Astronomy is what kind of science?

For some time in the school curriculum there was no such thing as astronomy. Now this discipline is included in the compulsory training course. Astronomy is beginning to be studied in different schools in different ways. Sometimes this discipline first appears in the schedule for seventh graders, and in some educational institutions it is taught only in the 11th grade. At schoolboys there is a question on that, what for it is necessary to learn this subject, astronomy? Let's find out what kind of science and how knowledge about the cosmos can be useful to us in life?

The concept of the science of astronomy and the subject of its study

Astronomy is the natural science of the universe. The subject of its study are cosmic phenomena, processes and objects. Thanks to this science we know what stars, planets, satellites, comets, asteroids, meteorites are. Also astronomical knowledge gives an idea of the cosmos, the location of celestial bodies, their movement and the formation of their systems.

Astronomy is the science that explains the incomprehensible phenomena that make up an integral part of our life.

Origin and development of astronomy

The very first ideas of man about the universe were very primitive. They were based on religious beliefs. People thought that the Earth is the center of the universe, and that the stars are fastened to the firmament.

In the further development of this science, several stages are singled out, each of which is called the astronomical revolution.

The first such coup took place at different times in different regions of the world. Approximate start of its implementation - 1500 years before our era. The cause of the first revolution was the development of mathematical knowledge, and the result - the emergence of spherical astronomy, astrometry and accurate calendars. The main achievement of this period is the emergence of the geocentric theory of the world, which has become the result of ancient knowledge.

The second revolution in astronomy took place in the period from the 16th to the 17th century. It was caused by the rapid development of natural sciences and the emergence of new knowledge about nature. During this period, the laws of physics began to be used to explain astronomical processes and phenomena.

The main achievements of this stage in the development of astronomy are the justification of the laws of the motion of planets and universal gravitation, the invention of an optical telescope, the discovery of new planets, asteroids, stellar systems, the emergence of the first cosmological hypotheses.

Further, the development of space science accelerated. A new technique was invented, which helps in astronomical studies. The opportunity to study the chemical composition of celestial bodies, has confirmed the unity of all outer space.

The third astronomical revolution occurred in the 70-90-ies of the twentieth century. It was conditioned by the progress of technology and technology. At this stage, there is an all-wave, experimental and corpuscular astronomy. This means that now all objects of the cosmos can be viewed with the help of electromagnetic waves emitted by them, corpuscular radiation.

Subsections of astronomy

As we see, astronomy is an ancient science, and in the course of its long development it has acquired a branched, branch structure. The conceptual basis of classical astronomy consists of three sub-sections:

• Theoretical astronomy is a science that studies the motion of celestial bodies in orbits. It determines the position of the orbits at the current location of the planet.
• Astrometry is the basis of their teachings takes space and time. With the help of mathematical methods, it determines the visible positions and motion of cosmic objects. He studies the change in the coordinates of cosmic bodies.
• Celestial mechanics considers the laws of motion of objects in space and their construction in systems.

In addition to these main sections, there are also:

• astrophysics;
• Stellar astronomy;
• cosmogony;
• cosmology.

New trends and modern directions in astronomy

Recently, in connection with the acceleration of the development of many sciences, progressive branches have begun to appear, dealing with quite specific research in the field of astronomy.

• Gamma-ray astronomy explores cosmic objects by their radiation.
• X-ray astronomy, similar to the previous one, takes as its basis X-ray rays that originate from celestial bodies.

Basic concepts in astronomy

What are the basic concepts of this science? In order for us to study astronomy more deeply, we need to familiarize ourselves with the basics.

Space is a collection of stars and interstellar space. In fact, this is the universe.

The planet is a specific celestial body that orbits the star. Such a name is given only to heavy objects that are capable of acquiring a rounded shape under the influence of their own gravity.

A star is a massive spherical object, consisting of gases, inside which thermonuclear reactions occur. The closest and most famous star for us is the Sun.

A satellite in astronomy is a heavenly body rotating around an object that is larger in size and is held by gravity. Satellites are natural - for example, the Moon, as well as artificially created man and launched into orbit for broadcasting the necessary information.

The galaxy is a gravitational bundle of stars, their clusters, dust, gas and dark matter. All objects of the galaxy move relative to its center.

The nebula in astronomy is an interstellar space that has characteristic radiation and stands out against the general background of the sky. Before the advent of powerful telescopic instruments, galaxies were often confused with nebulae.

Declination in astronomy is a characteristic inherent in every celestial body. So called one of the two coordinates, reflecting the angular distance from the cosmic equator.

Modern terminology of astronomy science

Innovative methods of study, which were discussed earlier, contributed to the emergence of new astronomical terms:

"Exotic" objects - sources of optical, X-ray, radio and gamma radiation in space.

Quasar - in simple words, it is a star with strong radiation. Its power can be greater than that of an entire galaxy. Such an object we see in the telescope even over a huge distance.

The neutron star is the last stage of the evolution of the celestial body. This cosmic object has an unimaginable density. For example, the substance that the neutron star consists of, lying in a teaspoon, will weigh 110 million tons.

The connection of astronomy with other sciences

Astronomy is a science that is closely related to different knowledge. In her research she uses the achievements of many industries.

The problem of the spread of chemical elements and their compounds on the Earth and in space is the link between chemistry and astronomy. In addition, scientists are interested in research of chemical processes occurring in space.

The earth can be considered as one of the planets of the solar system - this expresses the connection of astronomy with geography and geophysics. The relief of the globe, the climate and seasonal changes in the weather, magnetic storms, warmings, glacial periods-all geographers use astronomical knowledge to study all these and many other phenomena.

What was the basis for the birth of life? This is a common question for biology and astronomy. The general works of the two sciences are aimed at solving the dilemma of the emergence of living organisms on the planet Earth.

Even closer relationship between astronomy and ecology, which considers the problem of the influence of space processes on the Earth's biosphere.

Methods of observation in astronomy

The basis for collecting information in astronomy is observation. In what ways can you observe processes and objects in space and what tools are now being used for these purposes?

With the naked eye, we can see several thousand stars in the sky, but sometimes it seems that we see a million or a billion luminous bright points. This spectacle in itself is exciting, although with the help of magnifying devices you can notice more interesting.

Even regular binoculars with the possibility of an eightfold increase give a chance to see a myriad of celestial bodies, and the ordinary stars that we see with unaided eyes become much brighter. The most interesting object for contemplation with binoculars is the Moon. Even with a small increase, you can see some craters.

The telescope gives you the opportunity to see not just the spots of the seas on the Moon. Observing the starry sky with the help of this device, you can study all the features of the relief of the terrestrial satellite. Also, the eyes of Saturn, distant galaxies and nebulae are unseen before the eyes of the observer.

The contemplation of the starry sky in a telescope is not only a very fascinating activity, but sometimes quite useful for science. Many astronomical discoveries were made not by research institutes, but by simple lovers.

The importance of astronomy for man and society

Astronomy is a science that is interesting and useful at the same time. Nowadays astronomical methods and tools are used for:

• Weather forecasting;
• Implementation of sea and air navigation;
• Establishing exact dates of historical events;
• Cartographic representation of the planet's territory, construction of topographic maps.

Instead of an afterword

Given all of the above, no one can doubt the usefulness and necessity of astronomy. This science helps to better understand all aspects of human existence. She gave us knowledge about the birth of life on Earth and opened access to interesting information.

With the help of astronomical studies, we can study our planet in more detail, and also gradually move deeper into the universe to learn more about the space around us.