Comet Ice

Comet Ice is the magical ice extracted from a comet. Comet Ice never melts,
even if the outside temperature is 600 degrees. Comet Ice is made by the unique
processes and conditions that occur in comets. The frequent gaining and melting
of water ice on the comet provides the magic needed to form Comet Ice. The best
Comet Ice is in the nucleus of the comet.

Comet Ice has extensive magical uses, some of which include certain potions and solutions in Alchemy.  Comet Ice also has healing properties.  Comet Ice is used at St. Mungo’s Magical Hospital for potions that can improve the mental state of people who have been victims of the Cruciatus Curse and other torturous curses.  This is a very new discovery, and has been tested on very few people.  In Alchemy, Nicholas Flamel used tiny particles of Comet Ice (along with many other ingredients) to make the Philosopher’s Stone (The Elixir of Life). Even today, researchers are still finding even more uses for Comet Ice. As said above, Comet Ice can be found only on comets.  These are easiest to find in the Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud.  In order to find these, enter the coordinates into the Astrogate.  Your Astrogate will focus into that area, and you will be able to interact with the environment.  You should be able to find multiple objects.  The most common collected items from Astrogates are chunks of asteroid, space dust, and Comet Ice.  However, just because they are the most common doesn’t mean that they are easy to get your wand on.  Chunks of asteroid and space dust are the easiest of the three to collect.

Comet Ice, however, is difficult to acquire.  It must
be collected directly from the comet, and comets move by very fast. There are a
few space wizarding teams that are made specifically to collect Comet Ice.
Because of the conditions involved, Comet Ice collectors have to train
extensively for the job. The equipment used to collect Comet Ice is
state-of-the-art. The Astrogate may seem easy to use, but the spells needed to
use them and to specifically extract Comet Ice are very challenging.

Astrogate

The Astrogate is an enchanted tool used to view various
objects and celestial bodies throughout the Universe; much like a scrying bowl,
but with a key difference- using the Astrogate, you can also influence and
interact with the target, as well as viewing it.

It will not, however, directly interact with anything as big
as a planet or a star; it's very picky about where it explores!

No one knows for sure where or when the Astrogate was created, nor whom it was sired by, but one thing known for sure is that it was made with the intent to study our Universe. It is suspected to be created by a 16th century Magical Astronomer from Germany, whose name may have been Dietrich Rosenthal, based on research, but it's not certain. To use the Astrogate is relatively simple at a first glance, but takes a lot of energy and power. Because of this, only powerful witches and wizards should attempt to use it, and few get the chance, as it is very well protected and sought after. If in the wrong hands, the Astrogate could be a very powerful and dangerous weapon. The ability to influence the contents of the Universe is far too tempting for some to resist. It is for this reason that it's safeguarded carefully. Using the Astrogate requires immense power and focus. The user needs to clear their mind of all but the object of interest, and concentrate their willpower and magic into the surface of the gate. If done correctly, the image will appear and be easily affected by the user's thoughts from then on, until the connection is broken, so it's important for them to focus. If used incorrectly, it can drain a user of power and knock them out cold, leaving them unable to focus, and in some cases enable to perform magic, for any number of days.

Using an Astrogate to Extract Comet Ice

I will be writing about how to use an Astrogate to extract
Comet Ice.  As some of you who have been raised in magical families may
already know, an Astrogate is a magical object that shows certain parts of
space.  Astrogates allow you to interact with the solar system.  

However, an Astrogate doesn’t work with planets or stars.
 For example, if you see a comet racing through the sky on your Astrogate,
you can touch it (with magic) and get things from it.  That is precisely what
I will be talking about today.

Using an Astrogate can be difficult or it can be easy,
depending on what you are trying to do.  If you are taking something from
space, then you touch your wand to the object that you are trying to take.
 The object will appear next to the Astrogate.  Just make sure it is
not too big.  If an object is oversized, your Astrogate may over-exert
itself and shatter.  However, if it is just a small object (such as Comet
Ice), you will be able to get it from the side of your Astrogate.  Of
course, if muggles knew this, they would be going crazy.

To catch an object, tap your wand to the thing that you are
trying to collect.  You should see the object pop out from the side of
your Astrogate.  Certain objects require incantations, but most of them do
not.  For example, objects that can be used for the Dark Arts need to be
approved by the Ministry of Magic.  They will tell you what to say, and
then you can acquire the object.  Most items don’t need a “password”,
though.  Usually, you follow the above steps and everything is fine.