Astronomy

Astronomy is a natural science which is the study of celestial objects (such as stars, galaxies, planets, moons, and nebulae), the physics, chemistry, and evolution of such objects, and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth, including supernovae explosions, gamma ray bursts, and cosmic microwave background radiation. A related but distinct subject, cosmology, is concerned with studying the universe as a whole.

Most Read This Week Tagged "Astronomy"

A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through?

Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization

The God Equation: The Quest for a Theory of Everything

Black Holes: The Key to Understanding the Universe

The Martians: The True Story of an Alien Craze that Captured Turn-of-the-Century America

Our Moon: How Earth's Celestial Companion Transformed the Planet, Guided Evolution, and Made Us Who We Are

Pillars of Creation: How the James Webb Telescope Unlocked the Secrets of the Cosmos

Space Oddities: The Mysterious Anomalies Challenging Our Understanding of the Universe

Cosmic Queries: StarTalk's Guide to Who We Are, How We Got Here, and Where We're Going

On the Origin of Time: Stephen Hawking's Final Theory

To Infinity and Beyond: A Journey of Cosmic Discovery

The Biggest Ideas in the Universe: Space, Time, and Motion

The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred

More most read this week tagged "astronomy"...

Astronomy Books

Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space

Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries

The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory

How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming

Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution

The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking)

The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality

The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America’s Favorite Planet

Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void

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Lists

Adapt and Plan for the New Abnormal of the COVID-19 Coronavir... by Gleb Tsipursky

The Blindspots Between Us by Gleb Tsipursky

The Truth-Seeker’s Handbook by Gleb Tsipursky

Never Go With Your Gut by Gleb Tsipursky

Sci-Fi, History, Science

140 books — 16 voters

The Little Book of Neuroscience Haiku by Eric Chudler

Neon Lights and Plane Tickets by Elsbeth Mareile G.C.

POEMS...IN...SPAAAAAAAACE!!!

14 books — 4 voters

The Care and Feeding of a Pet Black Hole by Michelle Cuevas

The Very Hungry Black Hole by Andrew Wilburn

There Was a Black Hole that Swallowed the Universe by Chris Ferrie

Commander Toad and the Big Black Hole by Jane Yolen

Through the Black Hole by Edward Packard

Black Holes for Kids

7 books — 1 voter

What Is Mathematics? An Elementary Approach to Ideas and Methods by Richard Courant

Young Archimedes and Other Stories by Aldous Huxley

Carl Sagan's Reading List

34 books — 9 voters

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Science Writing By People of Marginalized Genders

255 books — 89 voters

Science Fiction Books featuring Black Holes

24 books — 8 voters

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Quotes Tagged “Astronomy”

“ [The Old Astronomer to His Pupil] Reach me down my Tycho Brahe, I would know him when we meet, When I share my later science, sitting humbly at his feet; He may know the law of all things, yet be ignorant of how We are working to completion, working on from then to now. Pray remember that I leave you all my theory complete, Lacking only certain data for your adding, as is meet, And remember men will scorn it, 'tis original and true, And the obloquy of newness may fall bitterly on you. But, my [The Old Astronomer to His Pupil] Reach me down my Tycho Brahe, I would know him when we meet, When I share my later science, sitting humbly at his feet; He may know the law of all things, yet be ignorant of how We are working to completion, working on from then to now. Pray remember that I leave you all my theory complete, Lacking only certain data for your adding, as is meet, And remember men will scorn it, 'tis original and true, And the obloquy of newness may fall bitterly on you. But, my pupil, as my pupil you have learned the worth of scorn, You have laughed with me at pity, we have joyed to be forlorn, What for us are all distractions of men's fellowship and smiles; What for us the Goddess Pleasure with her meretricious smiles. You may tell that German College that their honor comes too late, But they must not waste repentance on the grizzly savant's fate. Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light; I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night. What, my boy, you are not weeping? You should save your eyes for sight; You will need them, mine observer, yet for many another night. I leave none but you, my pupil, unto whom my plans are known. You 'have none but me,' you murmur, and I 'leave you quite alone'? Well then, kiss me, -- since my mother left her blessing on my brow, There has been a something wanting in my nature until now; I can dimly comprehend it, -- that I might have been more kind, Might have cherished you more wisely, as the one I leave behind. I 'have never failed in kindness'? No, we lived too high for strife,-- Calmest coldness was the error which has crept into our life; But your spirit is untainted, I can dedicate you still To the service of our science: you will further it? you will! There are certain calculations I should like to make with you, To be sure that your deductions will be logical and true; And remember, 'Patience, Patience,' is the watchword of a sage, Not to-day nor yet to-morrow can complete a perfect age. I have sown, like Tycho Brahe, that a greater man may reap; But if none should do my reaping, 'twill disturb me in my sleep So be careful and be faithful, though, like me, you leave no name; See, my boy, that nothing turn you to the mere pursuit of fame. I must say Good-bye, my pupil, for I cannot longer speak; Draw the curtain back for Venus, ere my vision grows too weak: It is strange the pearly planet should look red as fiery Mars,-- God will mercifully guide me on my way amongst the stars. ...more ”
― Sarah Williams, Twilight Hours: A Legacy of Verse

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“ Napoleon, when hearing about Laplace's latest book, said, 'M. Laplace, they tell me you have written this large book on the system of the universe, and have never even mentioned its creator.' Laplace responds, 'Je n'avais pas besoin de cette hypothèse-là. (I had no need of that hypothesis.) ...more ”
― Pierre-Simon Laplace

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