What is Astronomy?

Astronomy is the study of the universe and beyond. It deals with the celestial objects such as planets, stars, comets, meteors, nebulae, and galaxies, and various phenomena involving these objects. It comes from two Greek words, “astro,” which means “star,” and “nomos,” which means “law.” Combining these two words, astronomy means “law of the stars.” There are numerous subfields in astronomy. Some of these are planetary astronomy, solar astronomy, stellar astronomy, galactic astronomy, extragalactic astronomy, and cosmology. Planetary astronomy, as the name implies, refers to the study of planets, as well as the comets and meteors, while stellar astronomy deals with the study of the stars and changes these stars undergo from creation to death. Although the sun is considered as a star, some references considered the study of the sun and its changes as a separate subfield, referring to it as solar astronomy. Astronomy should not be confused with “astrology.” The latter involves studying the stars and relating it to people’s individual characteristics and to the future, which has no scientific basis compared to astronomy.

 

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