Astronomy Lesson three (Second years)

Colin leaned out the window, letting the fresh air keep him alert.

The stars, which he gazed at now, had always fasinated him, even as a young boy. He hoped that his students shared his facination. It might be the only thing that got him through this class.

He smiled at himself; his first lesson nerves were making him jittery. He needed to get a hold of himself before the students came in.

He hoped the stars would do that.

So he stood, looked and waited.

Iris climbed up the tower and saw she's the earliest. She felt the cold night air and exhaled deeply. She waited and gazed at the dark twinkling sky which she hadn't done before. She hadn't appreciated this since now she was quite alone. She didn't speak, not wanting to disturbed the professor's moment.

Anna noticed the Professor's nerousness when she came in. Trying to calm his nerves, she smiled sweetly at him, immediately wiping the smile off her face as soon as she turned away from him.

Char walked up the stairs to the tower. Although Astronomy wasn't her strong point, she tried her best to keep up to date with the reading and do a little research before coming to class.

"Hello Professor O'Brian," she said as took a seat.

Iris entered the class and sat next to Char. "I hope this lesson is interesting," Iris told her.

Alexis walked into the class, it was very quiet in here. 'Hey Eye.' she whispered and took seat beside her.

Iris turned when her nickname was called. Obviously by Alex of course. She grinned and whispered like the others did. "Hey Lex! How's break?"

Alicia wandered into the room, taking in her surroundings for a moment before taking her usual spot right in the middle of the room. She knew it was strange of her to be so picky about where she sat, but it was simply a habit she'd developed. Sit too far back, and you can't see a thing, sit too far forward and the teacher will pick on you every single time you look even the tiniest bit distracted.

"Hello, professor," she murmured, settling in to her seat with a sigh.

Tobi walked up the stairs of the tower and could feel it getting cooler as he went. He entered the class and saw Alicia so he decided to sit by her.

Colin sighed and pulled himself away from the window as the students started to file into class. He nodded in responce to some of their hello's. With his hands clasped in front of him he slowly made his way to the front of the room and appraised his numbers for a long moment.

"Alright," he finally said, "I believe that is everyone - and if isn't then too bad for them. We are going to begin."

"I assume you all have had a nice break and are back ready to learn. But just in case, we'll start this a little slow. I'm going to give you a simple question. What do you know about stars? Anything at all - just shout it out."

He leaned back on his desk, which was just slighly behind him, and rested his hands on either side of him as he waited for some answers.

"Stars are made of hydrogen and helium," Anna replied calmly. "The smallest stars are golden and the bigger stars are redder. For example, the Sun is just a really big star. And it is a bit red. Just a little bit. If stars die, they become a supernova, or a black hole."

"There are many stars in the sky," Tobi said," millions and millions and that's a lot! Most of the brightest stars are named after characters in the mythology from various cultures."

"Stars are mainly used on Astrology to indicate zodiac signs which they made up as the Zodiac belt. A group wherein there is a specific name for it is called a constellation. The hottest stars however has the color of blue. While the coolest would be black." replied Iris to the question then gazed at the night sky again.

"Stars are the source of heat and light in the universe." Alexis piped in, "They contain an unimaginable amount of heat."

"Thank you all - you are all right in your own respect. So each of you will recieve five point per answer; stars are unbelievable hot - and it is the hydrogen and helium in them that are making it so. We will get to that shortly, but first I have a small question for you."

"Mr. Forsyte is correct when you look up into the sky there are millions and millions of stars out there, but how many of those stars are in our own solar system?"

He let his gaze slide around the room, hoping as he did so, that the question was a simple to his students as he thought it was.

"That is easy Professor!" Tobi said, "We only have one star in our Solor System and that is what we call the Sun."

Colin chuckled softly, "I'm glad you think so Mr. Forsyte; that will easy points."

"Yes, all those thosands and millions of stars are galaxies away. The only star that we have close to our own planet here is our Sun. Which all things concidered is actually on the smaller side when it comes to stars. Which we are lucky for. Out of all the stars out there - many of which have planets of their own. We so far are the only one far enough or close enough from our star not to be scorched by it's heat."

He leaned back on his desk, aquiring a thoughtful expresson, "Out of curiosity, does anyone know which of the planet in our solar system is the hotest?"

It didn't really have any relivence to todays lesson, however Colin wanted to see what these children knew.

Alex raised her hand, 'Mercury maybe, Professor?'

Iris didn't take her eyes off the marvelous sky. They've already answered the obvious answers. She waited for a question which she would answer eventually.

"That is a very educated guess Ms. Hope, and logic will state that, that should be true, but actually the warmest planet in our solar system is actually the second one, Venus - that of course has to do with how it's atmosphere holds in radition, which I do not wish to go into in this class."

Colin got up and began to pace across the room, "So, our sun has three layers to it's make up; does anybody know anything about any of those layers?"

Iris shot her hand immediately that her answer registered in her brain fast, she's been reading them on muggle books too. "The mantle is one, professor."

Tobi thought for a second before replying, "Well there is obviously a core to the Sun as well." Yes he knew there was a mantle and a core he had no idea what else though.

'I think the Corona is one.' Alex raised her hand and said.

"The outermost layer is the corona and it is visible only during eclipse. And core is the innermost layer where the fusion reaction occurs..." Iris trailed off, feeling unsure. She had no clue which was the third layer.

"Thank you all - actually Ms. Frances, the sun does not have a mantle, that is an aspect that only planets have. However yes Mr. Forsyte there is a core, and yes Ms. Grayson that is where the fussion takes place. Five points for each of you.

"Thank you, the Corona is one of the layers I was looking for - it the outermost layers, and only visiable during an eclipse. Below the Corona is the Chromosphere, and then the Photosphere."

Colin paused a moment, twirling his wand in his hand, "Only one of these layers in the visible one, since we already ruled out the Corona, that leaves the two spheres - Do any of you want to hazard a guess at which one?"