What is Astronomy ?
What is Astronomy? Astronomy is the study of our universe beyond Earth. Everything we know about the sun, moon, planets, stars and much more comes from astronomy. Astronomers use mathematics, physics, and chemistry, as well as their signature tool, the telescope, to understand our universe. The first modern astronomer was the Polish scientist Nicolaus Copernicus. Known as the father of astronomy, Copernicus proposed in 1532 that the Earth revolves around the sun. This was the opposite of the long-held belief that everything in space revolved around the Earth. Although true, Copernicus's theory was not proven until 1632 when the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei proved that the planets revolved around the sun. He made this revolutionary discovery using a telescope and was the first person to use it to explore the universe. In the centuries since Copernicus and Galileo, astronomers have continued to make amazing discoveries, from black holes to Jupiter's moons. They also put fo...