Astronomy Essay -- essays research papers fc

One thing us as humans have never been able to fully look is astronomy. Al focussings having an unexplained mystery, astronomy also has served as a way to keep time and figure the future. The word astronomy is defined as the study of heavenly bodies, meaning anything in the tack such as sorcerers, galaxies, comets, planets, nebulae, and so on. Many people, if non everyone, is amazed by the night sky on a clear, moonless night.Astronomy dates back to ancient times when peoples such as the Babylonians, Egyptians, and Chinese kept written records of astronomical events and occurrences. straightaways seven day week originates from the Babylonians seven all important(predicate) bodies in the night sky the Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn. The ancient Egyptians used the stars to align their pyramids and many of their corridors in almost perfect north-south or east-west directions. The Chinese were experts at predicting solar eclipses. They believed that a solar eclipse was a dangerous warning. Chinese astronomers were executed if they failed to predict an eclipse.Over the long time there have been many more important figures in astronomy. One extraordinary astronomer was Galileo Galilei who invented the first refractor oscilloscope in which blank is bent to enlarge an image of the sky (Galileo Project). The abutting bang-up astronomer to follow him was Isaac Newton. Newton had made a great amount of contributions to astronomy during his life. He further proved that the Earth was not the center of the universe and he also invented the Newtonian reflector telescope which is quieten used today in observatories. Also, he discovered that light could be split into a visible spectrum of colors. Spectral colors from stars would later be used to determine their size, temperature, chemical composition, and even the direction the star is moving.Today, professional astronomers play a very different role than hundreds of years ago. Surprisingly, astronomers today spend minimal time at the telescope gazing at the night sky. Operating planetariums, teaching astronomy classes, or operating and maintaining an watch are some of the things astronomers today do.Along with professional astronomers are connoisseur astronomers who only observe the heavens for personal satisfaction and enjoyment. I myself am an amateur astronomer an... ...enith (straight overhead position). Two galaxies which are believed to revolve some our own are the Small and Large Magellanic Clouds. Only visible from the southerly Hemisphere, Magellan, the famous European explorer, was the first to describe these galaxies.Even though we bop a great amount more than the astronomers in the past, there is still an even larger amount we do not know astir(predicate) the universe to this day. Even our own solar system contains many questions as yet to be answered. Some of these include the possibility of a planet beyond Pluto (Planet X), the means by which the system was created, and even the possibility of a sister star to the Sun named Nemesis. Another astronomical mystery is the macrocosm of the universe. In time, many questions pull up stakes be answered but some will always remain. Astronomy is something that will never be completely understood. works CitedGoldsmith, Donald. The Astronomers. New York St. Martins Press,1991.Fradin, Dennis P. Astronomy. Chicago Childrens Press, 1987.The Galileo Project. in biography of Astronomy. collection of sites(rev. Dec. 2002 accessed 6 Jan, 2002) available from http//www.cv.nrao.edu/fits/www/yp_history.html