1200, "astronomy, astrology, scientific or occult study of heavenly bodies," from Old French astrenomie "astronomy, astrology," from Latin astronomia, from Greek astronomia, abstract noun from astronomos, literally "star-regulating," from astron "star" (from PIE root *ster- (2) "star") + nomos "arranging, regulating; Sep 25, 2022.
Astronomy is the science that looks up: at stars, at other planets, at solar systems, at galaxies, and at everything else in the universe.
The Ancient Greeks used the word astron for "star," so it only makes sense that astronomy would involve the study or the stars (and other unearthly topics)..
Astronomy is the study of everything in the universe beyond Earth's atmosphere.
That includes objects we can see with our naked eyes, like the Sun , the Moon , the planets, and the stars .
It also includes objects we can only see with telescopes or other instruments, like faraway galaxies and tiny particles..
In the medieval world, from about 500 to 1500, astronomy was a required field of study.
From London to Baghdad and beyond, students of medicine, philosophy, and even theology carefully observed the astrological relationship between the 12 signs of the zodiac and one's physical, mental, and spiritual well-being..
The first astronomers created calendars from changes they saw in the Moon.
Some ancient people around 5,000 years ago set up large stones to mark the movement of the Sun and other stars.
One of those old observatories is Stonehenge in what we now call England..
noun. the distance from one celestial body to another, measured in astronomical units, light-years, or parsecs..
Astronomy is the science that looks up: at stars, at other planets, at solar systems, at galaxies, and at everything else in the universe.
The Ancient Greeks used the word astron for "star," so it only makes sense that astronomy would involve the study or the stars (and other unearthly topics)..
1200, "astronomy, astrology, scientific or occult study of heavenly bodies," from Old French astrenomie "astronomy, astrology," from Latin astronomia, from Greek astronomia, abstract noun from astronomos, literally "star-regulating," from astron "star" (from PIE root *ster- (2) "star") + nomos "arranging, regulating; Sep 25, 2022.
The Greeks coined the term astronomy.
The term "astronomy" comes from the ancient Greeks words astron, meaning "star." and nomy, meaning "arrangement." Many words in science and medicine originate from the ancient Greek language.
This is because the Greek laid down the foundations of modern science..
The origins of Western astronomy can be found in Mesopotamia
The "land between the rivers" Tigris and Euphrates
Where the ancient kingdoms of Sumer
And Babylonia were located.
A form of writing known as cuneiform emerged among the Sumerians around 3500–3000 BC.
Optical astronomy is the study of celestial objects using telescopes that observe visible light.
Infrared light can be detected outside of the Earth's atmosphere
so by space-based observatories like the Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope.
Timeline & Facts Astronomy is the general study of the universe through celestial objects and their dynamic processes.
Follow the historical timeline of the study of astronomical events
and explore various scientific facts that have been uncovered since.
Updated: 10/15/2021
