As astronomy is called science which is responsible for studying everything related to the stars, their movements and the laws that govern them. Astronomy studies the celestial bodies of the universe, from the planets and their satellites, to comets and asteroids. Even the systems of interstellar matter, dark matter, stars, gas and dust that we know as galaxies.
As such, It is the science of the physical universe and the phenomena that occur in it. The word, as such, comes from Latin astronomyand this in turn from the Greek ἀστρονομία.
The branches of astronomy are:
the astrophysicswhich studies the characteristics of celestial bodies; position astronomywhich measures and determines the position of the stars; celestial mechanicswhich focuses on the movement of the stars; cosmologywhich theorizes about the formation and evolution of the universe.
Astronomy has been part of human history since ancient times. Civilizations such as the Aztec, the Mayan and the Inca, as well as the Egyptian, Chinese and Greek, reached such a level of knowledge that they are considered fundamental for the subsequent evolution of the discipline.
In this sense, it is considered the oldest science, and has been essential in the development of other scientific disciplines, such as mathematics or physics.
In its beginnings, astronomy had a practical application. It was used to know the cycles of the stars and establish time measurements that allowed determining, among other things, the appropriate time for sowing and harvesting.
Some astronomers of great importance in history have been Claudius Ptolemy, Nicholas Copernicus, Johannes Kepler and Galileo Galilei.
Astronomy and astrology
Although astronomy and astrology were initially terms that could be used synonymously, today they designate very different disciplines.
Currently, the astronomy It has developed as a scientific discipline that deals with the study of the stars, their movement and the laws that govern them.
While the astrology It remained throughout time as a system of beliefs and superstitions. Related to the influence attributed to the movement of the stars on the character of people and historical events.
Both sciences were separated and differentiated starting from the Renaissance, thanks to the predominance of rationalist thought.
See also