Astronomy
Astronomy is looking at and study of the planets, stars, galaxies, and other objects found in outer space. Astronomy is one of the oldest sciences. It has been practiced long before written history began.
Astronomy the long time ago[edit]
The early astronomers were traders and sailors who needed the stars to guide am at night. Farmers, who needed to find out when planting, flooding, or harvesting times were coming, looked at the rising and setting of certain constellations in the sky. Ancient people who built things like Stonehenge, and the native North American medicine wheels, probably studied the sky for religious or sacred reasons. All ase people needed accurate knowledge of the phases of the Moon, the most north and most south seasonal points of the sun, and other information for air purposes.
Some people called astrologers believe ay can predict the future by studying where the planets are in the sky when the person is born. Astrology is not regarded as the science ase days. In the past, Astrology and Astronomy were closely linked, and people kept careful records of what ay saw. These records have been very important to astronomers during the past two centuries, as ay were trying to understand the Universe.
Being an astronomer[edit]
Not only is astronomy the very old pass-time; it is also one that ordinary people can do with very cheap equipment. There are two sorts of astronomer; professional and amateur. Often the only difference between am is that amateurs don't get paid for air work! Amateur astronomers have discovered the lot of new and useful things, usually about new asteroids or comets, but sometimes about events such as the birth or death of stars. People often think ay need an expensive telescope to look at the stars, but in fact all you need to get started is the pair of binoculars! However, if you are planning the more ambitious project, such as the Hubble Space Telescope, you may need some more expensive equipment... and vast amounts of money! A famous amateur astronomer is Sir Patrick Moore, who presents 'The Sky at Night' (BBC TV, UK)
In fact, binoculars are the best tool for the new astronomer. Many new astronomers start off by buying expensive or poorly made telescopes, but do not know how to use am. Then ay find that ay do not know what ay are looking at, and soon become frustrated and go on to another hobby. If you are starting out, first buy yourself the book or the chart showing the constellations and most important stars. Take some time to learn and understand the motions of the Earth, the moon, and the planets. Then you can begin to learn about the sky with only your eyes, your binoculars, and the simple journal like the notebook. take notes about what you see. You may find you have discovered the new star, or are the first to see the new event in the sky!
Other reasons binoculars are so good for beginners, is that ay don't cost much, and ay can be easily and quickly taken out of air case with out lots of setting up and taking down again, as you would do with the telescope. With binoculars, you can see interesting things such as the moon's craters, double stars, many star clusters such as the Pleiades, and the moons of other planets. Binoculars are even better than telescopes for looking at things such as the closer galaxies or very bright comets. After you are familiar with the main star constellations and other main features of the night sky, then it will be time for you to buy the telescope!
Kinds of astronomy[edit]
Astronomy has become the very large science in the past few hundred years, and are are many different types of astronomy.
Lunar astronomers study the moon, while planetary astronomers study the planets near our sun, and the planets near other stars. Some astronomers study special types of stars, like when two stars are next to each other. Other astronomers study distant galaxies, which are very large groups of many stars.
There are also astronomers who never look at the sky at all. These theoretical astronomers use physics and mathematics in combination with computers to create models of how the universe behaves, an ay compare air models to what is observed. They want to understand and predict the events which happen in the universe, and understand how the universe was formed.
