A Gaze into Astronomy #1

Astronomy's Difference from Other Scientific Disciplines

Astronomy differs from other sciences in many prominent ways. Firstly, in terms of age, astronomy is the oldest of all sciences. Its past is rooted in ancient civilizations’ desire to understand the night sky and the cosmos around them. Secondly, in contrast to the so called “lab sciences,” it is nearly impossible to perform physically monitored experiments in astronomy. In astronomy, the universe is itself an experiment. The whole cosmos – and all that is included in it – is an astronomer’s experiment. However, conversely to other sciences such as biology or chemistry, in astronomy we do not get to control this experiment due mainly to its scale and the time it needs to be carried out (for many stellar objects that concern astronomy are virtually thousands of billions of or more miles away from the Earth). Even before humans came into existence, the ingredients of this experiment and its setup were predetermined by the four forces and perhaps forces that we do not understand yet. Therefore, astronomy is and has been predominantly contingent on observation, rather than experiment.

Alleged Alien Visits and the Great Ancient Monuments e.g. the Great Pyramid of Giza

        Although the idea of alien visits to the world seems alluring, no evidence has been found yet to confirm that these visits actually happened. However, it is well-known by scientist that the ancients utilized astronomy for many purposes. Firstly, ancient sailors used the stars to help them guide their way while they were at sea – day or night. Secondly, ancient civilizations have used astronomy to shape their calendars and predict harvest times. Thirdly, astronomy had religious significance for those who studied it. For instance, it was believed by many ancient civilizations that constellations were there for mystical purposes and had strong connections with gods.

        The Stonehenge, Chichen Itza, and the Great Pyramid are major artifacts built by humans for astronomical purposes besides religious ones. For instance, it is now trivial that the Stonehenge had an astronomical use in addition to being a burial site. The stones in Stonehenge were carefully aligned so that they would point out to specific directions that have a great importance in keeping track of time and the night sky. And scientists have long believed that Chichen Itza was used as an observatory due to its altitude. Finally, about the pyramids, the pharaohs in Ancient Egypt ordered the ancient Egyptians to build the pyramids as tombs for the royals. However, this was not their sole purpose; today, it is known that pyramids had an astronomical end as well. In fact, it is known that the three largest pyramids in Giza stand for three stars in the belt of Orion.

-Bora