplines monitor the movement of celestial bodies to see their effects on Earth, astronomers only concern themselves with predicting the future as it relates to where these bodies will be tomorrow and beyond, and, to some extent, how they will change over time. In their earliest days, Astrology and Astronomy were considered one and the same. Whilst some Astrology may be referred to in the course (the signs of the Zodiac, for example), this will be primarily for historical context, and students will not be expected to divine the future beyond celestial mechanics.
In the Muggle world, the line between Astronomy and Astrology is very well-defined due to the lack of magic for celestial bodies to affect. Thus, astronomers may be offended when they are referred to as astrologers, and vice versa. You should appreciate this distinction before engaging in conversation with people of either of these professions, lest you receive a black eye, or at the least, a look of mild disdain and no invitation to their birthday party.
d. Magical vs. Muggle Astronomy
Whilst you may find some concepts simple to grasp in this course (planets moving in orbits, the time it takes the Sun's light to reach us, etc.), developing those ideas was not a simple task. The Ancient Greek astronomers studied the heavens, yet even with all the credit we attribute to them in developing Western Civilisation, magical thinking, and Muggle ‘science,’ they still were unable, as a group, to come to the realisation that Earth was not at the centre of the Universe. It took until the 1500s for Nicolaus Copernicus to convince astronomers that Earth and the planets revolved around the Sun, a conclusion he drew from the burgeoning astronomical communities in both the Muggle and the wizarding world.
It may be tempting to think Muggle astronomers lag behind our wizarding fellows because of the advantages afforded by magic. However, the two communities have developed largely hand-in-hand. Wizards and witches had an advantage when it came to developing astronomical tools. For example, they could charm and transfigure materials to perfect the lens and the telescope much sooner than Muggles could develop techniques to get adequately smooth and curved lenses. Often, however, wizarding astronomers operated directly within the community of Muggle astronomers, making ‘discoveries’ (aided by undisclosed magic) of their own, and therefore advancing the Muggle ‘sciences.’ Thankfully, in the last hundred years or so, the Muggle astronomical community has advanced to the point that our intervention seldom is required to guide their research in the right direction.
The Muggle community has continued to push the boundaries and understanding of ‘physics’ (the study of the laws of the Universe), so much so that they have started the study of Cosmology, trying to answer the overarching question of how the Universe began in the first place. It is unfortunate to note, however, that the laws of the Universe the Muggles have developed through their study of physics may not hold true in the magical world; as ambitious as their goals may be, physics will never be complete without first taking into account magic. Consider one of the most fundamental physical laws applicable to astronomy - the law of gravity, which causes objects to attract and fall towards each other in some fashion. This fundamental physical law can be overcome with something as simple as the child's charm, Wingardium Leviosa. Muggle knowledge still has a long way to go before it is complete, but the extraordinary feats they have achieved so far without the use of magic are nothing to sniff at. Working together in groups of hundreds, even thousands if you include the people that have built and designed the equipment used, Muggles have put telescopes in space, seen starlight that is over twelve billion years old, and even helped put men onto the surface of the Moon. Some of the data is so precise and extensive, even our astronomers are scrambling to use it to test the extent of magic in the early days of the Universe.
What Astronomy is not, however, is Divination. Astrology is the study of how the movements of the planets affect our personalities and our personal fortunes, predicting the future in the process. Whilst both disciplines monitor the movement of celestial bodies to see their effects on Earth, astronomers only concern themselves with predicting the future as it relates to where these bodies will be tomorrow and beyond, and, to some extent, how they will change over time. In their earliest days, Astrology and Astronomy were considered one and the same. Whilst some Astrology may be referred to in the course (the signs of the Zodiac, for example), this will be primarily for historical context, and students will not be expected to divine the future beyond celestial mechanics.
In the Muggle world, the line between Astronomy and Astrology is very well-defined due to the lack of magic for celestial bodies to affect. Thus, astronomers may be offended when they are referred to as astrologers, and vice versa. You should appreciate this distinction before engaging in conversation with people of either of these professions, lest you receive a black eye, or at the least, a look of mild disdain and no invitation to their birthday party.
d. Magical vs. Muggle Astronomy
Whilst you may find some concepts simple to grasp in this course (planets moving in orbits, the time it takes the Sun's light to reach us, etc.), developing those ideas was not a simple task. The Ancient Greek astronomers studied the heavens, yet even with all the credit we attribute to them in developing Western Civilisation, magical thinking, and Muggle ‘science,’ they still were unable, as a group, to come to the realisation that Earth was not at the centre of the Universe. It took until the 1500s for Nicolaus Copernicus to convince astronomers that Earth and the planets revolved around the Sun, a conclusion he drew from the burgeoning astronomical communities in both the Muggle and the wizarding world.
It may be tempting to think Muggle astronomers lag behind our wizarding fellows because of the advantages afforded by magic. However, the two communities have developed largely hand-in-hand. Wizards and witches had an advantage when it came to developing astronomical tools. For example, they could charm and transfigure materials to perfect the lens and the telescope much sooner than Muggles could develop techniques to get adequately smooth and curved lenses. Often, however, wizarding astronomers operated directly within the community of Muggle astronomers, making ‘discoveries’ (aided by undisclosed magic) of their own, and therefore advancing the Muggle ‘sciences.’ Thankfully, in the last hundred years or so, the Muggle astronomical community has advanced to the point that our intervention seldom is required to guide their research in the right direction.
The Muggle community has continued to push the boundaries and understanding of ‘physics’ (the study of the laws of the Universe), so much so that they have started the study of Cosmology, trying to answer the overarching question of how the Universe began in the first place. It is unfortunate to note, however, that the laws of the Universe the Muggles have developed through their study of physics may not hold true in the magical world; as ambitious as their goals may be, physics will never be complete without first taking into account magic. Consider one of the most fundamental physical laws applicable to astronomy - the law of gravity, which causes objects to attract and fall towards each other in some fashion. This fundamental physical law can be overcome with something as simple as the child's charm, Wingardium Leviosa. Muggle knowledge still has a long way to go before it is complete, but the extraordinary feats they have achieved so far without the use of magic are nothing to sniff at. Working together in groups of hundreds, even thousands if you include the people that have built and designed the equipment used, Muggles have put telescopes in space, seen starlight that is over twelve billion years old, and even helped put men onto the surface of the Moon. Some of the data is so precise and extensive, even our astronomers are scrambling to use it to test the extent of magic in the early days of the Universe.
