Astronomy

:This article is about the science branch. For information about the magazine, see Astronomy (magazine).

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Astronomy (Greek: ?????????? = ?????? + ?????, astronomia = astron + nomos, literally, "law of the stars") is the science of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside Earth's atmosphere, such as stars, planets, comets, galaxies, and the cosmic background radiation. It is concerned with the formation and development of the universe, the evolution and physical and chemical properties of celestial objects and the calculation of their motions. Astronomical observations are not only relevant for astronomy as such, but provide essential information for the verification of fundamental theories in physics, such as general relativity theory. Complementary to observational astronomy, theoretical astrophysics seeks to explain astronomical phenomena.

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Astronomy is one of the oldest sciences, with a scientific methodology existing at the time of Ancient Greece and advanced observation techniques possibly much earlier (see archaeoastronomy). Historically, amateurs have contributed to many important astronomical discoveries, and astronomy is one of the few sciences where amateurs can still play an active role, especially in the discovery and observation of transient phenomena.

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Astronomy is not to be confused with astrology, which assumes that people's destiny and human affairs in general are correlated to the apparent positions of astronomical objects in the sky -- although the two fields share a common origin, they are quite different; astronomers embrace the scientific method, while astrologers do not.

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Law: :This article is about law in society. For other possible meanings, see law (disambiguation)....

Astronomy related Images and Photos (experimental)

Astronomy	Astronomy	Astronomy 2011 Planner	Astronomy 2012 Wall Calendar
Astronomy 2011 Mini Wall Calendar	Astronomy 2011 Bookmark Calendar	Astronomy 2012 Bookmark Calendar	Astronomy 2012 Deluxe Wall Calendar
Astronomy Published by Robert Sayer circa 1750	Astronomy 2011 Hardcover Engagement Calendar	An Allegory of Astronomy