⌦ for 5 points
You learned in class that Solis Focalis can harness the sun's power to be used as a weapon of sorts. List five other potential practical uses for this spell. Among these five uses ONE must be something that wizarding astronomers could use - either to help them understand the sun or to harness its power.

OOC: Each item on your list should be at least 2 sentences. Feel free to be creative with this and let your character go a bit crazy - just not too crazy. I know it says practical, but we all know that Professor Flamsteed has a VERY loose definition for the word.

⌦ for 10 points
Pick TWO of the uses you came up with and try it out in the school or on the Hogwarts grounds. Be sure to take proper safety measures when necessary. You may borrow the magnifying glass attachments from the box outside my office.

OOC: There is a FIVE POST minimum to qualify for full credit on this part of the assignment. You may RP anywhere in the school for this assignment and can RP with friends if you wish. You do not need to RP going to Professor Flamsteed's office to retrieve the magnifying glass attachment and can just assume your character did so.

Please PM me with the links to your posts along with the other requirement stated in my rules.

This entire assignment it worth up to 15 points
⌦ this assignment is due September 30th @ noon GMT

Please be sure you have read through Astronomy & Space Navigation and paid particular attention to the rules regarding homework submission. Late homework submissions will not be accepted. Any questions, concerns, or what have you can be sent to me via PM.

⌦ part one :: cleaning your telescope
Over the summer I was able to find some old telescopes for student use since the school ones have not been returned yet. They are, however, covered in dirt and rust and need a serious clean before you can use them. You can find all the supplies in the Astrophysics Laboratory and should use this space for this part of your assignment.

Please take the following steps to clean your telescope:

1. Use the cleaning solution provided and apply with a soft cotton towel a light layer.
2. Allow to air dry for a minute, before applying another coat of cleaning solution and rubbing it onto the looking glass and all over the telescope. Keep the rubbing to clockwise circular motions and continue until you've done all over the scope.
3. Take a fresh towel and rub in the same direction to towel dry the scope.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 as necessary until dust and debris is gone
5. Once the scope is clean, spray a thin layer of holding cream over the scope to help prevent future dust outbreaks.
6. Allow the solution to dry fully before operating the telescope. This may take up to 24 hours, so leave your telescope and come back to pick it up.

You may also use Scourgify & Excolo to assist in cleaning if doing things the muggle way listed above still leaves your telescope looking rusty and dirty, but you MUST do the above steps FIRST before using magic.

OOC: You should have at least 2 posts to complete this portion of the assignment. How you break up the tasks is entirely up to you. You should RP this task in the Astrophysics Laboratory and can assume that you were granted permission by Professor Flamsteed to be in there.

⌦ part two :: astronomy scavenger hunt
During the course of the term I will assign a list of five constellations, planets, individual stars, and other celestial bodies I would like you to try and find in the night sky. There will be FOUR groups, making for a total of 20 objects to spot. Some will require the use of the telescope you cleaned, so be sure to take it with you for all stargazing missions along with the star chart provided in your textbook.

GROUP ONE

• Andromeda (constellation)
• Antares (star)
• Pegasus (constellation)
• Mars (planet)
• Saturn (planet)

GROUP TWO

• Pluto (dwarf planet)
• Gemini (constellation)
• Orion (constellation)
• Perseus (constellation)
• Sirius (star)

GROUP THREE

• Cepheus (constellation)
• Bootes (constellation)
• Hercules (constellation)
• Mercury (planet)
• Venus (planet)

OOC: During the term, I will edit posts in the Hogwarts Grounds forum with the appropriate constellation/planet/star/etc within. Just how will these show up? I won't tell you you'll have to figure that out on your own! I will edit THIS post every few weeks with a new list of five items along with post a separate notice in this thread that the list has been updated, so be sure to check back often.

When you have found the particular post, you need to post IN that thread RPing your character finding whatever it is that is within that post. For example, if you find the post that has SATURN hidden in it in the FRONT GATE thread, then you need to post your character in the FRONT GATE thread finding SATURN. DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT QUOTE THE POST I EDITED.

Also, please do not tell your friends where everything is just so your house can earn points. This defeats the purpose of the assignment, is not in the spirit of the RP, and takes away from the effort of those who looked for things on their own.

When you have found all five things on the list, please PM me the link to the edited post AND the link to your RP post (two links per item). You can either PM me as you go (5 items at a time, 5 posts, 10 links [ 5 RP post links & 5 "hunt" posts) or at the end of the term ( 20 items, 20 posts, 40 links [ 20 RP post links & 20 "hunt" post links)

This entire assignment it worth up to 50 points
⌦ this assignment is due December 1st @ noon GMT

Please be sure you have read through Astronomy & Space Navigation and paid particular attention to the rules regarding homework submission. Late homework submissions will not be accepted. Any questions, concerns, or what have you can be sent to me via PM.