Percival had fallen asleep in the staff room and awoken a few minutes before he was due to teach the first years. As a man who despised tardiness of any kind, he to rushed up the stairs from the ground floor to the Astronomy tower as quick as he could. His chest heaved with exertion arrived to the door just in time to unlock it. There were already a few students waiting, and Percival puffed as they entered, taking time at his desk to catch his breath before it was time for class to start. "Right. Tonight, we are going to gaze up at the universe. But first, we shall look at that list I mentioned last week, and you should write them all down." He said sternly. "Since, need I remind you that your exams are only a few weeks away?" he added.
Axis: a line about which a body rotates.
Celestial sphere: an imaginary sphere of which the Earth is the center and on which all celestial objects are considered to sit.
Ellipse: an oval shaped circle, the type of path the Earth takes around the sun.
Horizon: is what appears to be where the separation of the earth and sky is in the distance.Links provided to images of each word for reference.
Celestial sphere: an imaginary sphere of which the Earth is the center and on which all celestial objects are considered to sit.
Ellipse: an oval shaped circle, the type of path the Earth takes around the sun.
Horizon: is what appears to be where the separation of the earth and sky is in the distance.Links provided to images of each word for reference.
"Alright, once done, I'd like everyone to get into pairs," he said, pausing for them to form their own groups. When a case of an extra student popped up, they'd have to work alone. "Now, we will take a telescope up, one per group. Someone can carry it up, and another can carry it down, as they are heavy." Percival began to lead them out of their classroom and up to the upper level of the Astronomy tower. He could hear excited whispering going on behind her, and was annoyed by it.
"Alright, silence, listen to me." Professor Zephyrmoon said to the last ones up the stairs. "I want you to take your telescope and find the Southern Cross, also known as Crux. The Southern Cross contains five main stars, four of which are points of the cross. It was commonly used like Polaris, the North Star, for navigation as it is the closest to where the southern axis of the Earth points out into the stars. It will likely be in this general area over here, but look at your books for some extra guidance." He walked around for awhile, helping the students point their telescopes in the correct direction. One pair decided to look through the wrong end, and he openly laughed in their faces as he corrected them. Once everyone had successfully found the constellation, with or without his assistance, he spoke again. "Alright, I just want to mention before we go a little more about the North Star. In astronomy, we refer to it as Polaris, and it's part of the constellation Ursa Minor. This may appear in your exams so mark that down once we get back to the classroom. That's it for today. Make sure to look over your definitions, as well!" he said, dismissing the class as he closed up the upper part of the tower.
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If any student or pair would like assistance, please tag @Professor Percival Zephyrmoon