Magical Telescope Safety
Now let’s talk about magical telescope safety. Your telescope is a fine magical instrument, and you should treat it with respect. This means no play fighting with them, no flinging them across the room, and no leaving them outside in the elements. Of course, common sense also applies here. For example, do not use a telescope in dangerous environments. While it is common to stay still while observing the skies, if you should have to take a step in either direction, pay attention to where you are walking.
In fact, the glass lenses on the telescope are extremely fragile. There are scratch-resistant and break-resistant charms on them - however, you should still keep the lens caps on just in case. In order to ensure that you do not lose your lens caps, each telescope has the lens caps tied on to the sides of the telescope with a string, and each string is attached to the side of the telescope with a Sticking Charm. On the outside of the larger lens cap, there is a place to write your name - feel free to do so now if you have not done it yet. This will ensure that your telescope will be returned to you if it were to get lost. Broken lens glass may feel like Muggle broken glass, but broken Muggle glass is still dangerous. If you do have a lens glass break on you in class, call me, and I will take care of it. Usually I can fix your lenses with a spell.
You should note that there are two astronomical items that you must not look at with your magical telescope. The most dangerous item to look at with your telescope is the brightest object in the sky - the Sun. Looking directly at the Sun with the naked eye - in other words, seeing the sun without using the help of another instrument to “zoom in” on the Sun - could result in irreversible damage to your eyes. Looking at the Sun with a telescope will also damage your eyes as well as the magical functions of your telescope. In other words, the telescope will function like a Muggle telescope if you point it at the Sun. Solar eclipses are even more dangerous for your eyes and for your telescopes. Keeping the lens caps on the telescope will prevent the telescope from reaching this fate.
The other time that you must not look at directly through a magical telescope is the Moon during a full Moon. Of course, unlike the Sun, the Moon can be safely seen with the naked eye. However, the light from a full Moon contains so much magical energy that, if light from the full Moon manages to enter directly into the telescope, it will not only destroy the magical properties of a magical telescope, but it will also physically crack the glass lenses of the telescope. Remember that a full Moon is powerful enough to transform werewolves. In order to prevent the light of the full Moon from entering the telescope, please use a lens cap when carrying around your instrument. We will discuss why this is the case in a future lesson.
How can you figure out the phases of the Moon so you do not accidentally use the telescope on a full Moon? You can, of course, look outside yourself. If you would like to know the phase of the Moon on a future date - say, for a stargazing party - you could use a Moon chart or a Lunascope. A Moon chart is just what it sounds like. While these are handy to predict the phases of the Moon, they have a steep learning curve. Lunascopes, on the other hand, are easier to use but much more expensive. We will have more experience learning how to use these items in future years of this class.
Today, we will be looking at the Moon. Take your telescopes, grab a quill and parchment, and come with me to the viewing areas of the Astronomy Tower.
Lunar Viewing
When it comes to looking at the objects in the night sky, many budding Astronomers - Magical and Muggle - love to view the Moon. So much can be seen even without a telescope, and even more of the details can be seen with a telescope. Today, the Moon is in a waxing gibbous phase. One interesting thing to note is that while the Moon appears to be lit, it does not produce light on its own. The light that you see coming from the Moon is actually reflected from the Sun. More discussion about the magical properties of moonlight will be covered next lesson.
Most of you have seen, at least from observation, that the Moon comes in different phases. In the new Moon phase, the Moon is not visible to us on Earth. Gradually, a sliver of Moon starts to appear - this is the waxing crescent phase. When half the moon is visible, the phase is called “first quarter” because it is the beginning fourth of the 30-day lunar cycle. The Moon then goes through a waxing gibbous phase until it becomes a full Moon on the fourteenth day of the cycle, and then the Moon’s visible area starts to shrink - waning gibbous, last quarter, waning crescent, then new Moon.
Here are some hints for observing the Moon. The word “waxing” means growing, and the word “waning” means shrinking. Here in the United Kingdom, as well as anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere, if the right part of the Moon is lit, the Moon is waxing, and the visible part of the Moon will be growing in size in the next day. If the left part of the Moon is lit, the Moon is waning, and the visible part of the Moon will be smaller in size the next night.
Observing the Moon by naked eye and by telescope in the gibbous phases - as well as by naked eye during the full Moon - is ideal. You can see the many details on the moon during the gibbous and full Moon phases. In addition, the Moon rises and sets at different times according to the Moon’s phase, and gibbous and full Moons tend to be visible deep into the night - which means that many of the Moon’s fine details are visible and not washed out by sunlight.
Now, let’s quickly go over how to use our magical telescopes. Today, we will be learning how to use the magnification function of the telescope. First, remove the lens caps from the telescope and point it at the Moon. Turn the large metal knob on the left side of your telescope to zoom in so that the Moon fills up almost all of your field of vision. Zoom in slowly with the small metal knob on the same side. As you zoom in, notice how the telescope uses magic to focus your lenses. The charms in the telescope are able to focus your lenses for you, similar to an autofocus lens on a Muggle camera. Should you need to change to focus of the lens manually, pull out the smaller zoom knob and twist to adjust. Push the knob back into the telescope to turn on the magical focus.
There you have it - the Moon in all its glory, through both a telescope lens and with the naked eye. Practice observing the Moon with the naked eye and through the telescope, and remember to not use the telescope during the full Moon.
Magical Telescope Tips and Tricks
Now that we have gone over the basics of how to use magical telescopes, let’s discuss some tips and tricks for magical telescope usage. As for telescope skills, do not be worried if you are not an expert right away - the more you practice, the better you will become.
The first thing you will want to do before going outside is make sure that what you want to view will be visible. Of course, if you just want to have fun, you can just go outside and see what you can see, but if you are looking for something in particular, you will want to consult a table or other chart that can predict what can be seen at that particular time. Also, check the weather, as clouds and rain tend to obscure astronomical objects in the night sky.
For your convenience, I have hung a lunar phase chart on the wall of this classroom, on the door to my office, and on the main entrance of the Astronomy Tower. This lunar phase chart is made by the finest magical astronomers in Mexico, and it contains many magical features that we will go over in a future lesson. Even without activating the magical aspects of the chart, one can see the predicted phases of the Moon for each particular day - from January on the left to December on the right. As you can see from the chart, last week there was a waxing gibbous Moon. The full Moon occurred earlier this week, and right now there is a waning gibbous Moon.
In just over a few days, in what phase will the Moon be? That is right, the last quarter. Next week, in what phase will the Moon be? Yes, it will be a waning crescent. Good job, everyone! Your skill at reading this chart is improving already!
Remember when I mentioned last lesson that the Moon’s visibility depends on its phase? Waning crescent Moons are best seen in daylight hours, and they tend to set before night. Therefore, do not be surprised if you do not see a crescent Moon in the sky next week. Not to worry - there are still plenty of items in the sky to look at, including the moons of other planets.
The second thing you will want to do is ensure that your eyes and your telescope are adjusted to the night. Astronomy is super exciting, and I understand the urge to run outside and look at the skies as fast as possible. However, running from a warm, well-lit room in the castle to a cooler, darker environment outside means that your eyes and telescope need time to adjust. And please, for your telescope and your safety, please do not run outside - the night’s darkness and one’s excitement tends to blind one to unintentional traps along the way - and keep your telescope in the storage bag until you get to the viewing site. The bag is charmed with spells to greatly reduce the chance of your telescope breaking should you accidentally drop it on the ground.
Once you are outside and at your intended viewing location, uncap your telescope and leave it exposed to the air but by your side for about ten minutes; this will give your telescope’s magical functions enough time to adjust to to the outside temperature. You can use the time to scan the area for good places to view the skies and/or for potential safety hazards and ambushes. One way to be safer and to have company is to bring along an astronomy partner to your observation sessions. When you are outside, do not bring a light or light-producing object, though you may carry the small magical Astronomer’s Lamp that comes with the telescope; this miniature light will illuminate your surroundings so that you can find your way and record your observations while having almost no effect on you and your telescope’s ability to see in the dark.
After your observation session, cap your magical telescope on both ends and transport it back to the building in the enclosed bag. Once you are back in the building, quickly look over the telescope lenses for dust, dirt, and damage. Your lenses have been charmed to be resistant to dirt and damage, but it does not hurt to check to make sure. Should there be dirt that does not come off, come see me for some charmed telescope cleaning wipes. Be aware that it may take a few minutes for your eyes and your telescope to adjust again to the light levels and temperature indoors.
Following these tips will help you get the most out of every telescope session. The more you practice these tips, the more positive habits you will develop, and the more automatic these will be. Try these tips out the next time you observe the night skies.
Advantages and Limits of Using a Magical Telescope
Another common question that I encounter is “Why are we using magical telescopes when we could be using Muggle ones?“ Those with Muggle Astronomy backgrounds may know from personal experience or literature about some of the capabilities of Muggle telescopes built for amateurs. While Muggle telescopes for amateur Astronomers are amazing in their own right - many Astronomical discoveries have been and still are made by amateur Muggles - Magical telescopes have many advantages over Muggle telescopes.
The first advantage a magical telescope has over a Muggle telescope is a more stable view, even without a tripod. Beginner-level Muggle telescopes are too large to put in your pocket and require a tripod to ensure that the shake that comes naturally when you hold a telescope, especially for a longer time, does not affect your viewing experience. After all, no matter how still we stand, we cannot stop ourselves from shaking a bit, and the magnification on a telescope accentuates the previously almost unnoticeable movement. On the other hand, the spells used in making a magical telescope not only ensure that they are smaller and lighter than their Muggle counterparts - after all, you can fit these magical telescopes in your pocket - but they also ensure that the view on the telescope compensates for the unmistakable “shake” that occurs when viewing objects at higher magnification.
In addition, a magical telescope will give a better magnification factor than a Muggle telescope many times its size. There is no way that a Muggle telescope on a tripod can beat the magnification available on our handheld von Rheticus model student telescopes. Later this year, when we point our telescopes at other planets in the Solar System, we will see that our magical telescopes can give us very clear views of those planets. Many Muggle telescopes meant for amateurs cannot.
Likewise, when using magical telescopes, there is much less loss of resolution than in Muggle telescopes at higher magnifications. At very high magnifications, many amateur Muggle telescopes have blurry images. The magical charms and methods used in the construction of magical telescopes ensure that even on the highest magnification, magical telescopes will give crisp images. If you attempt to go past the limits of your magical telescope's capabilities, the telescope will let you know - the whole viewing area will be given an unmistakable blue tint, and the bottom of the screen will suggest that you use a telescope with higher magnification.
Perhaps the most interesting advantage of using a magical telescope are the magically-enhanced special features. Visual observation is only one of the many things a magical telescope can do. Next week, we will learn about one of the many special features available on this telescope.
Of course, magical telescopes have their limits. As mentioned above, there is a limit to how much magnification a magical telescope can provide. In addition, magical telescopes – like Muggle telescopes – have a narrower field of vision in higher magnifications than in lower magnifications. That being said, magical telescopes have many advantages over Muggle telescopes, which is why I am teaching you how to use magical telescopes in class.
