What Is Astronomy

Astronomy is the study of the natures and motions of celestial bodies including planets, stars, and galaxies. The study is broken down into many different specialties because it is so wide. It is based on other disciplines like physics, mathematics, biology, chemistry and geology. Astronomers are also called astrophysicists because physics is heavily relied on.

It is a science that is ever evolving and improving. It is the oldest science in the world. Cultures during the early times have observed the night sky methodically to determine whether it is time to plant or what the best day was for a celebration. When the telescope was invented, it gave astronomy a boost into a modern science. It was mostly theory and astrology combined before the telescope. Today the field of astronomy has been divided into observational and theoretical branches. Observational astronomy is about the procurement of data through observations of celestial objects through the use of basic physics principles. Theoretical astronomy is geared towards the development of computer or analytical models to describe astronomical objects and phenomena. Theoretical astronomy seeks to explain the observational results, while observations are being used to confirm the theoretical results that makes the two fields complementary to each other.

It is also one of the few fields of science where many new discoveries were contributed by amateurs as much as the professionals have. The trend is still quite encouraged. The average guy with a telescope and a fistful of enthusiasm have made many contributions in the discovery and observation of transient phenomena.  Books that are devoted to telling amateur astronomers how to get professional attention as well as how to get published are also available in the market.