Nyx's Notes: A Compendium of Course Notes, Year 1 Edition
written by Allegra Nyx
A publication filled with notes from Hogwarts courses written by Allegra Nyx, a proud Hufflepuff enchantress with plans to leave a mark on the wizarding world after graduation. Currently a work in progress, patience is a virtue my dears.
Last Updated
05/31/21
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Astronomy 101: Week 2
Chapter 2
Magical Telescopes
Professor Brad Turing
Magical Telescope Safety
- The telescope is a fine magical instrument that requires respect
- Glass lenses are extremely fragile even with scratch-resistant and break-resistant charms on them
- Do not observe the Sun, the brightest object in the sky, or the full moon (magical energy) with these telescopes and the naked eye
- Moon charts and lunascopes are used to determine the lunar phase a moon maybe in
Lunar Viewing
- While the Moon appears to be lit, it does not produce light on its own. The Moon’s light is actually reflected from the Sun.
- New Moon Phase: the moon is not visible to us on Earth
- Waxing crescent phase: a sliver of the Moon begins to appear
- First Quarter: half the moon is visible, the beginning fourth of the 30 day lunar cycle
- Waxing gibbous phase leads back to a full Moon on fourteenth day of cycle
- Waning gibbous phase: the Moon’s visible area begins to shrink; last quarter, waning crescent, and then new Moon
- “Waxing” means growing while “waning” means shrinking
- Right part of the Moon is lit means waxing while left part of the moon means waning
- Gibbous and full Moons tend to be visible deep into the night, highlight the Moon’s fine details
Magnification function
- First remove the lens cap from telescope and point it at the Moon
- Turn the large metal knob on the left side to zoom in so that the Moon fills up the field of vision; to zoom in slowly use the small metal knob on the same side
Image(s):
Figure 2a. A Lunar Viewing (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/Lunar_libration_with_phase_Oct_2007.gif)
Professor Brad Turing
Magical Telescope Safety
- The telescope is a fine magical instrument that requires respect
- Glass lenses are extremely fragile even with scratch-resistant and break-resistant charms on them
- Do not observe the Sun, the brightest object in the sky, or the full moon (magical energy) with these telescopes and the naked eye
- Moon charts and lunascopes are used to determine the lunar phase a moon maybe in
Lunar Viewing
- While the Moon appears to be lit, it does not produce light on its own. The Moon’s light is actually reflected from the Sun.
- New Moon Phase: the moon is not visible to us on Earth
- Waxing crescent phase: a sliver of the Moon begins to appear
- First Quarter: half the moon is visible, the beginning fourth of the 30 day lunar cycle
- Waxing gibbous phase leads back to a full Moon on fourteenth day of cycle
- Waning gibbous phase: the Moon’s visible area begins to shrink; last quarter, waning crescent, and then new Moon
- “Waxing” means growing while “waning” means shrinking
- Right part of the Moon is lit means waxing while left part of the moon means waning
- Gibbous and full Moons tend to be visible deep into the night, highlight the Moon’s fine details
Magnification function
- First remove the lens cap from telescope and point it at the Moon
- Turn the large metal knob on the left side to zoom in so that the Moon fills up the field of vision; to zoom in slowly use the small metal knob on the same side
Image(s):
Figure 2a. A Lunar Viewing (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/Lunar_libration_with_phase_Oct_2007.gif)
