Editing Astronomy (section)

== Etymology ==
''Astronomy'' (from the [[Ancient Greek|Greek]] [[wikt:ἀστρονομία#Ancient Greek|ἀστρονομία]] from [[wikt:ἄστρον#Ancient Greek|ἄστρον]] ''astron'', "star" and -νομία ''[[wikt:-nomy|-nomia]]'' from [[wikt:νόμος#Ancient Greek|νόμος]] ''nomos'', "law" or "culture") means "law of the stars" (or "culture of the stars" depending on the translation). Astronomy should not be confused with [[astrology]], the belief system which claims that human affairs are correlated with the positions of celestial objects.<ref>{{Cite journal |bibcode = 2012JAHH...15...42L|title = 'Astronomy' or 'astrology': A brief history of an apparent confusion|last1 = Losev|first1 = Alexandre|journal = [[Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage]]|volume = 15|issue = 1|pages = 42–46|year = 2012| doi=10.3724/SP.J.1440-2807.2012.01.05 |arxiv = 1006.5209| s2cid=51802196  |issn=1440-2807}}</ref> Although the [[Astrology and astronomy|two fields]] share a common origin, they are now entirely distinct.<ref name="new cosmos">{{cite book|first=Albrecht |last=Unsöld|author2=Baschek, Bodo|others=Translated by Brewer, W.D.|title=The New Cosmos: An Introduction to Astronomy and Astrophysics|date=2001| location=Berlin, New York|publisher=Springer|isbn =978-3-540-67877-9}}</ref>

=== Use of terms "astronomy" and "astrophysics" ===
"Astronomy" and "[[astrophysics]]" are synonyms.<ref name="scharrinhausen">{{cite web|url=http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/question.php?number=30|title= What is the difference between astronomy and astrophysics? |website=Curious About Astronomy |date=January 2002 |last=Scharringhausen|first=B.|access-date=17 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070609102139/http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/question.php?number=30|archive-date=9 June 2007 }}</ref><ref name="odenwald">{{cite web|url=http://www.astronomycafe.net/qadir/q449.html|title=Archive of Astronomy Questions and Answers: What is the difference between astronomy and astrophysics?|last=Odenwald|first=Sten |publisher=The Astronomy Cafe|access-date=20 June 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070708092148/http://www.astronomycafe.net/qadir/q449.html|archive-date=8 July 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="pennstateerie">{{cite web
 |title=School of Science-Astronomy and Astrophysics
|website=Penn State Erie
|date=July 18, 2005
 |url=http://www.erie.psu.edu/academic/science/degrees/astronomy/astrophysics.htm
 |access-date=20 June 2007
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071101100832/http://www.erie.psu.edu/academic/science/degrees/astronomy/astrophysics.htm
 |archive-date=1 November 2007
}}</ref> Based on strict dictionary definitions, "astronomy" refers to "the study of objects and matter outside the Earth's atmosphere and of their physical and chemical properties",<ref name="mw-astronomy">{{cite web
|title=astronomy
|work=Merriam-Webster Online
|url=http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/astronomy
|access-date=20 June 2007| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070617131203/http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/astronomy| archive-date= 17 June 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref> while "astrophysics" refers to the branch of astronomy dealing with "the behavior, physical properties, and dynamic processes of celestial objects and phenomena".<ref name="mw-astrophysics">{{cite web
|title=astrophysics
|work=Merriam-Webster Online
|url=http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/astrophysics
|access-date=20 June 2007
|archive-date=21 September 2012
|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120921/http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/astrophysics
|url-status=live
}}</ref> In some cases, as in the introduction of the introductory textbook ''The Physical Universe'' by [[Frank Shu]], "astronomy" may be used to describe the qualitative study of the subject, whereas "astrophysics" is used to describe the physics-oriented version of the subject.<ref name="shu1982">{{cite book
|first = F.H.
|last = Shu
|title = The Physical Universe
|publisher = University Science Books
|date = 1983
|location = Mill Valley, California
|isbn = 978-0-935702-05-7
|url-access = registration
|url = https://archive.org/details/physicaluniverse00shuf
}}</ref> However, since most modern astronomical research deals with subjects related to physics, modern astronomy could actually be called astrophysics.<ref name="scharrinhausen"/> Some fields, such as [[astrometry]], are purely astronomy rather than also astrophysics. Various departments in which scientists carry out research on this subject may use "astronomy" and "astrophysics", partly depending on whether the department is historically affiliated with a physics department,<ref name="odenwald"/> and many professional [[astronomer]]s have physics rather than astronomy degrees.<ref name="pennstateerie"/> Some titles of the leading scientific journals in this field include ''[[The Astronomical Journal]]'', ''[[The Astrophysical Journal]]'', and ''[[Astronomy & Astrophysics]]''.{{cn|date=March 2025}}