 Rhibear ~ Madam Solo ~ Dark Brooding Girl ~ Accio Jedi ~ Gryffinclaw ~ Just a doll
Tina blinked. Was Professor Sandhu tsking because she'd apologized for her answer or because her answer really was too obvious to voice? She wasn't sure, but either way, her answer hadn't been entirely correct. That was mildly discouraging, but at least she could trust this Professor not to dock points for giving a wrong answer, unlike some people in this school. *cough*de Nostredame*cough*
Tina paid attention as the professor spoke again, ready to take thorough notes. So they were doing star charts tonight? That sounded pretty straightforward… or at least it did until she heard they would be using their hands instead of actual measuring equipment. That seemed like an inexact method of measurement to her - people's hands were different sizes, after all - but she was willing to try it. She she to work assembling her telescope as Professor Sandhu handed out star charts. It was nothing fancy, an older model that had been handed down to her, but it got the job done.
Once she was finished snapping the pieces of her telescope together, Tina turned her attention to her star chart, paying special attention to the scale at the bottom. Polaris was filled in, but she'd have to add the rest herself. She pointed her telescope in the direction of Polaris, peering through the small hole, and soon located the star in question. From there, it was easy to find the other stars in the Little Dipper. Merlin, what a ridiculous name! Who came up with this stuff? She started to map the stars she saw, but then she remembered that Professor Sandhu said to start with the Big Dipper. Hmm… it seemed more efficient to her to start where she was, rather than have to come back to the Little Dipper later, but she wasn't one to go against directions.
From Polaris, Tina moved her telescope down and a little to the left to find the Big Dipper. There it was! Now came the hard part… actually mapping the stars using those weird hand measurements! Extending her left arm, she started measuring the distance between Merak and Dubhe, the front two stars in the Big Dipper that formed an imaginary line to Polaris. She jotted down her measurements as she plotted the two stars, labeling and marking each with a tiny drawing of a star. Then she moved on to the other stars in the Big Dipper, measuring with her hand as she went.
When she was done, Tina examined the finished product. It looked exactly like the constellation she saw in her telescope, but had she done it right? Were her measurements even remotely accurate? She cross-referenced the scale to make sure. Surely this couldn't be as complicated as she was making it out to be! It was a star chart, for Flamel's sake! This was first year stuff. For now she was going to chalk her difficulty up to lack of sleep and soldier on the best she could. Maybe she'd be able to come back to it later with fresh eyes and figure out any mistakes she made.
Once she was reasonably confident that the measurements she had so far were accurate (or at least close to it), Tina followed the imaginary line back up to Polaris and the Little Dipper with her telescope. Using her ruler, compass, and hand measurements, she proceeded to plot those stars to the best of her abilities, taking a quick moment to scrutinize her work after drawing the last star. Now what? Should she try mapping out other constellations too?
__________________ Old voices I had thought long since dead whisper of another life I might have led
If I could take that second chance, If I could make my life anew, If only dreams came true... |