Astronomy: First Year: Week 5: Wednesday

Professor Sinistra
Wednesday
Gryffindor Time: Midnight
Ravenclaw Time: Midnight
Hufflepuff Time: Midnight
Slytherin Time: Midnight

Welcome back to Hogwarts, everyone! I hope that you had a wonderful winter break. I thought that I would test your memory on the vocabulary we have learned. For this, I'm going to give you a list of terms and a list of definitions. You must match the two together. To make it extra tricky, I'm going to throw in one extra term and one extra definition that don't match. You will have to tell me which these are!

You have half an hour.

List of Vocabulary Words:

1. Azimuth
2. Declination
3. Meridian
4. Sidereal
5. Zenith
6. Constellation
7. Latitude
8. Orbit

List of Vocabulary Definitions:
A. Point on the sky directly overhead.
B. Related to the stars. Thus sidereal day, month, period, year: lengths of time intervals specified by motion of some object relative to the stars, as opposed to apparent lengths of those time intervals that will depend on the Earth’s own movements.
C. Path traced out by one object around another
D. Coordinate used to specify the position of a point or direction around (or parallel to) an equator.
E. Angle measured clockwise around the horizon, from 0* towards the north, through 90* to the east, 180* to the south, 270* to the west, and to 360* due north
F. A group of stars that seemed to suggest the shape of some god, person, animal or object. Now a term used to designate a region of the sky. There are 88 constellations.
G. Coordinate used to measure (in degrees) the angular distance of a point or celestial objects above or below an equator.
H. Angular distance of an object north or south of the celestial equator, measured in degrees. Thus the north celestial pole has a declination of +90 degrees.

Half an hour is now up! Please bring me your papers and then go outside. I want you to try to name all the constellations you can find out there. Write down a list and bring it back to me before going off to bed. Good night!

Astronomy: First Year: Week 4: Wednesday

Professor Sinistra
Wednesday
Gryffindor Time: Midnight
Ravenclaw Time: Midnight
Hufflepuff Time: Midnight
Slytherin Time: Midnight

Now I know you have all been out in London all day, so I won't have you do anything too difficult! Instead, I am going to tell you about the legend of Pegasus.

Pegasus was a winged horse born from the slain neck of the monster Medusa. He was a pure white winged horse. Although mortal, he did many services to Zeus. One of them was when a young hero became too confident and tried to fly to the heavens on Pegasus's back, Pegasus threw him off, crippling him for life. When Pegasus died, Zeus made him a constellation so that he may fly the skies forever.

There. You may go now. Your homework is to find an image of Pegasus and find the constellation in the sky. Off you go, back to bed now! I hope you have a wonderful winter break.

Astronomy: First Year: Week 3: Wednesday

Professor Sinistra
Wednesday
Gryffindor Time: Midnight
Ravenclaw Time: Midnight
Hufflepuff Time: Midnight
Slytherin Time: Midnight

Tonight we will begin by learning vocabulary. Please get out a quill and some parchment. I will want you to study these words for homework.

Apparent magnitude. The brightness of an astronomical object, as observed on Earth and referred to the appearance of some objects chosen as standards. The scale of magnitudes is defined so that a difference of 5 magnitudes corresponds to a ratio of 100 in observed radiation intensity.

Azimuth. Angle measured clockwise around the horizon, from 0* towards the north, through 90* to the east, 180* to the south, 270* to the west, and to 360* due north.

Circumpolar stars. Stars that are close enough to the celestial pole that they do not rise and set each night but can be seen to move around the pole in a circular path. Latitude of observer determines which stars appear circumpolar.

Constellation. A group of stars that seemed to suggest the shape of some god, person, animal or object. Now a term used to designate a region of the sky. There are 88 constellations.

Declination. Angular distance of an object north or south of the celestial equator, measured in degrees. Thus the north celestial pole has a declination of +90 degrees.

Extragalactic. Beyond the Milky Way galaxy.

Latitude. Coordinate used to measure (in degrees) the angular distance of a point or celestial objects above or below an equator.

Light year. Distance that light travels in 1 year.

Longitude. Coordinate used to specify the position of a point or direction around (or parallel to) an equator.

Magnitude. Scale for describing brightness of a celestial object.

Meridian. Great circle, on the celestial sphere or the Earth, that passes through both north and south poles and an observer’s zenith or location.

Orbit. Path traced out by one object around another.

Rotation. Movement (spin) of a body abut an axis that passes through that body. Distinct from revolution, which is motion in an orbit about some point or other body.

Satellite. Body that revolves in orbit around another body. Planets are satellites of the Sun, the Moon is a satellite of the Earth, and artificial satellites have been sent into orbit around the Earth, Moon, Mars and Venus.

Sidereal. Related to the stars. Thus sidereal day, month, period, year: lengths of time intervals specified by motion of some object relative to the stars, as opposed to apparent lengths of those time intervals that will depend on the Earth’s own movements.

Zenith. Point on the sky directly overhead.

Zodiac. Band on the sky, centered on the ecliptic, and about 18 degrees wide, through which the Sun, Moon and planets appear to move through the course of each year.

Quills away now. I want you go outside and see if you can identify any stars. I'll call you back in when class is over.

Ok, class. Time to come in. For homework, I want you to do several things. First, memorize what each of those words mean. Second, I want you to find out exactly how long a light year is and third, I want you to draw me a chart showing the zenith and the zodiac. That's all. You can go back to your nice warm beds now.


******* Thanks to Heartland for the definitions ********

Astronomy: First Year: Week 2: Wednesday

Professor Sinistra
Wednesday
Gryffindor Time: Midnight
Ravenclaw Time: Midnight
Hufflepuff Time: Midnight
Slytherin Time: Midnight

I though that it would be good to start out tonights lesson with a story. This story goes with the
constellation that we will find afterwards. There are two different legends, the Roman legend and the Greek legends. These legends are about a dragon. First, the Roman legend.

The Roman legend calls this dragon Ladon and he guarded the golden apples on a tree in a garden tended by the Hesperides, the daughters of Atlas. Hercules was sent to obtain the apples while under pledge to Eurystheus. He learned from Nereus that he could not pluck the apples himself, but must get help from Atlas. Hercules shot and killed Ladon with an arrow, making way for Atlas to enter and pluck the golden apples. The goddess Hera was greatly distressed by the death of Ladon and placed the dragon in the heavens as a constellation.

A Greek legend tells the story of Draco as a horrible dragon that guarded a sacred spring and slew the soldiers of Cadmus (first king of Thebes) who had been sent to gather water. Cadmus then fought the dragon and won,. After the dragon died, Athena appeared and told Cadmus to sow the ground with the creature's teeth. The teeth immediately sprang up as a group of armed soldiers who helped Cadmus found Thebes.

We call this constellation Draco. You will find it half wrapped around the Little Dipper. If you will please go up the stairs and outside, we will try to find Draco. Once you have found him, please copy down the constellation and surrounding constellations. When you are finished, please turn in your star chart and return to your dormitory. There will be no homework.

Astronomy: First Year: Week 1: Wednesday

Professor Sinistra
Wednesday
Gryffindor Time: Midnight
Ravenclaw Time: Midnight
Hufflepuff Time: Midnight
Slytherin Time: Midnight
Now, I will go easy on you all, since this is you first night and I know that you all must be very tired. I will just show you two constellations and then let you try to find them in the sky.
Let's try to find the two dippers, or ursa minor and ursa major. You can find a picture of them here.
Study that picture, then please follow me to the top of the tower.

Gaze upward and try to find the dippers. Once you have found them, take out your quill and parchment and draw their positions in the sky.

Has everyone draw the positions? Good. Please give me your star charts and go back to your dormitories for a good nights sleep. There will be no homework.

Supply List

Supply List
Of course I don't require that you have everything, but some classes will be much easier if you have the correct supplies. Of all the supplies below, I would say the most necessary would be either the wand or quill and parchment
Note: You don't need to own the books. Use your Library!

The Dragonology Handbook by Ernest Drake
Dragonology by Ernest Drake
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
Latin-English/English-Latin Dictionary (Recommended: Oxford Pocket)
The Book of Runes by Ralph Blum
Star Chart (Recommended: Edmund Scientific Star and Planet Locator) If you can't get a hold of one, I would recommend the program Stellarium

1 Wand
1 Quill
Parchment

1 Basic Potion Supply Kit, which should include the Following:
Beetle Eyes
Fairy Tears
Gnome Teeth
Mandrake root
Basilisk Bones
Moon Flower
Bird ’s Eyes
Fire Crab
Fire Mint
Troll ’s Fingers
Small Power Stones
Power Stones
Unicorn Horn (The tip)
Phoenix Feathers
Basilisk Skin

1 Cauldron
1 Alembic
1 Bowl
1 Mortar and Pestle

Useful Links

You may find these links useful and occasionally are referrenced in lessons.

Useful Links

Arithmancy
http://sorcererscompanion.net/arithmancy.html

Astronomy
Stellarium

Potions
Ingredients

Muggle Studies
Currency Converter

General Useful Links
hp-lexicon.com
JKRowling.com
Project Britain
This has useful link about Great Britain for anyone needing explanation