What Is The Importance Of Astronomy?

[jankren]

For my College Requirements I had to choose Geology or Astronomy. So I took Astronomy because it sounds kind of less boring. However, my father scolded me for my decision saying that knowledge in Geology is more important and useful and Astronomy is more like a hobby. So is he right or what?

[Helm]

Just go for the one you're more interested in neither are particularly important in the technical sense but either is a good just for general knowledge. Astronomy may well have a lot to do with maths and physics.

[Mithradates]

For my College Requirements I had to choose Geology or Astronomy. So I took Astronomy because it sounds kind of less boring. However, my father scolded me for my decision saying that knowledge in Geology is more important and useful and Astronomy is more like a hobby. So is he right or what?

I think your father tried to say Geology has more practical uses (to earn money) so its more important and useful (for you)

Geology is more about lexical knowledge while Astronomy is more about calculations.

[jankren]

So in other word my father is right that Astronomy is less important?

[Chaigidel]

astronomy is involved with some of the really big questions, I think your father sounds wise, he simply wants you to make money, geology is more practical for that; but astronomy involves itself with the greatest questions available. so I personally dont blame you at all for the choice :O but both are quite interesting.

[jankren]

astronomy is involved with some of the really big questions, I think your father sounds wise, he simply wants you to make money, geology is more practical for that; but astronomy involves itself with the greatest questions available. so I personally dont blame you at all for the choice :O but both are quite interesting.

Thank you for making it clear that I made a mistake.

Now I have to go the corner of my room and cry ...

[roy34543]

Sorry, but yes. Neither astronomy nor geology are very important, but geology has some uses in the energy sector and it has some practical thigns it may be useful to know about.
Even if you want to be an astronaut you hardly have to learn astronomy. Sadly its in effect a rather useless thing to learn, even if you decide to become an astronomist because you want to find out things about the universe, you have these year-long waiting lists for telescopes that are actually useful, and astronomy is not very useful in most proffesions.
But if your more interested in astronomy then it shoudl be ok, since both arent very important (though I find it hard to believe glancing at stars and learning their long complicated names is more interesting then the earth and how it functions)

[jankren]

How can you be an astronaut if you arent an expert in astronomy?

[roy34543]

How can you be an astronaut if you arent an expert in astronomy?

As far as i know, their main field of canidates is very qualified pilots.
(engineering is also a good thing to have, and ironically, geology is more relevant to that field then astronomy is)

[Helm]

With geology you're learning about the Earth with astronomy you're learning about the universe in general. You're not likely to ever get a job in either so don't worry about that just go for what interests you.

[Seleucos of Olympia]

Depends, are you thinking of astronomy specifically, or astrophysics? Astrophysics can teach you a lot about physical processes that are primarily studied in astronomical sources but are (or could be) linked with more mundane applications. Plasma physics and particle physics tend to be of high importance to someone studying astrophysics, as are electromagnetism, statistical physics and non-linear dynamics. Also, we're in an age of continuous astronomical discoveries, thanks to our ever advancing telescope programs (both terrestrial and in space), so the job sector isn't that bad for astrophysicists/astronomers.

Astronomy isn't a requirement for someone to become an astronaut. If you need some astronomical knowledge, depending on your task, you can learn it before a mission, but the required skills are mostly technical (piloting, engineering, medicine).

I'm not very familiar with geology, at least compared to astrophysics (I'm doing a PhD on the latter), but I imagine you'd learn some impressive stuff in that field as well, and I can see it having applications in which you can potentially find work, not just as a researcher. My advice to you is to do what you like best. If you find something that excites you, you'll be better at it and happier as a result.

[Baron von Sky Hat]

Speaking also as an Astrophysicist, I have to say I agree with everything that Seleucos of Olympia said (Though I'm one step (or more, depending on how my ability is judged... ) behind Seleucos, as I'm doing a research masters at the moment, starting a PhD next year).

On the topic of Geology versus Astronomy, both are fairly specific things, in terms of their actual content, they really don't enter day to day life on a practical level (bar the occasional pub quiz.) If you actually want a career in a science then one or the other might be useful, but other than that there won't be much actual *need* for either.

That said, I can't recommend enough that, even if you don't plan a career in anything even vaguely science related, you keep tabs on at least one science subject if not more. I think that the general processes required to look at a scientific subject are very rewarding, and help with being able to better critically analyse information. I don't feel that scientific method is touted strongly enough in education as being important in dealing with how you see information and use knowledge.

Astronomy in terms of the purely observational side is, perhaps, less `fundamental' to how things work than astrophysics might be considered to be. As Seleucos said, lots of pieces of astrophysics deal with principles that have effects at many different scales, including various one directly relevant here on our blue marble of a planet. However, being less fundamental compared to other physics fields needn't be a criticism, as it entirely depends on your interests. Astronomy in and of itself is very interesting, being able to pick a star in the sky and know how to find how far away it is, how bright it is, how big it is, how old it is, whether or not it has planets around it, how long it has left to live, all sort of stuff; is a very cool thing.
Well, okay, it may not be the `gets you invited to hip parties' cool, but nonetheless...
Physicists have parties too.
Awesome ones.
Just with up to 100% more science than regular parties.


(It's also somewhat telling that I dislike my statement of `up to 100% more', since, if you assume that there's either little or no science at a regular party, then it could easily be way more than 100% more compared to that (or, if assuming no science at a regular party, even `infinite %' or `undefined %' depending on how formally you're willing to treat the maths). But `100%' is more visually appealing and gets the point across assuming that you're not pedantic...)

Also being able to tell the history of the planet through knowing what processes rock has to have gone through to be in the form it is as it lays before you. It can tell us how old the entire planet is through radioactive dating. In terms of actual space exploration, geology is actually the more relevant. If you get to put a person on the surface of another planet, there isn't that much more an astronomer can do than they'd be able to do on earth (until you actually have infrastructure and big telescopes and stuff), whereas the geology of other planets is of key interest. Especially with the massive explosion of the number of extrasolar planets being found now by the astronomers. We've gone from none to hundreds in basically a decade, and the rate is still speeding up as the methods get ever better. Considering how comparatively minuscule and faint these things are relative to stars, that's quite a huge feat.
Though as has been said, most astronauts are chosen for their engineering and piloting skills rather than scientific, and the people chosen are few and far between, so I wouldn't get your hopes up for that specifically....

So, in summary, although several people have said the same sort of thing, go for what you find most enjoyable. Generally speaking, I'd say that the broader the range of topics that you have a grounding in, the better. Neither would be a waste of time of any sort.

[Playfishpaste]

Astronomy is much more relevant a study to all sciences then geology, due to the complexity and use of astrophysics versus geophysics.

[The Devil's Sergeant]

Astronomy is a great deal more useful than geology in relating to the opposite sex. A man that can lay on a blanket under a stary sky and explain the cosmos is going to get a lot farther than a guy that digs a hole in a muddy creek bank to explain soil layers.

[Trey]

You're not gonna make much money with either one.

[Holger Danske]

Depends... If don't plan to use it, then it's a rather waste of your time really.

[Helm]

There's more to a decent education than jobs and money you know. It's for making you a more rounded human being.

[P014K]

For my College Requirements I had to choose Geology or Astronomy.

The discussion of the importance of Geology vs. Astronomy is somewhat off topic. For Jankren, this is just an extra course that he's taking, not something he's considering pursuing a career in. He's not going to use either (unless he's a physics major, then geophysics and astrophysics might help him).

Take whichever you're interested in more. I am interested in Philosophy but I certainly don't want to make a career out of it. I might take a course or two because it interests me.

As an Astrophysicist, I would recommend an astronomy course, but i'm obviously biased.