Home›Astronomy›Discipline›AstronomyDisciplineAstronomyPhysical SciencesReference and ClassificationVerifiedAstronomy is the scientific study of celestial objects, space, and the physical universe, generally regarded as the oldest of the natural sciences.FactsAstronomyConnectionsIn the Other AtlasesSourcesComments (0)Reader Challenges (0)FactsFounded YearWell-attested1543 1Marks the founding of modern heliocentric astronomy through Copernicus's De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (1543); astronomy as an observational practice dates back to antiquity.Central QuestionWell-attestedWhat is the universe made of, given that dark matter and dark energy, together thought to form ninety six percent of its mass and energy, remain undetected by any means beyond their gravitational and cosmological effects? 2ScopeWell-attestedAstronomy studies celestial objects and the phenomena of the cosmos beyond Earth's atmosphere, from planets and stars to galaxies, using mathematics, physics and chemistry to interpret them. 2SignificanceWell-attestedOne of humanity's oldest sciences, astronomy shifted from calendar keeping observation among ancient civilizations to a mathematically predictive discipline with Nicolaus Copernicus's heliocentric model during the Renaissance. The terms astronomy and astrophysics are now broadly synonymous in modern usage, with astrophysics denoting the physics oriented study of how celestial objects behave. 2AstronomyFilter Results37 entriesField (legacy)AllAstronomy (15)Astronomy and astrophysics (1)Astronomy and celestial mechanics (1)Astronomy and cosmology (1)Astronomy and planetary science (1)Astronomy and seismology (1)Astronomy, Astrology, Alchemy (1)Astronomy, Astrology, Mathematics, Natural philosophy (1)Astronomy, celestial mechanics, mathematics (1)Astronomy, geology, natural philosophy (1)Astronomy, mathematics and geodesy (1)Astronomy, mathematics and geophysics (1)Astronomy, mathematics, astrology, geography (1)Astrophysics (2)Astrophysics, radio astronomy (2)Mathematics and astronomy (2)Physics and radio astronomy (1)Radio astronomy (2)EraAll78 (1)370 (1)476 (1)973 (1)1473 (1)1546 (1)1571 (1)1625 (1)1724 (1)1750 (1)1784 (1)1811 (1)1818 (1)1855 (1)1863 (1)1868 (1)1875 (1)1882 (1)1885 (1)1893 (2)1894 (1)1905 (1)1906 (1)1910 (1)1911 (1)1913 (1)1918 (1)1924 (1)1928 (1)1933 (1)1934 (1)1936 (1)InstitutionAllBell Labs (2)Royal Observatory, Greenwich (1)Royal Society (2)In GroupAllCosmology And Large-Scale Structure (4)Galactic And Extragalactic Astronomy (4)Other Astronomers (3)Planetary Science And Solar System Astronomy (15)Radio And Multi-Messenger Astronomy (5)Stellar Astronomy And Astrophysics (6)NationalityAllBelgium (1)Denmark (1)France (1)Germany (3)India (1)Poland (1)United Kingdom (4)United States (12)BrowseCompareSelect all 37Al-BattaniAstronomyAl-BiruniAstronomyAnnie Jump CannonAstronomyAntony HewishAstronomyArno PenziasAstronomyArthur EddingtonAstronomyAryabhataAstronomyBernard LovellAstronomyCarl SaganAstronomyCaroline HerschelAstronomyClyde TombaughAstronomyEdmond HalleyAstronomyÉdouard RocheAstronomyFriedrich BesselAstronomyGeorges LemaitreAstronomyGiovanni CassiniAstronomyGrote ReberAstronomyHarlow ShapleyAstronomyHenrietta Swan LeavittAstronomyHypatiaAstronomyJohannes KeplerAstronomyJohn MichellAstronomyKarl JanskyAstronomyMaria MitchellAstronomyMartin RyleAstronomyMeghnad SahaAstronomyNicolaus CopernicusAstronomyPercival LowellAstronomyRobert WilsonAstronomySubrahmanyan ChandrasekharAstronomyTycho BraheAstronomyUrbain Le VerrierAstronomyVera RubinAstronomyVesto SlipherAstronomyWalter BaadeAstronomyWilliam HerschelAstronomyZhang HengAstronomyConnectionsAssociated WithHarvard College Observatory, Institutions Well-attested Source Harvard College Observatory (Wikipedia)tier 3NASA, Institutions Well-attested Source NASA (Wikipedia)tier 3Founded ByNicolaus Copernicus, Scientists Well-attested Source Astronomy (Wikipedia)tier 2Has ScientistAl-Battani, Scientists Well-attested Al-Biruni, Scientists Well-attested Annie Jump Cannon, Scientists Well-attested Antony Hewish, Scientists Well-attested Arno Penzias, Scientists Well-attested Arthur Eddington, Scientists Well-attested Source Arthur Stanley Eddington (Britannica)tier 1Aryabhata, Scientists Well-attested Bernard Lovell, Scientists Well-attested Carl Sagan, Scientists Well-attested Caroline Herschel, Scientists Well-attested Clyde Tombaugh, Scientists Well-attested Edmond Halley, Scientists Well-attested Astronomer and mathematician; predicted the return of the comet later named after him.Source Edmond Halley (Wikipedia)tier 3Édouard Roche, Scientists Well-attested Source Édouard Roche (Wikipedia)tier 3Friedrich Bessel, Scientists Well-attested Galileo Galilei, Scientists Well-attested Source Astronomy: Copernicus (Britannica)tier 1Georges Lemaitre, Scientists Well-attested Source Georges Lemaitre (Britannica)tier 1Giovanni Cassini, Scientists Well-attested Grote Reber, Scientists Well-attested Source Grote Reber (Wikipedia)tier 2Harlow Shapley, Scientists Well-attested Henrietta Swan Leavitt, Scientists Well-attested Hypatia, Scientists Well-attested Johannes Kepler, Scientists Well-attested John Michell, Scientists Well-attested Karl Jansky, Scientists Well-attested Source Karl Jansky (Wikipedia)tier 2Maria Mitchell, Scientists Well-attested Martin Ryle, Scientists Well-attested Meghnad Saha, Scientists Well-attested Nicolaus Copernicus, Scientists Well-attested Source Nicolaus Copernicus (Britannica)tier 1Percival Lowell, Scientists Well-attested Robert Wilson, Scientists Well-attested Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, Scientists Well-attested Tycho Brahe, Scientists Well-attested Urbain Le Verrier, Scientists Well-attested Vera Rubin, Scientists Well-attested Vesto Slipher, Scientists Well-attested Walter Baade, Scientists Well-attested William Herschel, Scientists Well-attested Astronomer and telescope maker; discovered Uranus (1781) and infrared radiation (1800).Source William Herschel (Wikipedia)tier 3Zhang Heng, Scientists Well-attested Has TheoryBig Bang Theory, Theories Well-attested Source Georges Lemaitre (Britannica)tier 1Drake Equation, Theories Well-attested Geocentrism, Theories Well-attested Heliocentrism, Theories Well-attested Source De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (Britannica)tier 1Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion, Theories Well-attested Late Heavy Bombardment, Theories Well-attested Nebular Hypothesis, Theories Well-attested Olbers' Paradox, Theories Well-attested Steady State Theory, Theories Well-attested UsesArmillary Sphere, Instruments Well-attested ConnectedThe armillary sphere models the celestial sphere's great circles and was a standard demonstration and observational instrument of pre-telescopic astronomy.Astrolabe, Instruments Well-attested ConnectedThe astrolabe measures the altitude of celestial bodies and was the principal portable astronomical computer of antiquity through the Islamic Golden Age and medieval Europe.Meridian Circle, Instruments Well-attested ConnectedThe meridian circle times a star's transit across the local meridian to fix its precise position, the standard instrument of positional astronomy for two centuries.Orrery, Instruments Well-attested ConnectedA teaching and demonstration model of the Solar System's planetary motions.Source Orrery (Wikipedia)tier 3Photometer, Instruments Well-attested Source Photometer (Wikipedia)tier 2Radio Telescope, Instruments Well-attested Source Radio Telescope (Wikipedia)tier 2Sextant, Instruments Well-attested ConnectedCelestial navigation fixes a position from the measured angle between a celestial body and the horizon.Source Sextant (Wikipedia)tier 3Telescope, Instruments Well-attested Source Hans Lippershey (Britannica)tier 1In the Other AtlasesAlso in History Atlas: The Scientific Revolution, originated there.Sources1. Astronomy: Copernicus (Britannica)tier 1Encyclopaedia BritannicaView the Source2. Astronomy (Wikipedia)tier 2WikipediaLead sectionAstronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry to explain their origin and their overall evolution.Founded By: Nicolaus CopernicusView the SourceDe revolutionibus orbium coelestium (Britannica)tier 1Encyclopaedia BritannicaHas Theory: HeliocentrismView the SourceGeorges Lemaitre (Britannica)tier 1Encyclopaedia BritannicaHas Theory: Big Bang TheoryHas Scientist: Georges LemaitreView the SourceNicolaus Copernicus (Britannica)tier 1Encyclopaedia BritannicaHas Scientist: Nicolaus CopernicusView the SourceArthur Stanley Eddington (Britannica)tier 1Encyclopaedia BritannicaHas Scientist: Arthur EddingtonView the SourceHans Lippershey (Britannica)tier 1Encyclopaedia BritannicaUses: TelescopeView the SourceAstrophysics (Britannica)tier 1Encyclopaedia BritannicaEncompasses: AstrophysicsView the SourceRadio Telescope (Wikipedia)tier 2WikipediaUses: Radio TelescopeView the SourceKarl Jansky (Wikipedia)tier 2WikipediaHas Scientist: Karl JanskyView the SourceGrote Reber (Wikipedia)tier 2WikipediaHas Scientist: Grote ReberView the SourceWilliam Herschel (Wikipedia)tier 3WikipediaHas Scientist: William HerschelView the SourceEdmond Halley (Wikipedia)tier 3WikipediaHas Scientist: Edmond HalleyView the SourceSextant (Wikipedia)tier 3WikipediaUses: SextantView the SourceOrrery (Wikipedia)tier 3WikipediaUses: OrreryView the SourcePhotometer (Wikipedia)tier 2WikipediaUses: Photometer, Lead sectionView the SourceÉdouard Roche (Wikipedia)tier 3WikipediaHas Scientist: Édouard RocheView the SourceCosmology (Wikipedia)tier 3WikipediaEncompasses: Cosmology, Lead sectionQuote, Encompasses: Cosmology, Lead sectionIn the science of astronomy, physical cosmology is concerned with the study of the chronology of the universe, the observable universe's origin, its large-scale structures and dynamics, and the ultimate fate of the universe.View the SourceHarvard College Observatory (Wikipedia)tier 3WikipediaAssociated With: Harvard College ObservatoryView the SourceNASA (Wikipedia)tier 3WikipediaAssociated With: NASAView the SourceComments (0)No comments yet. 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