astronomy

American  

[uh-stron-uh-mee] / əˈstrɒn ə mi /

noun

1. the science that deals with the material universe beyond the earth's atmosphere.

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astronomy British  

/ əˈstrɒnəmɪ /

noun

1. the scientific study of the individual celestial bodies (excluding the earth) and of the universe as a whole. Its various branches include astrometry, astrodynamics, cosmology, and astrophysics

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astronomy Scientific  

/ ə-strŏn′ə-mē /

1. The scientific study of the universe and the objects in it, including stars, planets, nebulae, and galaxies. Astronomy deals with the position, size, motion, composition, energy, and evolution of celestial objects. Astronomers analyze not only visible light but also radio waves, x-rays, and other ranges of radiation that come from sources outside the Earth's atmosphere.

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astronomy Cultural  

1. The science that deals with the universe beyond the Earth. It describes the nature, position, and motion of the stars, planets, and other objects in the skies, and their relation to the Earth.

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Etymology

Origin of astronomy

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English astronomie, from Anglo-French, from Latin astronomia, from Greek; equivalent to astro- + -nomy

Compare meaning

How does astronomy compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• astronomy vs. astrology

Example Sentences

This strategy has been highly successful in radio astronomy because radio waves have long wavelengths, making it feasible to precisely synchronize signals collected by widely spaced sensors.

From Science Daily

"We didn't expect to see such a hot cluster atmosphere so early in cosmic history," said lead author Dazhi Zhou, a PhD candidate in the UBC department of physics and astronomy.

From Science Daily

"Results like these help not just pulsar science, but other fields of astronomy as well, including SETI."

From Science Daily

He was previously at Cornell University, where he became the College of Arts and Sciences dean in 2018 after four years as a science, physics and astronomy professor at York University in Toronto.

From Los Angeles Times

"This is an extraordinary leap forward," said John Monnier, a professor of astronomy at the University of Michigan, a co-author of the study and an expert in interferometric imaging.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• astrophysics