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 Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 12:49 pm
 All classes take place in the Astronomy tower, situated above the front entrance of the castle. Classes that do not involve observation meet in a large classroom at the base of the tower. The room is filled with rows of desks that change in numbers according to the size of each class. One of the rough stone walls is curved with the shape of the tower and small windows are carved out in intervals along it. A steep spiral staircase stands just outside the classroom, leading up to the top of the tower where students go for observation. A large wooden door with an iron ring handle, located near the top of the staircase, leads out onto the parapets of the castle.
Should you need to contact Professor Vega outside of class, you may speak to her in her office, located near the Slytherin dungeons. She asks that you please knock first as she is often very busy and may be with another student.
*Each astronomy class meets at midnight.*
The rules for this class are quite simple. ~ Respect is to be given at all times to both the professor and fellow students. Disrespect or disobedience will not be tolerated. ~ Concentration and hard work are expected, thus all class work and homework should be completed thoroughly and to the best of the student's ability. ~ Attendance is mandatory for both observation and non-observation classes. Should a student need to take a leave of absence, the professor must be contacted in advance. ~ Care is to be taken with all instruments used in this class, whether they be personal or property of the school. ~ Do not be afraid to ask for help. The best way to learn is by asking questions. ~ All lessons and homework must be completed before the lesson ends. All lessons will be no shorter than two weeks in length and may be extended should the need arise. ~ All homework is to be submitted to me (ElegantSarcasm) via PM using the following form: [b]Character's name:[/b]
[b]House:[/b]
[b]Year:[/b]
[b]Answer:[/b]
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Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 12:50 pm
Class Roster
First years:
Lance Kivlin (RisikaFox)
Leya Flebor (Chrisitan_child4)
Second years:
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Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 12:51 pm
Topic: Scale of the Universe Lesson one: The difference between a universe and a galaxy"Welcome, students, to your first astronomy class. While this class may not be your most difficult, it will require your utmost concentration and effort. If you try your hardest, you will succeed in this class as there are many resources available to help you." Pausing, Professor Vega surveyed her small class with bright, silvery eyes. Knowing full well that she rarely encountered a class she didn't intimidate the first few times she met with them, Vega softened her words with the smallest of smiles. "This year, we will be focusing on the scale of the universe. You will become familiar with the comparative size of certain components of a universe as well as methods of measurement used when studying astronomy. While this may not seem interesting, I assure you that it is essential. So, without further ado, let us begin. Oh, and please, do not hesitate to ask questions when you feel the need."
With a gentle wave of her wand, Professor Vega lowered the lights in the classroom until only a bright glow emitting from the center of the room could be seen. Slowly, an image began to materialize, rotating as Vega turned her wand. As Professor Vega spoke, the image changed to reflect her words. "Tonight we will be discussing the difference between a universe and a galaxy. A universe is something that is often hard for the human mind to comprehend. Most of us simply do not have the ability to wrap our minds around something so large. However, when broken down into pieces, a universe is not so hard to understand. Simply put, the term universe includes everything, everywhere; all matter and energy, considered together as a whole. A galaxy, while still very large, is considerably smaller than a universe. Our universe includes around 100,000 galaxies that we are aware of and many more that we are not."
The glowing image, almost akin to what one would see on a muggle projector, swiftly changed to show many differently shaped spots of color, all situated on a black background. "A galaxy contains a collection of stars, dust, and gas that are bound together by gravity. They can also contain solar systems, such as ours, but our planets are actually made up of dust and gas anyway." Hoping that she had not confused her students too much, Vega smiled again, hoping to let them know that it was perfectly okay if she had and there would be plenty of time for questions. "In summation, a universe contains everything in existence, including many galaxies. A galaxy contains stars, dust, and gas. Therefore, a universe is larger than a galaxy."
With a wave of her wand, Professor Vega raised the lights enough so that she and her students could see one another, but kept the room dark enough that the projection of the universe could still be clearly seen. Casting a spell to keep the image rotating on its own, Tara approached the desks, taking a seat on a stool facing the students. "Now, I know that this first lesson can be quite confusing and as much as I've reworked it and reworded it, there just isn't an easy way to explain this opening topic. As such, you are free to ask any questions you have and you may also come up to look at the model. If you ask it you show you something specifically, it will, and I can let you know what you are looking at." With that, Tara waved her hand in the direction of the model, beckoning the class to approach.
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Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 6:08 pm
HOMEWORK: In your own words, please describe the difference between a universe and a galaxy.
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Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 7:22 pm
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Posted: Sun Aug 31, 2008 1:45 pm
Luckily Lance had managed to find the Astronomy Tower with less difficulty than he had the Great Hall, although the many staircases he'd had to climb to reach it had left him slightly winded. Sitting down in one of the very few desks in the large classroom and taking a good look around, he couldn't help but wonder if all Astronomy classes were this size, or if the teacher perhaps had a way of magicking the desks out of sight when unneeded. Startled by the sudden sound of someone speaking, Lance glanced up to the front of the room, where who he assumed was his professor was standing. 'How long has she been there?' he thought, slightly fazed.
As Professor Vega launched into her lecture, Lance tried very hard to pay close attention to what she was saying, as well as the images being displayed. He always had been slightly better at book learning, so he felt semi-confident that he could do well in this particular class. When she had finished speaking and made it clear that questions were quite welcome, Lance's brow furrowed in concentration as he carefully thought over what had been said. "Ummm, Professor?" he asked, hand in the air, feeling a bit unsure of himself. He was used to raising his hand to ask questions in Muggle school, but wasn't sure if that was how things were done here.
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Posted: Sun Sep 07, 2008 1:11 pm
Leya was panting by the time she made it to the Astronomy Tower. She found a seat not really by anyone just as the bell rang. She breathed a sigh of relief. I'm not late!!! As the class continued, a boy raised his hand to ask a question. He looked nice enough. She quickly got out her planner and wrote down the homework written on the board.
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Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 10:56 am
A content look crossed Tara's features as she took in her very small class. Hopefully, she'd be able to answer all their questions and make sure her students understood the lessons given the class size. And speaking of questions...
Professor Vega moved toward a young boy, first year by the name of Lance Kivlin if she remembered correctly, and sat down in an empty desk near him. "What can I help you with, Lance?" she asked softly, the corners of her lips lifting slightly in a small, reassuring smile.
((Sorry for the delay, guys!! Hopefully, I'll be around a little more soon))
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Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 5:15 pm
When Professor Vega smiled gently and sat down nearby, Lance was reassured, but at the same time suddenly found himself unsure of how exactly to word his inquiry. He ducked his head and scratched the back of his neck, feeling himself start to turn red even though he was currently unaware that they were not alone. "Umm... I'm somewhat confused by your terms in relation to a universe, Professor." He paused momentarily, frowning slightly as he glanced up at his teacher. "I mean, if a universe includes everything, everywhere; can there truly be more than one? And if so, what do we call that larger unit made up of multiple universes?"
((OOC: It's alright. After all, we all have lives outside of Gaia. ^^))
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Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 6:12 pm
(Yes very true!!)
Leya giggled quietly by at the blushing boy. She had to admit, her teacher was very pretty.(Nothing gay included. I'm not that way. If you aren't it doesn't matter but guys at my school are SO immature and will take it that way. rolleyes )She quickly looked down to the notes she had been writing before. It turned out that she had been daydreaming during most of it. She tried to remember it as she scribbled down her paper, eraesing.
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Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 6:33 am
((Oh, you're making me think, Risika! lol It's too early in the morning for metaphysics.))
A genuine smile broke out across Professor Vega's face as Lance voiced his question. She loved it when students thought beyond what was being specifically taught. "I think it's very possible for other universes to exist. The terms everything and everywhere when speaking of multiple universes are very relative. If there are other universes, which hasn't been proven one way or another yet, it is commonly thought that they would have to exist as parallels to our own, meaning that they would exist beside us, but in a different dimension. All of these parallel universes grouped together are called either a multiverse or a meta-universe. So 'everything' and 'everywhere' would include all of what existed within one dimension or another. Past that, I can't really tell you much as it is getting into the realm of metaphysics and I confess that is not and never will be an area of expertise for me."
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Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 3:53 pm
((Haha, sorry. xP Took me forever to remember what it was he was going to ask too, lol.))
The professor's smile was contagious and even the unsure first year found himself shyly smiling just a bit as he listened to her in-depth response. "Parallel universes, huh..." Lance mused aloud as he pondered Professor Vega's words. "Umm... Professor, might you by any chance be able to recommend books that might have more information? I mean, from what you said it seems to be more of a theoretical study than anything else, but..." The blonde shrugged as his gaze skittered to the side. "It sounds real interesting..." he finished half-heartedly in a near-mumble, his cheeks pink once more. Thinking of the student that had just giggled, his shoulders drooped a bit. 'I probably sound like a real dork right now...'
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Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2008 5:01 pm
Leya smiled to the boy. She personally loved astronomy. She raised her hand. "Professor?...I have a book that he might be able to borrow." Her brother, who knew everything about her, had gotten her a book on astronomy for Christmas. She had read it at least 5 times through already, so she thought that it wouldn't matter if he borrowed it. She felt very self-conscious all of the sudden, being the center of attention. She quieckly looked back down to her paper and tried to remember what the teacher had said so she could write it down.
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Posted: Sun Oct 26, 2008 10:40 am
Leya quietly got up and approached the model. It completely grasped her full attention, with the detail in it. She knew this homework would be nothing for her to accomplish. After a while she moved back to her seat and quietly waited for the bell to ring. She wondered what class the boy had next. SHe personally had no idea where hers was.
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