Quote:
Originally Posted by
Nordic Witch
Eddie was making his rounds among the students, giving tips here and there or answering questions. As he passed the lioness prefect she asked for a spell to shield them from the Sun's light when searched for Mercury. Scratching his head Professor Roslund replied. "Ms Hollingberry, I have prepared no such spell for the lesson. But you and anyone else are welcome to take a pair of goggles from the blue box beside my desk. The goggles are improved to shield your eyes from the strong sun light."
Goggles? Kurumi certainly hadn't been expecting something that intense for blocking the sun's light. When she was younger, there was a solar eclipse that her brother Takashi just couldn't wait to see with everyone. He had bought small handheld viewers that were about the size of a photo frame for the entire family to use. Still, something in the man's wording signaled to her that he was...not pleased?
Her smile faded and she nodded her head before scampering off to grab some goggles before returning to her telescope and slipping them over her head.
Soon, she saw SOMETHING next to the sun, but she wasn't sure if she was really seeing it or if her eyes were playing tricks on her from the exhaustion of saying up all night. Eventually, there was no denying it. That little round orb beside the sun was Mercury and she took note of it on her parchment.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Nordic Witch
Professor Roslund walked back to his desk where he sat down on the edge of his desk to peer out at his student's. The signs of tiredness was showing in more than one face. He was glad that the lesson soon would be over. Clapping his hands to get the student's attention again he said when they quieted down. "Nice work everyone! I think all of you have spotted Mercury by now. Can anyone tell me what kind of landscape there is on Mercury? You should be able to work it out by studying Mercury in your telescopes."
He waited to give them a few moments to think before adding "Also does anyone know the mythological story surrounding Mercury?"
And just in the nick of time it seemed as Professor Roslund continued the lesson.
"I am not sure if you would consider it the landscape, professor, but the surface of Mercury is very hot. I believe it can be somewhere around 800°F when the sun is shining on it. And, from what I can see through my telescope, Mercury seems to resemble the moon's surface quite a bit. The moon does seem to have much larger craters then Mercury though."
And that was really all she had to say about the terrine of Mercury, especially now that her eyelids were drooping again.
Mythology? That did wake the fourth year's brain up just a bit more.
"Mercury is known as the messenger god. He is a Roman god who it is said the Romans borrowed from the Greek god, Hermes. At least, they share many similarities. Typically, Mercury is described as wearing the clothes of a sheep-herder along with winged sandals and sometimes a winged hat. He is one of the more famous gods, and is used in many stories, although he rarely acts of his own accord and all his actions are because of another god or goddess requesting for him to do so." Kurumi paused, realizing that she was still wearing her googles and probably looking somewhat like a bug. She removed them and held them awkwardly in her hands before continuing. "
Mercury is the planet closest to the sun and orbits it in only 88 days, the fastest in our solar system. A messenger must also be fast, so perhaps this is why the planet was named Mercury." She had also read things about how the planet's orbit could appear flitting to people, like a bird, which was related to Mercury's feathered shoes and hat, but that seemed to be a bit of a stretch in her mind.