Astronomy

Astronomy is the scientific study of celestial objects (such as stars, planets,

comets, and galaxies) and phenomena that originate outside the Earth's
atmosphere (such as the cosmic background radiation).
It is concerned with the evolution, physics, chemistry, meteorology, and motion of celestial objects,
as well as the formation and development of the universe.
Astronomy is one of the oldest sciences.
Astronomers of early civilizations performed methodical observations of the night sky, and
astronomical artifacts have been found from much earlier periods.
However, the invention of the telescope was required before astronomy was able to develop into a
modern science.
Historically, astronomy has included disciplines as diverse as astrometry, celestial navigation,
observational astronomy, the making of calendars, and even, at one time, astrology, but professional
astronomy is nowadays often considered to be identical with astrophysics.
Since the 20th century, the field of professional astronomy split into observational and theoretical
branches.
Observational astronomy is focused on acquiring and analyzing data, mainly using basic principles
of physics.
Theoretical astronomy is oriented towards the development of computer or analytical models to
describe astronomical objects and phenomena.
The two fields complement each other, with theoretical astronomy seeking to explain the
observational results, and observations being used to confirm theoretical results.
Amateur astronomers 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.
The most frequently studied star is the Sun, a typical main-sequence dwarf star of stellar class G2 V,
and about 4.6 Gyr in age.
The Sun is not considered a variable star, but it does undergo periodic changes in activity known as
the sunspot cycle.
The study of stars and stellar evolution is fundamental to our understanding of the universe.
The astrophysics of stars has been determined through observation and theoretical understanding;
and from computer simulations of the interior.
Star formation occurs in dense regions of dust and gas, known as giant molecular clouds.
When destabilized, cloud fragments can collapse under the influence of gravity, to form a protostar.
A sufficiently dense, and hot, core region will trigger nuclear fusion, thus creating a main-sequence
star.
Almost all elements heavier than hydrogen and helium were created inside the cores of stars.
In addition to these equipment used to observe the universe, astronomers also use
equipment to determine the electromagnetic spectrum and radiation emitted in space.
The use of these equipment particularly photometers and spectrometers enable discovery
of celestial bodies, helping in increasing knowledge about the universe.

Astronomy has two main branches. Optical astronomy primarily uses telescopes to study
visible objects in the universe, while non-optical astronomy deals with the study of
characteristics in the universe that are not visible to the naked eye through the use of
other sophisticated instruments aside from telescopes. One of these features is the
electromagnetic spectrum, which gives us information on how the stars and other
celestial bodies are formed.

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.

Meanwhile, galactic astronomy is the study of the motion and evolution of the Milky Way
galaxy, which eventually lead to the study of the formation of galaxies. On the other
hand, extragalactic astronomy studies other galaxies in the universe outside the Milky
Way to determine the extent of interaction among these galaxies.

Lastly, cosmology may sound differently compared to the other subfields in astronomy. It
mainly seeks the answer to the question, "How does the universe look like before the Big
Bang occurred?" It focuses on the creation of the universe.

Astronomy can also be divided according to its links with other branches of science.
Astrobiology deals with the beginning and evolution of biological structures in the
universe, while astrogeology answers the question, "What are the planets made of?"
Astrophysics, conversely, refers to the study of the physical properties of the celestial
bodies in the universe while astrochemistry studies the formation, distribution, and
interaction of chemicals present in space.

So wide is the scope of astronomy that even its practice has its own branches.
Professional astronomy is said to be divided into observational astronomy and theoretical
astronomy. Observational astronomy refers to that branch that concentrates on getting
data through observing celestial objects and analyzing them using the principles of
physics. However, theoretical astronomy is said to be more focused on using computer or
analytical models in studying these celestial objects and several phenomena in which
these are involved.