[HPforGrownups] Re: Why Astronomy?

[Silverthorne]

No: HPFGUIDX 91899

Honey:
What the Hogwarts students are studying in Astronomy doesn't seem to be related to muggle astronomy at all. Astronomers study things like the geology of planets and the physics of star formation and how
astronomical observations support or disprove theories about the formation of the universe. 


{Anne}

In modern times, with the equipment we have on hand, they do--when the science first started, wya bakc when, it was mostly to watch the postion of stars and planets in the sky, and where they happened to be at any given time--which is about what I suspect a lot of Hogwarts Astronomy classes are about--how to chart where the heavenly bodies are at any given time. It certainly seemed to be a big part of what the OWL test was about in book five. So, in essence, they're learing rudimentary (for scientific Muggles), Astronomy, not the hard core stuff, (Although it would be intersting to see what magic could be made of the energy from a black hole, or the different gravities of varying stars).

{Honey}

Astrologers make star charts, not
astronomers. 

{Anne}

No, but they DO make maps/charts (I should know, I hung out with one of my former BF's when he did his overnight charting for his college courses. I swear that Astronomy students get NO sleep whatsoever...)--which again, seems to be what they were doing in OWLS--Harry was recording where the stars were in the heavens (mapping out coordinates over a period of time), not what 'House" (Astrological quadrant), each of those objects were supposedly located in. So he was still doing hard science, not astrology.

{Honey}

Thus, the Hogwarts "Astronomy" class is very likely to be related to requirements for specific potions or charms, or for Divination or Arithmancy (i.e. divination using numbers), rather than
for any muggle-y sort of use.

{Anne}

Yep, that's just what I was talking about, just didn't bother going into the scientific vs. 'magical' distinctions. 

To me, the Hogwarts Astronomy class is likely very similar in learning and equipment to what the original astromomers (Galileo {SP?} and the like) used and were familiar with, sprinkled liberally with 'modern' notions, such as the full compliment of planets and moons in the solar system and what they're actually made of--Remember the question about the one moon being made of 'ice' not 'mice' when Harry was distracted and messed up his answer?. 

Thanks to the influx of Muggle-born students, who would have already gone through 5-6 Muggle grades, and most likely have gotten at least a rudimentary education in the hard sciences, I suspect that Hogwarts actaully had to alter the curriculum a little over the years--but not by much, since most magical process wouldn't care about what Uranus was made out of--just how long it took to get around the sun and to the very postion you needed it to be in the sky in order to do your spell. Magic is more about will over logic--but you still have to adhere to certain 'natural' conditions in the world around you in order for it to work.


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