What value is the study of astronomy to you or to society?

Question

What value is the study of astronomy to you or to society?

Answer 1

Well...

I remember in high school I read about these two guys, Copernicus? And Galileo? And their theories and observations changed the WORLD almost as much as the Advent. Not quickly. Took a few generations to sink in. And the aftershocks of the TRUTHS they revealed are still being felt 500 years later.

All from just observing and thinking about stars! And applying the scientific method.

Think about what will happen when we discover a second Genesis. And a civilization 500 million years older than ours. What will that do to our society? Our self image? Our belief systems?

Answer 2

To me personally, I have been interested in astronomy for over 60 years and I am so interested that within the next year (although I am 67) I will be embarking on getting my Masters degree in astronomy from Swinburne Technological University in Melbourne, Australia. They have an online program and I will spend about $11,000 and the next 3 or 4 possibly even 6 years of my life taking the 15 courses (12 needed for the degree) so that I can learn everything I can about this fascination subject. After I graduate I may be able to visit several schools and scout troops giving short talks on the subject.

As for society, maybe you should look at the advances in our life style because of the study of this science. Without our interest in astronomy, with NASA's input several technological advances which have influenced your very own lifestyle would not be available to you today. The study of the sun's output of streams of magnetic particles which influence our weather and electrical transmissions would have caused much havoc to our planet which we now know about and can help control. Advances in cellphone technology is another advance which would have been unheaard of today if not for outer space study. Along with the physics involved, there are several other areas of magnetism and electricity which would not be useful for us today.
A study of the history of astronomy which I will be delving into on the above mentioned course work will give you several other uses which influence your life today.

Answer 3

Astronomy is the study of light comming from sources so far away that some of the light you're seeing is older than our solar system has been around. Before Sol started burning it's nuclear fires and remaning matter tumbled togeather to form our planets that circle so elegantly.

The light you see when you look up is a series of rays. Think about it, wherever it came from it traveled hundreds, thousands, perhaps millions of years. Just for you and only you. Those particles gathered by your eye wern't absorbed by anything else. And had you not bothered to look up, that whole trip would have been in vain. For me, Astronomy is what gives everything that's out there meaning. If we're not looking, it doesn't even matter if it exists.

As far as society goes, Space is the future. There's no maybe there. We spread out or we die. Be it by a stray meteor or a comet. Be it when the Sun exausts it's fuel and sears every trace of us off this planet we call home. Be it by a Black Hole that comes out of nowhere tomorrow and swallows our entire system. We stay here too long and humanity becomes without menting.

There it is. Our bothering to look gives the Universe meaning and in turn, the Universe might even allow us to have meaning.

Answer 4

The value on the study of astronomy to me is that it's an essential necessity that makes up not only education, but also societal standards. It's part of that "we need to know" category that defines the world and who we are as human beings. Without astronomy, we will not know how the stars we see in the sky at night (or in the day) work as much as if would if used astronomy. To society, it's essential. The quality of education in the world is dumb-inishing, and by not valuing astronomy, we only devalue education. Therefore, the study of astronomy is crucial to me and to society.

Answer 5

Astronomy was the first and is the most important of the sciences. Without a deep understanding of astronomy, how would we have any of our modern units of time? We certainly would not be able to track the months or years without understandings made possible through the study of astronomy. Without an understanding of time, where would society be?

Answer 6

Centuries ago, astronomical discoveries were made by amateurs who were independently wealthy and who had their own crude telescopes. Today however, although there are still many amateur astronomers who continue to make discoveries, no single person can launch a space probe or own a state-of-the-art telescope. Science is mostly supported by tax payers, and this money is put towards funding space programs like NASA or running astronomical observatories.

Astronomy is of great value to us for many reasons. Astronomy provides us with the basis for timekeeping, and for the determination of the calendar. These are two very important things that we often take for granted.

The study of our Sun is also really important, because changes in the Sun's output can seriously effect our planet's climate and weather. The study of other planet's atmospheres has also proven to be valuable, because this information has helped us to better understand our own planet's atmosphere.

Needless to say, space exploration has greatly benefited us in many ways. Satellites have immensely increase long-distant communications, and they also serve as an advance warning system for severe weather, saving hundreds of lives. The technology of computers and miniaturization developed for used in spacecraft's have terrestrial applications as well, such as consumer electronics and robotics.