Mars is Bright Tonight

[erisedstraeh2002]

No: HPFGUIDX 42350

Knowing almost nothing about astronomy, I was intrigued by what the 
centaurs' repetition of "Mars is bright tonight" in Ch. 15 of SS 
could possibly mean.  So, I did a little investigating, and found 
some interesting parallels.

Mars was the Roman god of war, and was driven by rage and a stong 
desire for violence, especially mindless killing (sounds a lot like 
Voldemort to me!).  Mars was said to have raped Rhea Silvia, a Vestal 
Virgin, and as a result, Reah Silvia had twin sons, Romulus and 
*Remus*.  Since Remus is Prof. Lupin's first name, could this suggest 
that Lupin is related to Voldemort?  Yikes!  Mars was conceived when 
the Goddess Juno, who was annoyed that her husband Jupiter had 
produced *Minerva* from his head without her aid, asked the help of 
the Goddess Flora, who touched Juno with a magical herb and 
impregnated Juno with Mars. Since Minerva is Prof. McGonagall's first 
name, does this suggest that McGonagall had something to do with 
Voldemort's creation?  Double yikes!

In SS, Ronan says "Mars is bright tonight...Unusually bright" (p. 
253, Scholastic paperback ed.).  In an on-line book about Mars by 
William Sheehan, I read "the outer planets - Mars, Jupiter, and 
Saturn - can appear opposite the Sun in the sky, a situation that is, 
of course, never possible for a planet that is closer to the Sun than 
the Earth.  When planets appear thus, they are said to be at 
opposition.  It is then that they attain their greatest brilliance. 
They rise when the Sun sets and set when the Sun rises, so they are 
highest above the horizon at midnight."  This perhaps explains why 
Harry's astronomy classes are at midnight!  Since the Forbidden 
Forest detention started at 11:00 p.m., Mars would have been in full 
view by the time Hagrid, Harry et al came across the centaurs.

Bane also says "Have we not read what is to come in the movement of 
the planets?" (SS, p. 257).  Sheehan's book says "Mars' usual motion 
among the stars is from east to west.  Around the time of opposition, 
however, it suddenly stops, reverses direction, and 
moves 'retrograde' for a time, then stops again and resumes its usual 
motion from east to west."  Do the centaurs see Mars moving backward 
and interpret this to mean a return of Voldemort's reign of terror?

Sheehan's book also states that Mars varies in its brightness, 
some "fiftyfold," and that Mars comes into "opposition" every two 
years and two months. I wondered whether this could mean that 
significant events in the series will happen during these times 
of "opposition."  Assuming that Mars is in "opposition" during the 
Forbidden Forest detention in May 1992, two years and and two months 
later would be July 1994.  Pettigrew escapes in June 1994, which is 
fairly close.  If this theory holds, the next time of "opposition" 
would be September 1996 (Book 6, presumably).  However, since the 
worst thing that has happened so far in the series (IMHO) is 
Voldemort's re-embodiment, which did not happen during one of these 
times of "opposition," there may not be much to this line of thinking!

Any thoughts?

Cheers,
Phyllis
who, now that she understands the difference between Diary!Riddle and 
Voldemort!Riddle, is wondering whether we should rename Diary!
Riddle "Moldy!Voldy" <grin>