Podcast
Questions and Answers
What is astronomy?
What is astronomy?
The study of virtually everything beyond Earth.
What is astrobiology?
What is astrobiology?
A relatively new field of astronomy that speculates about possible alien life.
What does the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute do?
What does the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute do?
Looks for exoplanets.
Astrology is a scientific field.
Astrology is a scientific field.
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What does astrophysics apply to explain?
What does astrophysics apply to explain?
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What does cosmology study?
What does cosmology study?
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What was one of the roles of astronomy in agriculture?
What was one of the roles of astronomy in agriculture?
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Why was astronomy important for navigation in the 17th and 18th centuries?
Why was astronomy important for navigation in the 17th and 18th centuries?
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Which of the following scientists contributed to the laws governing the motions of planets? (Select all that apply)
Which of the following scientists contributed to the laws governing the motions of planets? (Select all that apply)
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What significant shift did modern astronomy bring to man's view of the universe?
What significant shift did modern astronomy bring to man's view of the universe?
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What is one benefit society has gained from modern astronomy?
What is one benefit society has gained from modern astronomy?
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Study Notes
Astronomy
- Study of everything beyond Earth
- Includes planets, stars, galaxies, comets and more.
Allied Fields
- Astrobiology - Speculates about the possible existence of alien life inside and outside the solar system.
- SETI (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) - A team of astronomers looking for exoplanets.
- Astrology - Non-scientific, assumes a connection between astronomical events and human life, based on historical beliefs and interpretations.
- Astrophysics - Applying physics and chemistry to explain the birth, life, and death of celestial objects.
- Cosmology - Subfield of astrophysics, studies the universe.
Role and Scale of Astronomy
- Agriculture - Farmers and fishermen use stars to predict seasons for planting and harvesting.
- Religion and Prognostication - Ancient societies used celestial body movements for predictions and timekeeping.
- Seafaring - Navigation relies on knowledge about celestial bodies for long-distance voyages.
- Modern Astronomy - Motivated by curiosity about the universe, it changed our perspective from geocentric to modern understanding of the vastness of space.
- Social Benefits - Modern astronomy contributes to technology transfer, advancements in aerospace, energy, and medicine.
- Large Scale - Astronomy deals with enormous masses and sizes, involving measurements from extremely small to extremely large.
Astronomy Through history
- Cro-Magnon people - 30,000 years ago, they made bone engravings which may depict the phases of the moon.
- Hipparchus (200 B.C) - Obtained a correct value for...
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