What are the uses of astronomy?

Question

Why is it useful?

Answer 1

Excellent Question !!
Since most folks only get to see the headlines about new discoveries etc. ( which is really cosmology, a branch of Astronomy), the vast majority of Astronomical work is totally unknown to most people.
The majority of Astronomical work always has been and still is related to navigation.
This is the quest for ever more accurate location measurements of the stars and other bodies. Without Astronomy the voyages of discovery would never have occurred. Because, once out of sight of land, the stars were the only references for locating oneself on the surface of the earth. Today, all space travel relies on reference stars for navigation.
Over hundreds of years many catalogs have been published showing the location of the stars. This is the reason stars are known by many names, each catalog has it's own naming system.
Astronomy also played a crucial role in the measurement of time, allowing for ever greater accuracy.
In the solar system it allows the prediction of the tides, eclipses and very importantly, the prediction of solar storms which not only affect long distance radio communications but can also cause massive blackouts by overloading the power grids.
These are a few of the subjects covered by Astronomy. More like the work of a statistician than the glamorous discoveries we get in the newspaper headlines.

Adolph

Answer 2

Astronomy is the study of all the neat stuff outside of our atmosphere. It can be very handy, like warning about solar flares which can affect our weather and damage satelites. It can also be just for curiosity's sake, like finding out about black holes or stars with planets orbiting them. Those are interesting, but not immediately useful, I don't think.

Answer 3

Originally, to tell the seasons for planting.
Navigation.
Observations of high energy physics,
(albeit at a distance).

Answer 4

i dont know maybe to study stuff like outer spaces due to human curiosity...