Astronomy 1:1

Adorah looked in the mirror of her office, making sure her emerald green robes were sitting right. Juniper had gifted her a new robe design, and while she enjoyed wearing green, she was worried the first years might assume she was a Slytherin since everything at the school was color-coded. But it was her first day back to school, and she wanted to feel confident approaching the first years. The first years, no matter what semester, had a little air of chaos around them, trickling throughout the castle. As the students came in, she stood at the doorway greeting them and letting them know they could sit anywhere. As the bell rang, she went to her desk, took attendance, and then looked up at the numerous eleven-year-olds in front of her.

"Hello, hello! Welcome to your first-ever Astronomy class! I'm Professor Zumwalt, and I'll be your Astronomy professor until the fourth year," she said, feeling odd as she let those words come out of her mouth; that was such a long time, and she wondered if she'd still be happy teaching at their fourth year. "Over the course of this subject, we are going to explore the Solar System, black holes, galaxies far away, and even our closest neighbors in space," Adorah continued excitedly.

"So, can anyone tell me - what is Astronomy?" Adorah asked generally. A few hands went up, and she let each of them take a guess, absorbing their answers. She continued as she walked around the room, as it eased some of her anxiety. "All of those are wonderful guesses, two house points to each of you who were brave enough to take a guess. If we're looking at a very simple definition, astronomy is the study of things in the sky! All the stuff out there in space is our subject, and we, as budding astronomers, are going to explore from the comfort of our own astronomical home." Professor Zumalt paused for a moment to catch how the first years were reacting. There were a few wide-eyed looks of confusion, but most of the eleven year olds were paying attention.

"When you look through a telescope to study the phenomena of space, you become an astronomer, and for as long as intelligent creatures have been present on Earth, we've been looking up to the sky and studying the stars," Adorah continued. "Astronomy is probably one of the only classes you'll study here that has a direct link in the muggle world. For nearly all of history, we wizards have worked with exceptional muggles in the field of astronomy, even passing things we have learned along so muggles can further advance their own scientific findings," Professor Zumwalt said, leaning into their first conversation for the year. "Copernicus, in fact, was the first wizard to inform muggles that the Earth is not the center of the universe. His logic wasn't exactly correct, but it ultimately began to pave the way for astronomy and the understanding of the Universe we have today," she said glancing up at the clock, noticing they only had a few moments left together.

"Well, we're about out of time so I'll have to leave my lecturing at that. This week, we just have some simple homework, a sort of getting-to-know-you questionnaire, probably something you've done in other classes. Please hand this in next week! I look forward to seeing you all then!" Professor Zumwalt said waving her wand so the door flew open, letting the students flow out as they will.

--
For full credit, RP the Lesson.
Any student who makes a guess at what astronomy is, correct or not, will receive 2 extra credit points.
For additional extra credit (3 points), fill out the sheet.

[b]Name:
House and Year:
Favorite Book:
What are you hoping to learn about in Astronomy?[/b]

 

[Elijah Edogawa]

Astronomy wasn't too far from the common room, and so even though it was taking place at night (duh, astronomy) and he was very tired, he didn't mind it so much. She said they could sit anywhere and so he did, taking a place up against one of the walls in the room. His eyes were as wide as they could be for a slightly sleepy tween as he took in the room with curiosity. The emerald green of the Professor's robes caught his attention at first, but he quickly dismissed them and any assumptions of her house allegiance. Things here worked weirdly, none of this house stuff mattered in Mohoutokoro, so he was never sure what thing was important and what thing wasn't. He pulled out his parchment and quill, ready to take notes for the class.

As Professor Zumwalt introduced herself and the course, Eli listened intently, his interest piqued by the mention of exploring black holes and distant galaxies. When she asked the class to define astronomy, Eli raised his hand immediately. "Astronomy is the study of stars and planets and all the other objects in space," he said, hoping his answer was close to what she was looking for. After hearing a few other guesses, Professor Zumwalt awarded points and gave a brief, captivating lecture on the history and importance of astronomy. Eli jotted down key points, his excitement growing with each new piece of information. The idea of muggles and wizards working together in the field intrigued him, especially the mention of Copernicus.​

What is Astronomy?

• Several definitions from classmates:
  
  • Study of stars and planets.
  • Study of objects in space.
  • Study of things in the sky.
• Professor Zumwalt's simple definition: Astronomy is the study of things in the sky.
  
  • Encompasses all objects in space, like stars, planets, galaxies, and black holes.

Historical Context:

• Astronomy is a field with a direct link to the muggle world.
• Wizards and muggles have collaborated in the field of astronomy for centuries.
• Example: Copernicus:
  
  • First wizard to inform muggles that the Earth is not the centre of the universe.
  • Though his logic was not entirely correct, it paved the way for modern astronomical understanding.

Course Overview:

• Topics we will cover:
  
  • The Solar System
  • Black holes
  • Distant galaxies
  • Our closest neighbours in space

When the class ended, Eli carefully took the questionnaire sheet and packed his things. He found a quiet corner in the library to fill out the sheet and then made sure it went back to the Professor, along with his essay from earlier. It was common practice to start the year with an essay back in Mohoutokoro and so he hoped the Professor wouldn't mind.​

Name: Elijah Edogawa

House and Year: Ravenclaw First year
Favourite Book: Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things
What are you hoping to learn about in Astronomy? I am hoping to learn about the formation of black holes and the mysteries of dark matter. I am also interested in understanding how different celestial bodies interact and influence each other.​

The Significance of Astronomy: Bridging Magical and Muggle Worlds
​

Astronomy, the scientific study of celestial bodies and the universe has long captivated the minds of both wizards and muggles alike.This ancient discipline explores the mysteries of stars, planets, galaxies, and the vast expanse of space, seeking to understand the fundamental workings of the cosmos. The importance of astronomy extends beyond mere academic interest; it serves as a bridge between the magical and muggle worlds, fostering collaboration and shared discoveries that have advanced our collective knowledge of the universe.

source source​

Out of Character:

I'm so sorry, Eli is a heckin nerd

 

[Lumos Walden-Cade]

Was that student actually taking notes?

Lumos was too tired to even function, let alone to take notes. He yawned as he sat in the corner listening to the Professor talk about what they would be learning. There was much too much going on right now for Lumos to follow along with his mind not working so late at night. His common room was practically the whole castle away so it was okay for some people but he was too tired after having to fight the stairs to get to the top just to do a lesson. Also, it's basically in the middle of the night, what's the point of having a lesson in the middle of the night anyway? It doesn't make any sense to Lumos.

He wasn't sure when he'd fallen asleep, but eventually he felt someone kick him as they were heading out and so he knew it was probably best if he actually got up and attempted to to go back to bed or something. He was too tired to think about anything because he hadn't gotten any sleep last night either. Whoops. This might become a problem if he wasn't careful.
​

Name: Lumos Walden-Cade
House and Year: Slytherin (isnt this a first year class, shouldn't you know this already?)
Favourite Book: Uhm Tales of Beedle the Bard
What are you hoping to learn about in Astronomy? When I get to nap.​

 

[Ondine Physwick]

Ondine arrived at the Astronomy tower a good fifteen minutes early for class. This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, until other students began to join her, one by one, so that the silence was as awkward as possible. She was almost grateful when the noisier children showed up and took the pressure off, although she was certainly no less uncomfortable. Well, Ma warned you, she thought miserably. She said it wouldn’t be easy. It’s all about compromise, remember? ‘In this world, you can be yourself, or you can be well-liked, but you’ll not be both.’ That seemed to suggest a choice. What was it to be?

The door opened then, and Ondine scuttled through it. The library back home contained books on all sorts of esoteric subjects, but surprisingly few about astronomy. Ondine supposed the alignment of the planets was of as much use to her ma’s work as a rubber scalpel, which was a pity, because she had always found the night sky fascinating. All that empty space - there had to be a reason for it, didn’t there? And if it was a subject at Hogwarts, there was bound to be magic involved.

Ondine made careful notes, underlining important names and details she wanted to research later. The lesson flew by, and before she knew it, she was packing her notebook back into her satchel. On her way out, she paused in front of Professor Zumwalt. She had a question, but the moment she opened her mouth, her mind went blank. Reddening, she hurried out.

 

[Winnie Calida]

Winnie was newly sorted and ready to get to it. She had her first class and was up, bright and early for it. She’d gone for a run first thing, making sure that she was keeping in shape and knowing that an active body was good for the mind. She had the new versions of all the books she would need and the best parchment. Winnie had plans to speak to each of her professors within this first week, she needed to be able to do so. To make sure she could get any extra credit necessary and put herself on good terms with each of her professors. The girl then packed up the last of what she needed, checked her uniform was on perfectly and then headed out of the room.

Winnie had worked well during the day and was ready for the astronomy class, she felt ready for it, despite the later hour of when it was taking place. She took her spot in the room, giving a wave to the professor who would hopefully remember her from their introduction not that long before. Winnie took out her parchment and a quill and then raised her hand to answer the question, but one of the ravenclaw boys got to it first. She tried to not be annoyed by that. The professor moved on from that, giving them more of an explanation about it. She followed along with ease and took a couple of notes. However, they didn’t do much beyond an introduction. The homework was such a non-piece of it she didn’t want to really call it homework. She filled out the form and then headed out of the room.

Name: Winnie Calida
House and Year: Slytherin, 1st
Favorite Book: Currently: The Human Cosmos: A Secret History of the Stars
What are you hoping to learn about in Astronomy? Anything

 

[Kanako Kurosawa]

Kanako yawned daintily, taking a seat in the astronomy classroom. She wasn't particularly interested in astronomy - it was just planets and stars, wasn't it? - she didn't quite understand what was so 'magical' about it. She took out her parchment anyway to take notes. She got bored halfway through though, and started thinking about sleep, and dreaming, and her bed down in the dungeons...Kanako held back a yawn. It really was too late in the evening for this sort of thing. By the time the lesson was over, Kanako was indeed ready for sleep. She made sure to fill the homework out though though her irritation shone through.

Name: Kanako Kurosawa
House and Year: Slytherin, First Year
Favorite Book: Books are rather dull, professor.
What are you hoping to learn about in Astronomy? Something interesting, if you can manage it.