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Beyond the Earth and the Moon

So far this year, we’ve focused mostly on the magical relationships between the Earth and the Moon. While the Moon is very important to magic on Earth, there are also many other Astronomical bodies present in our Solar System. There is, of course, our Sun - the producer of all magic in the Solar System. Practically all magic that is reflected off Solar System planets has originated from the Sun. Also, the Sun pulls all of the Solar System planets, as well as objects such as asteroid belts and some comets, into orbits, which allow us to utilize the magical relationships we use today. In fact, the term “Solar System” includes the Sun and everything that revolves around it, from the great planets to the smallest rocks in the Asteroid Belt.

As for the planets in the Solar System, there are eight that are considered in the Magical world (and most of the Muggle world) to be planets. From closest to furthest from the sun, they are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. The four that are closest to the Sun are considered the Inner Planets, and they share similar features. Likewise, the last four are considered the Outer Planets, and they also share commonalities. There is also the dwarf planet Pluto. When the International Astronomical Union (IAU), one of the premier Muggle Astronomical associations, deemed that Pluto is not a planet in 2006, there was controversy, and there are some today who still consider Pluto to be a planet. Either way, Pluto is a part of the Solar System and thus has some effect on astronomical magic.

In addition to the many planets of the Solar System, there are also many moons. The Earth is unique in the Solar System in that it has exactly one moon, and our Moon is also relatively large compared to the Earth. In fact, the Earth’s Moon is so large that it is able to totally eclipse the Sun during a solar eclipse. Among the Inner Planets, there are only three moons - Earth’s Moon, and Mars’ potato-shaped moons, Phobos and Deimos. In contrast, many of the Outer Planets have a whole collection of moons, and new moons are still being discovered. For example, Jupiter currently has the most known moons at the time of this lesson. Of Jupiter’s 67 known moons, four of the most famous - the Galilean moons - were used by Galileo Galilei as evidence for a Sun-centered Solar System. Even Pluto, perhaps the most famous planetoid in the Solar System, has five moons. While moons have similar features, they also have unique properties. For example, Europa, perhaps the most well-known of the Galilean moons in the wizarding world, is covered in ice.

Furthermore, there are other features of the Solar System worth noting - asteroids belts, comets and the like. Then there is magic coming from outside of the Solar System - in particular, constellations for astrology. The whole universe contains objects that impact and emit magical energy, which makes Astronomy such an important and vital subject.

 

Inner Planets vs. Outer Planets

The eight planets in the Solar System are, as mentioned above, split into the Inner Planets and the Outer Planets. The Inner Planets refer to Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars, while the Outer Planets refer to Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. The image I have presented above shows the eight planets in the Solar System scaled according to size, with the Inner Planets in the front and the Outer Planets in the back.

Perhaps the most obvious difference between the Inner Planets and the Outer Planets is this size difference - the Outer Planets are much larger than the Inner Planets. In fact, Earth is the largest of the Inner Planets even though it is quite small for a planet. That being said, the planets of Mercury, Venus, and Mars have much more of a magical effect on Earth than, say, Uranus or Neptune. This is because Mercury, Venus, and Mars have larger observed sizes since they are closer to the Earth, and thus the Inner Planets also have higher A.M.E.’s than Uranus or Neptune. Of all the Outer Planets, only Jupiter and Saturn were noticed by Astronomers before telescopes, and thus - due to their observed size and brightness - these planets have relatively noticeable A.M.E.’s and thus have a strong magical effect on the Earth.

Two other differences between the Inner Planets and Outer Planets are surface and composition. The surfaces of the Inner Planets are rocky, and although planets such as Venus and Earth - the two largest of the Inner Planets - have thick atmospheres, any spacecraft that attempted to land on the planets would be able to land on solid ground. Thus, all four of the Inner Planets have surface features. You will find landscapes of volcanic origin as well as craters. If you go deeper into these planets, you will also find that these planets are made of many heavier elements such as metals, and the cores are very metallic.

In contrast, the Outer Planets, while they are large, do not have hard surfaces. They are called “Gas Giants” because they are made of gas: a spacecraft that attempts to land on such a planet would not find a solid surface. Composition-wise, the Outer Planets are made of hydrogen and helium, the same components that make up our Sun. The Outer Planets also have ring systems and tend to have interesting moons.

 

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. 

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.

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 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

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.

 

 

 

 

 

Our Star System (part 1)

Milan Steenbergen
Module by Milan Steenbergen, updated more than 1 year ago
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