Astronomy is a field of natural science concerning celestial objects and phenomena.
Etymology
The word astronomy ultimately comes from Ancient Greek ἀστρονομία (astronomía), via Latin and Old French. The Greek word is a compound of ἄστρον ("star") and νομή ("distribution").[2]
Sub-topics
Astronomy is a very wide topic and can be divided into many sub-topics, some of which are:
- astrobiology studies life in the universe.
- astrochemistry studies the presence and reactions of chemical elements in the universe.
- astrometry involves making measurements of the positions and movement of celestial objects.
- astrophysics uses physics to learn more about the universe.
- cosmology studies the nature and history of the universe.
- observational astronomy is about observing the night sky to record data.
- planetary-science studies the planets and moons of the Solar System.
History
Being a natural science which can be trivially accessed, astronomy is as old as humanity itself.
In ancient Babylonia, about 3000 BC, star constellations and the times of the rising and setting of stars and planets were observed and recorded on clay tablets.[1]