Chapter 14: Chapter 14: Astronomy Class (Continued)
"Of course, the gift of predicting the future through Divination is quite rare, with only a few possessing it in the wizarding world," Eisen continued, noticing that the young wizards didn't seem too disappointed.
Upon reflection, he understood their perspective. Evidently, the students viewed Divination as an easy course to earn credits, so they didn't place much importance on the means of predicting the future through it.
"Getting back on topic, Astronomy can be considered one of the oldest disciplines known to humankind. The seeds of Astronomy were planted when our ancestors first gazed up at the night sky millions of years ago."
"Millions of years ago?" The young wizards murmured in disbelief.
"Precisely. You all know that the current year is 1991. But do you know how this dating system came about? I can assure you that it was derived by ancient people observing the movements of the sun, moon, and stars."
"I know some wizards think Muggles are stupid and look down on them, even considering them an inferior group for their lack of magical abilities. But let me ask you, has any wizard set foot on the moon to date?" As Eisen mentioned the wizarding world's view of Muggles, many students nodded, but his subsequent question caught them off guard.
The young wizards exchanged glances, unsure of Eisen's intent.
"Ron, has any wizard ever been to the moon? Could Dumbledore do it?" Harry whispered to his friend.
"I've never heard of it. Why is Professor Turner asking? Has a Muggle been to the moon?" Ron shook his head, then looked shocked, as if remembering something.
Hermione and Harry also seemed to have caught on.
"You see, while wizards possess extraordinary powers and can cast spells, Muggles had already set foot on the moon over two decades ago. I believe some of you are aware of this." Eisen nodded, a hint of a meaningful smile on his face.
"Yes, Ron, the first person to walk on the moon was an American Muggle," Harry explained in a hushed voice, but Ron's expression remained one of disbelief.
"Muggles used their technology to invent rockets and travel to the moon. So, how do you think wizards would get there? Perhaps some of you might say we could simply Apparate!" After the students had processed his words, Eisen continued.
"But let me ask you this – could Dumbledore Apparate directly from Britain to the United States? Or to Africa?" None of the young wizards could answer.
"Unfortunately, I must inform you that the shortest distance between the Earth and the moon is over 236,000 miles, while the distance from Britain to Africa is less than 6,000 miles. In other words, the Earth-moon distance is far beyond your imagination." Sometimes, without a comparison, it was difficult to convey a concept clearly. Eisen, however, provided the numbers directly.
"Oh, and perhaps some of you thought we could fly broomsticks to the moon. Please, even if you rode the fastest Nimbus Two Thousand, it would take you nearly two months of constant flying to reach the moon." As Eisen spoke in a teasing tone, some students struggled to suppress their laughter, resulting in awkward expressions.
"Alright, now that you understand the distance between the Earth and the moon, we can better appreciate the sheer vastness of our world!" At this point, Eisen withdrew his wand and waved it, causing a beam of light to appear on his outstretched palm.
Then, through his powerful Transfiguration abilities, Eisen transformed the light into a holographic projection of the solar system, hovering in mid-air. The young wizards gaped in awe at the seemingly lifelike display.
Indeed, after discussing with Professor McGonagall, Eisen had mastered elemental Transfiguration. Of course, this was limited to the transformation of single elements, not the conversion of matter into elements.
For instance, he could manipulate the light conjured by the Lumos Charm, but he couldn't directly transform objects like tables or books into light.
"The distance between the Earth and the moon is over 236,000 miles, while the shortest distance to the sun is over 93 million miles. If we expand the scale, the diameter of the entire solar system spans nearly 7.4 billion miles." As Eisen spoke, the solar system model in his hand rapidly shrank, altering the students' perspective.
"But this only considers Pluto as the boundary. If we include the orbits of comets, the diameter would expand by a factor of 150." The model continued shrinking, and a comet appeared, traversing the outer edges.
"Looking further out, we would see countless star systems, each like our own solar system, forming a galactic arm. Each arm consists of innumerable stars and nebulae. The Orion Arm, the Perseus Arm, the Sagittarius Arm, and more, make up the Milky Way galaxy. And the diameter of the Milky Way is a hundred thousand times larger than that of our solar system." With flashes of light, Eisen summoned glimmers representing stars, rapidly zooming out before unveiling the expansive vista of the Milky Way.
"Of course, even larger structures exist, like the Local Group and the Virgo Supercluster, but you only need a basic understanding of the concept." Eisen then dispersed the celestial model.
By this point, every face bore an expression of awe, even the Muggle-born students like Hermione.
"Wow, that's so cool!"
"Professor Turner, is that true?"
...
After a moment, the young wizards regained their composure and began whispering to one another. Some gazed at Eisen with admiration, unsure if they were in awe of his vast knowledge or his effortless command of magic.
"Alright, my intention today was not for any other purpose but to give you a sense of the vastness of our world and how insignificant we are in the grand scheme of the universe." After captivating the students, Eisen wore a satisfied smile.
"In the Muggle world, there was a philosopher named Kant who was also an astronomer. He once said something I quite like: 'Two things fill the mind with ever-increasing wonder and awe – the starry heavens above and the moral law within.' I hope you remember and understand the meaning behind these words."
Eisen concluded the Astronomy class with a famous quote, feeling that his performance had achieved his superficial goal of demonstrating the enormity of the cosmos to the young wizards.
As for whether he could truly instill a sense of awe and humility in them, Eisen wasn't confident. Truthfully, he doubted it was likely. While this approach might shock the students, he felt it would be akin to showing them a movie – something they might soon forget entirely.
Of course, if Eisen had the ability to take the young wizards on a tour of the cosmos, the effect would undoubtedly be profound. Unfortunately, his abilities were far from that level.
Fortunately, Eisen didn't expect to completely overturn the students' ingrained beliefs. In future classes, he planned to subtly incorporate his perspectives while they observed the celestial bodies, hoping for a gradual and nuanced shift in their mindsets.
Finally, before dismissing the class, Eisen assigned homework for a specific purpose. The assignment focused on the same topic discussed in class, challenging the students to brainstorm ways for wizards to reach the moon.
After returning to his quarters, Eisen finally relaxed. Considering the trajectory of events in this world, although not overly concerned, he couldn't help but feel a sense of urgency. With a mere thought, his character panel appeared before his eyes.
Character: Eisen Turner
Extraordinary Talent: Magic (Activated)
Magic: 4,240 (Increases by 10 points daily)
Extraordinary Trait: Excellent Spellcasting Trait (Affinity 115%) (Integrated)
Miracle Trait: 1 (Automatically gains 1 per year)
Eisen's magic had reached over 4,000 points, indicating that his abilities were on par with fully-trained adult wizards. How so? After spending time at Hogwarts and comparing himself to the professors, they all acknowledged that Eisen's magical prowess was slightly superior to that of an average adult wizard.
Therefore, in Eisen's view, his magical level had likely reached a passing grade. However, his combat experience was evidently still quite lacking.
(end of chapter)
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