A.M.E. Basics Review
Last class, we talked about the Astronomy-based Magical Effect Quotient, or the A.M.E. When we ask about how much of an effect the Moon, for example, has on the Earth, we are discussing the Moon to Earth A.M.E. We also went over the five parts of the A.M.E. What were those again?
Yes, that is correct. The five parts of the A.M.E. are:
Today, we will go over each part of the A.M.E. individually. In future years, we will go in depth into the physical properties of planets, moons, and other astronomical bodies, and the above details will be crucial to understanding how astronomical magic affects us. Remember, for these descriptions, we are assuming that we are standing on the Earth, but should you be lucky enough to be given the chance to leave the Earth’s atmosphere, you can apply the same concepts to your location at any place in the universe.
Composition
Composition refers to the molecular makeup of an astronomical body. Both the surface composition as well as the internal geology of the planet or moon is important because both alter the type of the magical effect of reflected light.
For example, there is much iron in Mars’ composition. In fact, Mars looks red to us on Earth because of the iron oxide on the planet’s surface. Because of the effect of the iron, magic being reflected by Mars tends to be reactive, chaotic, and high-energy - you will learn more about this in Alchemy next year. Mars’ iron content also affects its use in Divination, as the sighting of Mars can be linked to readings of war and battle. You can look forward to more information about Mars’ symbolic meaning in Divination next year, if you choose to take the class.
Observed Size
This property is self-explanatory. Small objects can look bigger in the sky than larger objects because they are much nearer to us. For example, the Moon appears to be bigger than Mars in our sky even though the Moon is much smaller than Mars.
How does this relate to magic? In general, non-light-producing objects that seem larger in appearance tend to have a stronger magical influence than those that have a smaller appearance. This is because objects that are closer tend to reflect more magic on the Earth than objects that are further away.
In this example, the Moon has a stronger magical effect on the Earth than Mars does. While the effects of Mars can be powerful when used effectively, the magic reflected from the Moon has a significant impact on the Earth and is easy to harness.
Albedo
Like light, magic is generated from the Sun and reflected off objects in space. Some objects reflect the magic better than others. The word that describes how much of the received magic a surface reflects is called magical albedo. A surface’s albedo can be expressed in any number between 0 and 1; a surface with a magical albedo value of 0, seen on the left side of the above image, reflects no magic at all, while a surface with a magical albedo of 1 reflects all the energy that shines at it.
Magical albedo can be estimated by visual albedo - light surfaces tend to reflect more magical energy than dark surfaces. For example, the light surfaces of the Moon reflect more magic than the dark surfaces of the Moon. This is also why the magic during the full Moon is very strong; since so many of the light surfaces of the Moon are visible to Earth, we know that there is much magical energy sent to the Earth during a full Moon.
Teamwork (Interference)
When magic is reflected off of astronomical objects, it is influenced by the magic of other objects. Sometimes magical effects influence one another to create different magical effects. Dr. Mansour originally called this “teamwork”, but the word currently used today is “interference”.
There are two types of interference. Constructive interference occurs when reflections from two or more magical sources enhance each other so that the magic’s effects are stronger. Destructive interference occurs when reflections from two or more magical sources partly or completely cancel each other out so that there is less or no magic. Complete constructive interference and complete destructive interference - the former refers to a situation with the maximum strengthening of the reflected magic, while the latter refers to essentially a complete cancellation of the reflected magic - are rare, as most interference interactions are complex.
Teamwork is similar to the concept of transitionals. In transitionals, you will use the relationship between two objects in the solar system, such as Venus and Mars, to change the qualities of an element. You can learn more about transitionals next year in Alchemy. Teamwork is also similar to what one would see in astrology. When diviners use astrology, they study how stars, planets, and the like work together to produce magical effects.
Surface
The surface of an astronomical object has an effect on the type of magic that is transmitted to the Earth. For example, flat areas will have different effects than mountainous areas. This is why we will be learning about surface geology of planets, moons, and other features later on in our Astronomy program. For other objects with very varied magical effects, astronomers often study aspects such as a planet’s rotation, particularly if it is irregular.
Let’s take the Moon as an example. Ever notice that the effect of the full Moon is rather uniform no matter when the full Moon occurs? This is because of the Moon’s synchronous rotation - even though the Moon looks different on the near and the far sides, the near side always faces the Earth, and therefore the same side of the Moon reflects the magic back to the Earth. As a result, magic reflected from the Moon is very predictable. This is why Moon-based magic is used relatively reliably for many specific magical processes, such as maturing Veritaserum potions.
I will be ending class now so that you will have enough time to complete your midterms. I will be passing them out now; once you are done, you can hand them to me and head back to your dorms. There will also be additional homework distributed; please complete these for next class period.
Good luck on the midterms!
Telescope Use: Measuring an Object’s Size
Please look up at the Moon without your telescope. How big is the Moon in the sky? It is hard to measure the Moon’s apparent size with our naked eyes. Luckily, we have our magical telescopes to help us.
While the telescopes that we are using in class are basic models, they have quite a few useful features. For example, you can use the telescope to measure the size of an object in the sky. Since the Moon is visible today, let’s measure the size of the Moon. First, point the telescope at the Moon and zoom in. Remember, the zoom controls are on the left side of the telescope - the large knob is for large adjustments, and the small knob is for smaller adjustments.
Then, locate the button, which is labeled “S” for “size”. You can find it on the right side of the telescope. Then, push down the button. A ruler will appear in your view - estimate the size of the Moon based on the markings of the lens.
Let’s point our telescopes at the Moon and take a look.
One great thing about this ruler is that it it will zoom in and out as you zoom in and out of the Moon. Remember that the ruler that appears in your lens always measures the size of the Moon as if it were to be seen with a naked eye. For the best results, zoom in as close as you can. As you zoom in, the magical ruler that appears in the lens will show more detailed size increments. You can also see your current magnification level displayed on the upper right side.
Zoom in and out slightly on the Moon and see what happens. Good job, everyone!
Notice how much easier it is to use our magical telescopes than our naked eyes? More complex models of telescopes contain additional magical functions. For example, higher-end models will let you measure the size and other attributes of extraterrestrial objects by saying aloud the quality that you wish to measure. The words will trigger the appropriate charm in the telescope to show the appropriate scales on the screen.
Let’s now discuss how to use your telescopes to measure an object’s albedo.
Telescope: Measuring an Object’s Albedo
Measuring an object’s albedo is rather similar to measuring an object’s size. As I mentioned in a previous lesson, magical albedo is a measure of how much magic is reflected off the surface of an astronomical body - the lowest value possible is “0”, which refers to complete absorption of magic by the surface, and the highest possible value is “1”, which refers to a complete reflection of magic right back at us.
All you have to do is push down on the button with the “A” marking. When you do, the object that you are looking at will turn different shades of green depending on the albedo. In addition, a bar with 10 different shades of green will appear on the side. The shades of green are arranged from light to dark, with the darker shade standing for lower values and the lighter shade standing for higher values. For example, the darkest shade stands for readings of 0.0 to 0.1, the next darkest stands for 0.1 to 0.2, and so on.
Let’s take a look at the Moon. Notice that the bright parts of the Moon have high albedo, while the dark parts of the Moon have low albedo. Also, notice how much of the magic that gets reflected back at the Earth comes from locations with high values. I am going around and checking on everyone in class - if you have a question, please let me know.
Now, we will be going over our assignment for next week.
Viewing the Planets
One challenge when teaching Astronomy is that the objects that we will be looking at may not be visible to us during our class period on Wednesday night. It turns out that the second half of November, for example, is great for viewing only a few planets. Three of them - Venus, Mars, and Jupiter - are visible right before dawn. Sometime before this class and next class, I would like you to go out and view these planets.
I have given everyone temporary passes for permission to be out in the castle around dawn. Please bundle up as the temperatures around that time may be chilly for some, and feel free to bring a classmate or several to the viewing party. I will post this chart here in front of my office and by the southeast corner of the Tower so that you can be reminded of where to look.
Finding the planets is very easy. First, locate the constellation Corvus - it should be in the southeast portion of the sky. Then find the star Spica, which should be left of the top two stars in the Corvus constellation. We will learn more about Spica in future years. The three planets should be aligned on the diagonal, with Venus being the lower planet, Mars being the middle planet, and Jupiter being the planet in the upper part of your view.
I will be in the Astronomy tower on Wednesday and Friday morning at dawn. If you have trouble finding these planets, please come seek me out, and I will help you. Bring your friends and housemates if you would like. This is important, as next lesson we will be learning a little more about these planets and their moons.