Spotlight on Astronomy

This month's Astronomy assignment is limited only by your imagination! Our professor Snowqueen73 introduced us to the Greek theory of Antichton. Even though this theory is now outdated, it is quite fun to speculate as to what a mirror of earth may be like. What lives there? What is the climate like? Where are the continents? Are there seas? Does it have moons? Are there clouds in the sea and fish in the sky?

Stories about voyaging into space almost always include descriptions of the fantastic new planets the characters encounter and what those new plants are like. My favorite ideas for this assignment come from these stories and the descriptions of the wildly different plants and animals that may inhabit the planets of outer space. One of the things that made the plants and animals of the recent movie Avatar so beautiful were the bioluminescent qualities shared by the living organisms of the planet. I wonder if the plants and animals of Antichton all share some similar quality. Or are they as diverse as the plants and animals found on earth?

I enjoy making amigurumi, which are small stuffed animals that are usually heart-stoppingly cute. They are fun to make, relatively speedy, and many patterns could be easily adapted into new animals. A few extra legs or some added antennae could make a normal panda bear into an extraordinary animal from Antichthon!

Another idea is the possibility that all of the creatures that Muggle consider to be mythical originated on Antichthon. Did the phoenix rule the land with wisdom or the sphinx with wit and riddle? Perhaps no one species ruled and the dragons lived in harmony with the mermaids. If they did come from Antichton, how did they arrive on earth and what made them take a journey cross the sun?

We have already had some excellent submissions to this class that demonstrate the superb creativity of the house cuppers. There has been time travel, miniatures, fairies, ice crystals, bunnies, and humanoid creatures. It has been a most enjoyable class to watch and think of new possibilities for the twin of earth. I look forward to reading about the ideas that you come up with!

~Devon
aka Rambunctiousky