Astronomy classroom

Astronomy classroom
Location information
Location	Astronomy Tower, Astronomy Wing, Hogwarts Castle, Highlands, Scotland
Owner(s)	Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Affiliation	Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

The Astronomy classroom was located on the top-most level of the Astronomy Tower.

Description

Accessed via a steep spiral stairway, this room was where Astronomy classes, taught by Aurora Sinistra, and practical examinations were held in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The classroom was surrounded by crenellated ramparts and iron security railings around the edge of the Tower, where students gazed the skies with their telescopes. Astronomical models and telescopes were propped against the ramparts when the classroom was not in use. A door led into a turret and the steep spiral stairway inside leads below.

History

Severus Snape kills Albus Dumbledore atop the Astronomy Tower

On 30 June 1997, Severus Snape killed Albus Dumbledore in this classroom with the Killing Curse, albeit on Dumbledore's orders. After his death, Snape led the other Death Eaters out and fled the school.

Behind the scenes

• In the film and video game adaptations of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, this classroom is considerably different from its description in the books, and its appearance in Pottermore. The room is covered by a roof supported by stone archways, and does not offer a complete view of the sky. There is a large armillary sphere and replica of the Earth on the centre of the room. Small decorative stone cherubs carrying celestial bodies and peering through telescopes are perched on the walls. Some glass cabinets located by the door are filled with astronomical devices and celestial models. A short flight of stairs leads to a smaller observatory where a fixed telescope is in place.
• The classroom is very similar in appearance to that of the topmost level of the Dark Tower seen in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)
• The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
• Pottermore
• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
• Hogwarts Legacy