Space astronomy is the study of the universe or as we sometimes call it “outer space” where all the planets, suns and other celestial bodies can be found. Astronomers, both amateur and professional use many tools and charts to look into space and make observations and notations.

Astronomy is actually the oldest science and dates back before record. Even the oldest civilizations show some indication that they looked to the stars and observed what was going up in the sky. As time wore on, people realized that the movements of the plants and stars had a certain amount of predictability and this is actually how they used space to tell time.

Space - Astronomy - Time

Todays clocks owe their existence in part to astronomy as well as the study of space. During ancient times, people used the placement of the moon, sun and stars to tell what time it was. These also were used to set the seasons and had a huge impact on when things like planting and harvesting were done.

Early civilizations based their religious celebrations on celestial bodies and their movements and the early methods of astronomy were quite helpful when combined with man made objects in the advent of time telling pieces that were regular and measurable.

Stonehenge, for example, dates back to 3000 BC and is basically an ancient observatory that was used to track the movements of the sun in order to predict that seasons. This massive stone structure may also have been used some years later as a predictor of lunar eclipses.

In 1800 BC, the Babylonians had a calendar that was based on the movements of the sun and the phases of the moon. As time went on, other astronomers including Galileo and Copernicus contributed to our knowledge of space. In fact, Galileo who first used a telescope in 1609 was tried by authorities because of his theories on space.

Today, space astronomy is no longer considered heretical and is a wonderful hobby for many. In addition to telescopes, there are many methods we use to explore space such as radio signals, infrared, gamma ray and x-ray, in order to find out what is exactly out there.