SnitchSeeker.com - View Single Post - Astronomy Lesson #1

laurange · 01-24-2017, 04:52 PM

Okay, so Brian was trying - and trying very hard, mind you - to let this lesson slide and be a little more passive as opposed to passive-aggressive in Astronomy. After all, not everyone was as experienced or influential as Professor Flamsteed, or as widely celebrated as Professor Burbage. The Hufflepuff had been doing some extracurricular reading when he came across one of the papers she'd published and he'd been absolutely blown away. Not that he understood half the math going on in that thing, but even so, the conclusions she drew from extensive data? Even Professor Flamsteed had trouble coming close in his regard, and Brian held the man in extremely high esteem. EXTREMELY. Possibly more so after his internship at the UK Space Agency over the summer.

Now, he knew the questions were hypothetical, but sometimes it was just too difficult to resist and this boy had done quite a bit of resisting, what with people actually naming Pluto as the furthest planet and it was just plain killing him inside. Not to mention the fact that if she was unable to define a planet, that would make her severely underqualified to teach this subject. Honestly, was the headmistress so very desperate?

Thing was, when the first year Hufflepuff - Raphael? Derfale? Ah, Derfael - made his comment, that was the point of absolutely no return. "Planet Nine is a hypothetical planet assumed to be really far out, yes, but it's largely theoretical and hasn't been proven yet since it was theorised in 2016. BUT with the algorithms and telescopes currently programmed, we're a lot closer to finding it." But Derf raised an important question, and since he just so happened to be nearby, swiveled to face the boy when he made his response, even if it happened to be to her question. "With all due respect, Miss -" Now brace yourself.

"A planet is a body that has mass, which obeys three definitive criteria. Firstly, it must orbit a star. Secondly, it must have achieved hydrostatic equilibrium. This is achieved when flow velocity is constant at any point in time, effects of which would result in the mass being roughly spherical since effects like gravity are balanced by a gradient force. Thirdly, the mass has "cleared the neighbourhood" of its orbit, so to speak. So basically, the orbit of the mass has no obstacles that can exert a gravitational force of significance on it, and all those obstacles would be pulled into an orbit around the mass itself. Other debris would be slung away or consumed." WOW OKAY WOODS, DEEP BREATHS PLEASE. "So considering the fact that Pluto is only 0.7 percent the mass of things in its orbit and has its movement affected by them, it has failed to meet the third criteria, and never deserved the status of planet in the first place. It's a literal lump of ice. The demotion to dwarf planet is extremely unlikely to hurt its feelings."

But just in case they had missed it, a TL;DR version for them. "Astrophysicists and cosmologists certainly haven't come up short for a definition if it's existed since 2004. Not to mention the fact that the basis for the IUA naming it a planet in the first place was based on erroneous data, and was proved for decades after that Pluto does actually have more in common with comets than other planets, what with its eliptical orbit and chemical composition."

And on that note, he'd just lean back into his chair and resume solving the kinematics question he'd copied into his notebook shortly before class began. Until someone said something worth writing down, which as time progressed, he was starting to doubt. It's like nobody read anything after this was discussed in previous years. Nothing but dull, repetitive answers. Seven rings. But - OH THERE IT WAS. THANK YOU, CHARLOTTE KETTLEBURN. Pointing at her and nodding approvingly, Brian had to acknowledge the truth in what she said. "That, exactly. Charlotte's right. You could even argue it has one ring consisting of millions of particles." Definitions like this one were arbirtary. Defining planets? Less so. "But Professor Burbage was hired while she was still very much alive, and was definitely qualified to teach us. Maybe too much so. We could do a great deal worse than be taught by a ghost. Take from that what you will, but Hufflepuff loyalty was not something to be crossed.

He'd never been more glad he was leaving this school.

01-24-2017, 04:52 PM	#60 (permalink)
laurange DERP & DMLE Ramora Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Kita's pocket Posts: 5,229 Hogwarts RPG Name: Aslan Archer Slytherin Fourth Year Hogwarts RPG Name: Rose Woods Gryffindor Fifth Year x9 x6	½ of Lauralie \| Koala \| The being in Ern's pocket \| Baby Smurf \| Prouf member of The Flock Okay, so Brian was trying - and trying very hard, mind you - to let this lesson slide and be a little more passive as opposed to passive-aggressive in Astronomy. After all, not everyone was as experienced or influential as Professor Flamsteed, or as widely celebrated as Professor Burbage. The Hufflepuff had been doing some extracurricular reading when he came across one of the papers she'd published and he'd been absolutely blown away. Not that he understood half the math going on in that thing, but even so, the conclusions she drew from extensive data? Even Professor Flamsteed had trouble coming close in his regard, and Brian held the man in extremely high esteem. EXTREMELY. Possibly more so after his internship at the UK Space Agency over the summer. Now, he knew the questions were hypothetical, but sometimes it was just too difficult to resist and this boy had done quite a bit of resisting, what with people actually naming Pluto as the furthest planet and it was just plain killing him inside. Not to mention the fact that if she was unable to define a planet, that would make her severely underqualified to teach this subject. Honestly, was the headmistress so very desperate? Thing was, when the first year Hufflepuff - Raphael? Derfale? Ah, Derfael - made his comment, that was the point of absolutely no return. "Planet Nine is a hypothetical planet assumed to be really far out, yes, but it's largely theoretical and hasn't been proven yet since it was theorised in 2016. BUT with the algorithms and telescopes currently programmed, we're a lot closer to finding it." But Derf raised an important question, and since he just so happened to be nearby, swiveled to face the boy when he made his response, even if it happened to be to her question. "With all due respect, Miss -" Now brace yourself. "A planet is a body that has mass, which obeys three definitive criteria. Firstly, it must orbit a star. Secondly, it must have achieved hydrostatic equilibrium. This is achieved when flow velocity is constant at any point in time, effects of which would result in the mass being roughly spherical since effects like gravity are balanced by a gradient force. Thirdly, the mass has "cleared the neighbourhood" of its orbit, so to speak. So basically, the orbit of the mass has no obstacles that can exert a gravitational force of significance on it, and all those obstacles would be pulled into an orbit around the mass itself. Other debris would be slung away or consumed." WOW OKAY WOODS, DEEP BREATHS PLEASE. "So considering the fact that Pluto is only 0.7 percent the mass of things in its orbit and has its movement affected by them, it has failed to meet the third criteria, and never deserved the status of planet in the first place. It's a literal lump of ice. The demotion to dwarf planet is extremely unlikely to hurt its feelings." But just in case they had missed it, a TL;DR version for them. "Astrophysicists and cosmologists certainly haven't come up short for a definition if it's existed since 2004. Not to mention the fact that the basis for the IUA naming it a planet in the first place was based on erroneous data, and was proved for decades after that Pluto does actually have more in common with comets than other planets, what with its eliptical orbit and chemical composition." And on that note, he'd just lean back into his chair and resume solving the kinematics question he'd copied into his notebook shortly before class began. Until someone said something worth writing down, which as time progressed, he was starting to doubt. It's like nobody read anything after this was discussed in previous years. Nothing but dull, repetitive answers. Seven rings. But - OH THERE IT WAS. THANK YOU, CHARLOTTE KETTLEBURN. Pointing at her and nodding approvingly, Brian had to acknowledge the truth in what she said. *"That, exactly. Charlotte's right. You could even argue it has one* ring consisting of millions of particles." Definitions like this one were arbirtary. Defining planets? Less so. "But Professor Burbage was hired while she was still very much alive, and was definitely qualified to teach us. Maybe too much so. We could do a great deal worse than be taught by a ghost.** Take from that what you will, but Hufflepuff loyalty was not something to be crossed. He'd never been more glad he was leaving this school.