submit urlsubmit rss feedadd directory

article

Astronomy (Greek: αστρονομία = άστρον + νόμος, astronomia = astron + nomos, literally, "law of the stars") is the science of celestial objects (e.g., stars, planets, comets, and galaxies) and phenomena that originate outside the Earth's atmosphere (e.g., auroras and cosmic background radiation). It is concerned with the evolution, physics, chemistry, and motion of celestial objects as well as the formation and development of the universe. Astronomical observations can be used to test fundamental theories in physics, such as general relativity. Theoretical astrophysics complements observational astronomy in that it seeks to explain astronomical phenomena.

Astronomy is one of the oldest sciences. Astronomers of ancient Greece practiced a scientific methodology, and advanced observation techniques may have been known much earlier (see archaeoastronomy). Historically, amateur astronomers have contributed to many important astronomical discoveries, and astronomy is one of the few sciences where amateurs can still play an active role, especially in the discovery and observation of transient phenomena.

Modern astronomy is not to be confused with astrology, the belief system that claims human affairs are correlated with the positions of celestial objects. Although the two fields share a common origin, they are fundamentally different: astronomers employ the scientific method, whereas astrologers do not.

More on [ Astronomy ]


directory of related categories

 

 
 
directory of related topics

Astronomy :: Science

 
Astronomy,_Alternative RSS feed
BBC News | Science/Nature | World Edition

Smallest planet shrinks in size
Fri, 04 Jul 2008 11:42:10 -0000
The smallest planet in the Solar System has become even smaller, studies by the Messenger spacecraft show.
Sulston argues for open medicine
Fri, 04 Jul 2008 16:06:06 -0000
Nobel Laureate Sir John Sulston says medical profits are taking precedence over the needs of patients.
Badger cull proposals 'rejected'
Fri, 04 Jul 2008 08:30:10 -0000
The government has decided against a cull of badgers in England to control TB in cattle, the BBC understands.

L.A. Times - Science

Study suggests serotonin plays a role in SIDS
Fri, 04 Jul 2008 17:22:00 -0700
Mercury is shrinking, NASA craft finds; a cool clue: 'lobate scarps'
Fri, 04 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Remnants cannot tell a lie: George Washington's boyhood home found
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Reuters: Science News

Crumbling Pompeii site in "state of emergency"
Fri, 04 Jul 2008 12:25:52 -0400
ROME (Reuters) - The Italian government declared a state of emergency at the Pompeii archaeological site on Friday to try to rescue one of the world's most important cultural treasures from decades of neglect.
New West Nile virus strain may worsen epidemic
Fri, 04 Jul 2008 11:46:44 -0400
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A new strain of West Nile virus is spreading better and earlier across the United States, and may thrive in hot American summers, researchers said on Thursday.
Researchers open secret cave under Mexican pyramid
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:22:43 -0400
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Archeologists are opening a cave sealed for more than 30 years deep beneath a Mexican pyramid to look for clues about the mysterious collapse of one of ancient civilization's largest cities.

AP Top Science News At 6:48 p.m. EDT

UN chief to G8: climate change, food crisis linked
By ARTHUR MAX Fri, 04 Jul 2008 22:47:53 -0000
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) -- The global food crisis will only worsen because of climate change, the U.N. climate chief said Friday, urging leaders of the world's richest countries meeting in Japan next week to set goals to reduce carbon emissions within the next dozen years....
Syria returns stolen marble artifact to Iraq
Fri, 04 Jul 2008 08:49:52 -0000
BAGHDAD (AP) -- Syria has returned a marble artifact to Iraq that was stolen from one of the country's archaeological sites....
Merger of US earth sciences agencies proposed
By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID Thu, 03 Jul 2008 21:04:10 -0000
WASHINGTON (AP) -- From climate change to volcanoes and earthquakes, the world's growing challenges have leaders in earth science proposing a merger of agencies that study the planet....

NOVA scienceNOW | PBS

NOVA scienceNOW: Saving Hubble
NOVA Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:00:00 -0500
Two teams of spacewalkers take on the risky mission of reviving the ailing Space Telescope.
NOVA scienceNOW: First Primates
NOVA Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:00:00 -0500
Our most distant primate ancestors, which took the stage shortly after the dinosaurs left it, were tree-dwellers the size of mice.
NOVA scienceNOW: Profile: Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa
NOVA Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:00:00 -0500
He jumped the fence from Mexico to work as a farmhand and ended up a leading brain surgeon.

Newsweek Technology Headlines

Microsoft After Gates. (And Bill After Microsoft.)
Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0000
The icon of the tech world will focus on philanthropy as the company he founded faces turbulent seas.
Return of the ’70s Weirdos
Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0000

'There's No Year That I Didn't Love My Job'
Sun, 22 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0000
Bill Gates looks back at the road he and Microsoft have traveled, and at what's ahead for his foundation.

Christian Science Monitor | Sci/Tech

At $9 per gallon, British driving habits change
Wed, 02 Jul 2008 01:00:00 -0500
As more people opt for fewer car trips, carpooling, and public transportation, environmentalists point out that high fuel prices are also leading to reduced carbon emissions.
Chinese pumpkin farmer cultivates political reform
Wed, 02 Jul 2008 01:00:00 -0500
From gourds to politics: Lu Banglie uses the legal system to protect farmers' rights.
Sonar enters the third dimension
Fri, 04 Jul 2008 01:00:00 -0500
New style of 3-D sensors lets ships avoid hidden obstacles.

Science News - UPI.com

Italy: Pompeii ruins in an emergency
Fri, 04 Jul 2008 15:09:18 -0400
ROME, July 4 (UPI) -- The Italian government declared a one-year state of emergency Friday at Pompeii, the city buried under volcanic ash more than 2,000 years ago.
Aborted badger cull angers farmers
Fri, 04 Jul 2008 14:10:58 -0400
LONDON, July 4 (UPI) -- British Environment Secretary Hilary Benn's decision not to cull badgers throughout the country could be disastrous, farming officials say.
Report: Canada safest from climate change
Fri, 04 Jul 2008 11:53:49 -0400
LONDON, July 4 (UPI) -- A British consultancy group has concluded Canada is the safest place to survive global climate change, while the Comoros Islands is least equipped.

 
Subscribe to Science RSS feed

directory of related sites

Archaeoastronomy Home - A source of information and products about solar alignments and ancient astronomical observatories and monuments in harmony with seasonal rhythms and terrestrial cycles.
Meta Description: [ ancient skywatchers regulated their calendars and tracked days with celestial alignments, often sunrises and sunsets with targetted shadow and light features on equinoxes, solstices and cross quarters ]

Astro-metrics Of Undiscovered Planets - Offers a new extrasolar planet formation theory and applies it to 3 star systems. Describes the sentient alien cultures that may exist there.
Meta Description: [ Offers a new extrasolar planet formation theory and applies it to 3 star systems. Describes the sentient alien cultures that may exist there. ]

Astronomical Enigma - Mathematical proof that the Nebular Hypothesis is wrong.

500 Astronomy in Senmut's tomb and in Dendera's zodiac - The zodiac in Senmut's tomb implies the existence of an unknown planet.

404 Comets and the Book of Revelation - Comets, Astrology, and Bible Prophecy.

Future Talk with Zoh Hieronimus - Where the modern scientific and ancient mystic worlds meet. Get cutting edge research in physics, technology, consciousness, space exploration, geo-politics, and spiritual traditions. An on-line and on-air talk show and electronic ezine presented and hosted by Zoh Hieronimus.

Meta Research - Something has gone wrong in the field of astronomy.
Meta Description: [ Meta Research researches promising but unpopular alternative ideas in astronomy. Ex: speed of gravity, exploded planet hypothesis; life on Mars ]

Modelling the Capture Theory for the Origin of Planetary Systems - Complete S Oxley DPhil thesis available in several formats for this alternative theory of planetary formation, first proposed in 1964 by M M Woolfson.
Meta Description: [ The Capture Theory for the origin of planetary systems, proposes that planets are formed following the fragmentation, and subsequent direct collapse, of a filament of material captured from a passing protostar. ]

On the true structure of the solar system - Understand what has not been said.

Pedigree of the Phoenix - A remarkable bird-like pattern seen in the sun's corona during total eclipses inspired the Egyptian winged sun symbol, the Phoenix myth, and other mythical sunbirds.
Meta Description: [ How a bird-like pattern manifested in the sun's corona during total solar eclipses inspired the Egyptian winged sun disk symbol and the Phoenix myth. ]

Planetary Protection and ICAMSR - The pros and cons of planetary protection policy. Do Martian microbes rain down on Earth as Robert Zubrin suggests? NASA Planetary Protection Officer John Rummel responds.

The Earth Is Not Moving - Read all about the Copernican and Darwinian myths.
Meta Description: [ The belief that the earth turns on an “axis” daily and orbits the sun annually is a carefully crafted Bible-bashing lie. All facts show a stationary earth ]

The Grant Chronicles - Astrophysics and interstellar technology. Hot topics, new theories, and astronomical phenomena.

The Millennium Group - The repository where truth in science begins.

Vulcan, Comets and the Impending Catastrophe - Cataclysmic comet collisions occur periodically and are associated with our sun's dark star companion.
Meta Description: [ Cataclysmic comet collisions occur periodically and are associated with our sun's dark star companion., Cataclysmic comet collisions occur periodically and are associated with our sun's dark star companion. ]

Astronomy,_Alternative related videos
The Alternative SkillCape Astronomy and the emote animation. So what do you think?:P This video was made by me (Ajm_Link ...
Next Video

 

HOMEADVERTISINGABOUT US

articlesartsbusinesscomputersgameshealthhospitalshomekids & teensnewsmobilephysiciansrecreationreferenceregionalscienceshoppingsocietysportsworld


Submit a Site About Become an Editor