Ancient astronomy also helped pave the way for the modern scientific method, the professional way by which scientific phenomena are observed, described, predicted, and tested..
The fruits of scientific and technological development in astronomy, especially in areas such as optics and electronics, have become essential to our day-to-day life, with applications such as personal computers, communication satellites, mobile phones, Global Positioning Systems, solar panels and Magnetic Resonance .
Nicolaus Copernicus was a Polish astronomer and mathematician known as the father of modern astronomy.
He was the first European scientist to propose that Earth and other planets revolve around the sun, the heliocentric theory of the solar system..
Observing the Moon is one of the easiest ways to get started with astronomy.
You can track the lunar cycle, and use binoculars or a telescope to see how your view of it changes.
When the Moon is full, for example, it tends to be dazzlingly bright and one-dimensional..
The stars are too faint to be easily seen with the naked eye during the day, but you can use binoculars or a telescope.
The best target for daytime stargazing is Sirius, the brightest star in the sky after the Sun.
To locate it, use the Sky Tonight app..
WHAT DO ASTRONOMERS STUDY TODAY? Modern astronomers are trying to answer big questions about the Universe.
By studying stars at different stages of life, they figure out how stars are born, live, and die.
By studying galaxies, they are finding out how and when the Universe began and how it might end..
Telescopes use lenses or mirrors to collect and focus waves from the electromagnetic spectrum, including visible light, allowing us to look at celestial objects.
By studying the electromagnetic waves given off by objects such as stars, galaxies, and black holes, astronomers can better understand the universe..
noun. : time reckoned in mean solar time units continuously through the 24 hours beginning either at noon or since 1925 at midnight of each civil day compare greenwich mean time..
Among the known stars, Proxima Centauri has been the closest star to the Sun for about 32,000 years and will be so for about another 25,000 years, after which Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B will alternate approximately every 79.91 years as the closest star to the Sun..
Galileo Galilei pioneered the experimental scientific method and was the first to use a refracting telescope to make important astronomical discoveries.
He is often referred to as the “father of modern astronomy” and the “father of modern physics”.
Albert Einstein called Galileo the “father of modern science.”.
Maybe deliberate experiences of joy and awe should be standard in any post-op plan. Astronomers often spend their time lost among the stars
But the science of astronomy and the hobby of stargazing are also communal affairs. So
Don’t be a stranger—find a group to get involved with today!
This month’s big celestial news might be the annular solar eclipse that will be seen in the Americas
But everyone can share the fun of casual stargazing by streaming or downloading October’s Sky Tour astronomy podcast. The Moon pairs with Jupiter
Then the Pleiades
As it departs the evening sky.
The upcoming solar eclipses and the current high sunspot activity means it's a great time to observe the sun. Eclipses also mean that large groups of people will be together to view these events. However
Rule #1 for astronomy ...
Maybe deliberate experiences of joy and awe should be standard in any post-op plan. Astronomers often spend their time lost among the stars, but the science of astronomy and the hobby of stargazing are also communal affairs. So, don’t be a stranger—find a group to get involved with today!
