Tuesday, April 28th, 2009 at
7:52 am
Astronomy today can be defined as the branch of science that deals with the study of natures and motion of celestial bodies like stars, planets and galaxies. There are yet different definitions for Astronomy. This includes the study of matter and objects outside earth’s atmosphere and having their own physical and chemical properties. Some different views include –Astronomy is the study of everything. This is because astronomy is the study of universe and everything is part of the universe.
One can say that all these definitions are correct and hence there are many sub fields within astronomy today. Cosmologists, Astrometrists, Planetologist, Radio astronomers, Mathematical astronomers are some among these sub divisions. Cosmologists study universe as a whole including its origin and beginning. Planetologists do study about all those planets with in the solar system and those orbiting distant stars. Astrometrists calculate distances connected with universe. Again Radio astronomers use radio telescopes to study the universe. Numbers, calculations and statistics are used by mathematical astronomers in order to explain universe.
We can’t say that astronomy today is a stand alone subject. It is a combination of different fields. These fields include mathematics, geology, chemistry, physics, geology, biology. Physics can be said to be as one of the most integral part of astronomy. That is why some of the astronomers are known as Astrophysicists. Astronomy can be said to be the oldest science. During the early age, astronomers were priests and holy men, who tried to fix the puzzle of the universe. They tried to determine planting cycles and celebrations. Astronomy theories where first developed and introduced by ancient Greeks. They made out theories about the universe design as a whole. There were many astronomers who proved them to be great astronomers. Later many of the facts provided by them proved to be wrong, as technology came forward with a helping hand. Some of them include Ptolemy, Copernicus, Galileo Galilee, Johannes Kepler etc. but one fact is sure that with out the contributions of all those greats the facts known today could not have reached upon.
Again it can be said that astrology is the study of cosmos. An attempt to understand the history and make up of universe can be termed to be as astronomy today. An unlimited area of fields is covered under astronomy. They include stars, nebula, planets, sol, star clusters, galaxies, dark matter, black holes etc. each of these can be again divided into multiple topics. Research is done in the whole electromagnetic spectrum. This includes ultraviolet, visible, x-ray and infrared. Thus it really covers lots of things when it comes to astronomy today.
Thursday, April 9th, 2009 at
6:31 pm
Tayen Asked:
I'm an amature astronomer looking for a new laptop. Astronomy magazine recommends SSDs for astronomy software (DeepSky, etc), but I'm not sure if the price of a pre-installed SSD is worth the shortcomings yet.
That said, I also need a portable laptop for word processing, internet, school, and the occasional medium-graphics game:
Windows XP, Ubuntu, or Apple platforms- (no Vista!!!:)
120 Gig+ Hard-drive 7200 RPM
2.0Gig RAM
2.0G+ Intel 2 Duo processor
Nvidia dedicated graphics card
Right now I'm looking at customized Sony Vaio and Macbook. Any other suggestions?
Reply:
If you want personalized, reliable and quick advice, you should check out ProCompare.com -- http://procompare.com/top/laptops. They have a recommendation engine that ranks laptops and other tech products based on reviews from a community of trusted IT professionals. They also have a cool personalization slider that lets you optimize the results based on the criteria that are most important to YOU.
Hope you'll find this answer useful...
Sunday, April 5th, 2009 at
2:54 am
Astronomy Stars – Studying the Universe Beyond Our Atmosphere
http://www.yallways.com
Astronomy stars refers to the scientific study of celestial objects and phenomena. Literally translated, astronomy means “law of the stars.” Astronomers use a variety of methods and tools to study features of the universe beyond Earth’s atmosphere. They use this knowledge to predict future celestial events, suggest new technologies, and understand our universe as a whole.
Astronomy stars has been studied for centuries. It was necessary for the development of navigational techniques, calendars, and other societal creations. Astronomy was also a vital component of many religious belief systems. Most early astronomy focused on mapping the position of the stars and planets. However, few notable discoveries were made prior to the invention of the telescope. Once this tool was developed and implemented, famous astronomers such as Galileo Galilei and Niccolaus Copernicus were able to make their profound discoveries regarding planetary motions. Since then, the telescope and other instruments have made more advanced astronomical study possible.
Astronomers focus their research on a variety of different topics and seek to answer numerous questions regarding our universe. One pressing question is “what is the ultimate fate of the universe?” Some believe the universe will continue to expand until it reaches a point where it cannot properly distribute temperature to sustain any life. Others contend the universe will eventually contract. The inevitable result of this would be a “Big Crunch,” which is essentially the inverse of the “Big Bang.” Thankfully, neither scenario will occur for countless millennia. Other pressing questions studied by astronomers are: “does extraterrestrial life exist?” and “how t celestial phenomena impact the universe?”
Observation is the key method of study for astronomers. Using a variety of modern, powerful telescopes, today’s astronomers can view celestial phenomena thousands of light-years away. However, astronomy goes beyond visual observations. Its study also entails the observation of non-visible portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. For example, molecular gasses can be studied using infrared astronomy. Similarly, nebulae and supernovas are generally observed using ultraviolet measurements. In addition to direct observations, astronomers rely upon theoretical models to simulate celestial phenomena. These can help researchers discover possible effects of various astronomical events. For example, models can show how a black hole might disrupt a galaxy.
Although astronomy stars has been studied by millennia of humans, researchers have only scratched the surface of this broad topic. There is much about our universe that has we still don’t understand. New finds are made daily by both professionals and amateurs with a special interest in studying the stars. Thus, astronomy is an ever-growing field with much yet to reveal.
US $8.79
