WHAT IS ASTRONOMY?

Astronomy is the study of all the things in Space - the Sun, the Moon, the stars, the planets, the comets and the asteroids. Ever since people have existed on Earth, they have observed the objects in the sky, just like you would do now. It is human nature to seek explanations for the existence of things. Everything has to have a purpose and everything must exist for a reason. It is astronomers who seek explanations for the existence of the objects in the night sky.

For thousands of years, there have been many different explanations for the objects that we now know to be the stars, planets, moons, comets and asteroids and some of these explanations have had a large influence on how some civilisations lived their lives. Some ideas may seem crazy now, but if you dared to question it many years ago, it could have got you killed! 

Although astronomy has changed greatly through the advancement of science and the assistance of modern technology, it still involves people looking into the sky and observing the glistening objects that can be seen. The explanations of what they are looking at may have changed, but the view is still almost identical!

In this section, you can go through the history of astronomy, from how the first star-gazers observed the universe through to how it is done now.