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Discipline

Astronomy

Physical Sciences

Astronomy is the scientific study of celestial objects, space, and the physical universe, generally regarded as the oldest of the natural sciences.

Facts
Founded Year
1543 1
Marks the founding of modern heliocentric astronomy through Copernicus's De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (1543); astronomy as an observational practice dates back to antiquity.
Central Question
What 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? 2
Scope
Astronomy 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. 2
Significance
One 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. 2
Connections

Associated With

Harvard College Observatory, Institutions
Source Harvard College Observatory (Wikipedia)
NASA, Institutions
Source NASA (Wikipedia)

Founded By

Nicolaus Copernicus, Scientists
Source Astronomy (Wikipedia)

Has Scientist

Al-Battani, Scientists
Al-Biruni, Scientists
Annie Jump Cannon, Scientists
Antony Hewish, Scientists
Arno Penzias, Scientists
Arthur Eddington, Scientists
Source Arthur Stanley Eddington (Britannica)
Aryabhata, Scientists
Bernard Lovell, Scientists
Carl Sagan, Scientists
Caroline Herschel, Scientists
Clyde Tombaugh, Scientists
Edmond Halley, Scientists

Astronomer and mathematician; predicted the return of the comet later named after him.

Source Edmond Halley (Wikipedia)
Édouard Roche, Scientists
Source Édouard Roche (Wikipedia)
Friedrich Bessel, Scientists
Galileo Galilei, Scientists
Source Astronomy: Copernicus (Britannica)
Georges Lemaitre, Scientists
Source Georges Lemaitre (Britannica)
Giovanni Cassini, Scientists
Grote Reber, Scientists
Source Grote Reber (Wikipedia)
Harlow Shapley, Scientists
Henrietta Swan Leavitt, Scientists
Hypatia, Scientists
Johannes Kepler, Scientists
John Michell, Scientists
Karl Jansky, Scientists
Source Karl Jansky (Wikipedia)
Maria Mitchell, Scientists
Martin Ryle, Scientists
Meghnad Saha, Scientists
Nicolaus Copernicus, Scientists
Source Nicolaus Copernicus (Britannica)
Percival Lowell, Scientists
Robert Wilson, Scientists
Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, Scientists
Tycho Brahe, Scientists
Urbain Le Verrier, Scientists
Vera Rubin, Scientists
Vesto Slipher, Scientists
Walter Baade, Scientists
William Herschel, Scientists

Astronomer and telescope maker; discovered Uranus (1781) and infrared radiation (1800).

Source William Herschel (Wikipedia)
Zhang Heng, Scientists

Has Theory

Big Bang Theory, Theories
Source Georges Lemaitre (Britannica)
Drake Equation, Theories
Geocentrism, Theories
Heliocentrism, Theories
Source De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (Britannica)
Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion, Theories
Late Heavy Bombardment, Theories
Nebular Hypothesis, Theories
Olbers' Paradox, Theories
Steady State Theory, Theories

Uses

Armillary Sphere, Instruments

The armillary sphere models the celestial sphere's great circles and was a standard demonstration and observational instrument of pre-telescopic astronomy.

Astrolabe, Instruments

The 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

The 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

A teaching and demonstration model of the Solar System's planetary motions.

Source Orrery (Wikipedia)
Photometer, Instruments
Source Photometer (Wikipedia)
Radio Telescope, Instruments
Source Radio Telescope (Wikipedia)
Sextant, Instruments

Celestial navigation fixes a position from the measured angle between a celestial body and the horizon.

Source Sextant (Wikipedia)
Telescope, Instruments
Source Hans Lippershey (Britannica)
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Astronomy: Copernicus (Britannica)
Encyclopaedia BritannicaView the Source
2. Astronomy (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia
  • Lead section
    Astronomy 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 Copernicus
View the Source
De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (Britannica)
Encyclopaedia BritannicaHas Theory: HeliocentrismView the Source
Georges Lemaitre (Britannica)
Encyclopaedia Britannica
  • Has Theory: Big Bang Theory
  • Has Scientist: Georges Lemaitre
View the Source
Nicolaus Copernicus (Britannica)
Encyclopaedia BritannicaHas Scientist: Nicolaus CopernicusView the Source
Arthur Stanley Eddington (Britannica)
Encyclopaedia BritannicaHas Scientist: Arthur EddingtonView the Source
Hans Lippershey (Britannica)
Encyclopaedia BritannicaUses: TelescopeView the Source
Astrophysics (Britannica)
Encyclopaedia BritannicaEncompasses: AstrophysicsView the Source
Radio Telescope (Wikipedia)
WikipediaUses: Radio TelescopeView the Source
Karl Jansky (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Scientist: Karl JanskyView the Source
Grote Reber (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Scientist: Grote ReberView the Source
William Herschel (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Scientist: William HerschelView the Source
Edmond Halley (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Scientist: Edmond HalleyView the Source
Sextant (Wikipedia)
WikipediaUses: SextantView the Source
Orrery (Wikipedia)
WikipediaUses: OrreryView the Source
Photometer (Wikipedia)
WikipediaUses: Photometer, Lead sectionView the Source
Édouard Roche (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Scientist: Édouard RocheView the Source
Cosmology (Wikipedia)
WikipediaEncompasses: Cosmology, Lead section
Quote, Encompasses: Cosmology, Lead section
In 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 Source
Harvard College Observatory (Wikipedia)
WikipediaAssociated With: Harvard College ObservatoryView the Source
NASA (Wikipedia)
WikipediaAssociated With: NASAView the Source
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