Astronomy 101
Professor Robert Plumb
Lesson One: Introduction

Astronomers define “astronomy” as the study of the universe. Muggles and wizards alike consider topics such as observing celestial bodies (moons, asteroids, comets, planets, stars, nebulae, and galaxies), theorizing about how objects in outer space have been formed, and deducing the chemical makeup of these bodies as part of astronomy.

There are magical and Muggle approaches to astronomy and magical and Muggle discoveries within the field, but they do blend, especially before the International Statute of Secrecy. More recently, Magical and Muggles discoveries have drifted further apart as our focus on magical effects and Muggles’ focus on technology has increased.

The advantage of the Wizarding approach is magic. We are aware of this whole other side of the world to which Muggles don't know about. For example, astrology - the study of how the happenings in outer space influence the happenings of people on Earth - is a subfield of astronomy as practised in the magical world.

One must not call a Muggle astronomer’s field of study “astrology”. In order to keep magic a secret, wizards have had to alter the history of the magic that Muggles have seen, making them believe that it is only myth. This includes everything from spells and charms to magical creatures and plants.

Wizards have done everything from altering Muggle memories and historical texts to spreading misinformation and the idea that magic is fanciful and unrealistic. This has gone so far that those Muggles who truly believe in magic are often thought of by their peers as somewhat childlike or crazy.

This extends to what many Muggles believe about the field of astrology: that it is nothing more than a bit of planetary mumbo-jumbo. Their astronomy, on the other hand, is a well respected science.

Astronomy is a field in which Muggles have certain advantages.

For example, Muggles are excellent at observational and theoretical astronomy. Observational astronomy focuses on finding objects in space, whether it’s by visual observation or by “seeing” an object through the analysis of data collected from space. Theoretical astronomy focuses on applying technology and astronomical concepts to a model in order to answer a question about the universe. In the field of astronomy, Muggles tend to make most of the observational discoveries and propose most of the theoretical concepts, at least in non-magical areas, while wizards focus more on magic-based theories. 

Wizards are not as proficient as Muggles in Observational Astronomy becuase for one thing, magic tends to interfere with the technology they use for much of their research, like computers (Muggle devices).  As an example, the magic in Hogwarts castle is so powerful that electricity can’t be used here. More importantly, too many wizards reject non-magical science and technology. 

For example, whereas magical telescopes are an improvement over Muggle telescopes of the same size, they can’t compete with the best Muggle models, and the magical community hasn’t seen fit to make ones that can.