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What is Astronomy?

The study of lights in the sky.

The sky inspires ideas of

  • mystery
  • respect
  • amazement
  • perfection
  • immensity
  • immutability

Astronomy is connected to

Non-science

  • Philosophy: trying to find answers to profound questions
    • ex. Why are we here?
  • Religion: Organizing our beliefs about transcendental matters
    • God, afterlife
  • Astrology: Trying to find effects of the celestial bodies in our lives and to predict the future
    • fortune telling

Science

  • Cosmology: desciribing the universe as a whole

  • Mathematics: Using abstraction and reasoning on problems of measurement and claculation

  • Physics: Describing the phenomena that occur in nature

3 Ages of Astronomy

  • Ancient Age or the Geometrical Period ( until 16th century)

  • Moden Age or the Dynamical Period ( 16th to 19th century)

  • Contempory Age of the Physical Period ( 19th century to today)



Astronomy as a Science

  • Observations

  • Questions

  • Instruments

  • Application

  • Models

  • People

  • Experiment? -> Compuer simulation


Instruments: The "naked eye"

  • Available since: always
  • Observations possible:
    • The Sun and The Moon
    • Stars: about 1k
    • Planets: 5
    • COmets
    • Other nebulous objects: less than 20
    • The Milky Way

Obsevations: The Sun and the Moon

  • Instrument required: naked eye
  • First observed: prehistory
  • Conslusions:
    • Sun produces day/night
    • Moon has ohases with constant period (month)
    • Day/night duration related to season (year)

Applications: The sundial

  • Observations needed: Sun
  • First time used: prehistory
  • Important examples:
    • Egyptian
    • Babylonian
  • Helps measure time of the day

Applications: The calendar

  • Observations needed: Sun and Moon
  • First time used: prehistory
  • Important examples:
    • Sumerian
    • Mayan
    • Greek etc.
  • Helps measure long time periods and predict seasons

Obsevations: Stars and planets

  • Instrument required: naked eye
  • First observed: prehistory
  • Conslusions:
    • Stars do not change position with respect to other stars
    • Planets change position continuously

Applications: The Atrolabe

  • Observations needed: Sun, Moon, stars, planets
  • First time used: 200 BC
  • Analog calculator
  • Helps locate and predict positions of astronomical bodies; calculate geographic position and local time
  • Useful for the navigation and astronomical studies

Obsevations: The Milky Way

  • Instrument required: naked eye
  • First observed: prehistory
  • A slightly brighter stripe in the sky
  • Visible only during very dark nights
  • Conslusions: ...