Second Years Lesson Five

An entire year of teaching had gotten the better of Percival, who was snoozing at his desk when the second years arrived, jolting awake at the noise. Rubbing his eyes, then rummaging through his papers, he found the notes for the lesson today. Once he found the correct notes, he yawned loudly then began the lesson, "This week, we will be studying asteroids. Now, the word 'asteroid' quite literally means 'star-like' because the first spotted from Earth were faint lights in the night time sky. But they moved through celestial sphere much faster than stars."

Professor Zephyrmoon waved his wand so some images appeared on the board in the front. "Now, asteroids are rocky objects, sometimes with various make-ups of carbon, metals, and frozen water that orbit stars like our Sun. They are found throughout the solar system. The largest known is Ceres, also known as a dwarf planet, which is 1000km across. But there are others out there, some even smaller than your head,"

Spoiler: Main Asteroid Belt Image

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"Now, most are found between Mars and Jupiter, which is referred to as the main asteroid belt." The Professor paused a moment to have a sip of water, his mouth was dry after his nap. "For those of you acquainted with muggle movies, asteroid belts aren't the same daring struggle to fly through as you might think. Asteroid belts have millions of asteroids, true, but reasonably sized asteroids are typically millions of kilometers apart. If you were to stand on one, you most likely wouldn't see another with your naked eye."

Spoiler: Kirkwood Gap Image

Yellow rings are planets the outermost is Jupiter. White dots are the main asteroid belt.

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"Another new term to note is the Kirkwood Gap, which is a gap or dip in the distribution of the orbits of main-belt asteroids. They are caused by Jupiter pulling asteroids outward, creating rings of asteroids within the belt, very similar to the rings of Saturn." Professor Zephyrmoon changed the image on the board to represent this new term. "Grouping asteroids in these rings is one way to classify the asteroids," Professor Zumwalt finished the lesson, and dismissed the class. "Well, that's everything I need to tell you today," he said. "No homework this week, but keep revising for your exams."

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For full credit, RP the lesson.

 

[Makaria Styx]

Makaria Styx entered Professor Zephyrmoon's Astronomy classroom quietly, taking her seat with a subtle curiosity about today's lesson. She noticed the professor seemed a bit disoriented at first, possibly from fatigue, but once he gathered himself and began speaking, Makaria focused intently on his words. Professor Zephyrmoon started with a brief explanation of asteroids, their name deriving from their star-like appearance due to their movement across the celestial sphere. Makaria noted this down, appreciating the etymological insight into the term. When images appeared on the board illustrating asteroids and the main asteroid belt, Makaria adjusted her attention to absorb the visual aids along with the professor's explanations. As the lecture continued, Professor Zephyrmoon detailed the composition and distribution of asteroids, highlighting Ceres as the largest known asteroid, even recognized as a dwarf planet due to its size.

Makaria found herself intrigued by the diversity of materials found in asteroids, from rocky elements to metals and even frozen water. When the professor mentioned the main asteroid belt located between Mars and Jupiter, Makaria mentally connected this information to her previous studies, recalling the vast but sparse nature of asteroid populations. She made a note to review the concept of the Kirkwood Gap, understanding it as a phenomenon caused by Jupiter's gravitational influence. As the lesson concluded, Professor Zephyrmoon dismissed the class, stating there would be no homework but advising them to prepare for upcoming exams. Makaria packed up her belongings efficiently and left the Astronomy tower for the day.​

 

[Kyousuke Kurosawa]

Kyousuke entered the classroom, raising an eyebrow at the state of the professor. Maybe he wasn't made out for teaching students, Kyousuke thought unsympathetically. Not that he didn't like the professor; he taught well enough in Kyousuke's opinion, but he seemed a bit more...chaotic, Kyousuke decided the word was, than most of his other professors. Kyousuke settled in, getting out his supplies, and readying himself for the lesson. He listened to the professor, taking down notes where needed. It was moderately interesting, especially the fact about asteroid belts having asteroids kilometres apart. Kyousuke would have to remember that next time he watched a space movie. The lesson soon ended, and Kyousuke packed away his things, confident that he'd do well in exams.