astronomical applications of astrometry pdf

The best source I can point you to is an article by Chris Llewellyn Smith on “The use of basic science” (). For example, the concept of electron degeneracy and complex ideas important in solid-state physics were first derived by Ralph Fowler for white dwarf stars, some years before they were established in solid-state physics.īasic science continues to be useful in current times. Spectroscopy and nuclear fusion were also largely stimulated by astronomical studies. In the 20th century, Arthur Eddington's observations from Príncipe during the 1919 total solar eclipse made a huge contribution towards getting Einstein's new physics accepted and appreciated - and, in a sense, astronomy contributed indirectly to a lot of Einstein's work. Astronomy was the first quantitative science (see “Astronomy: the master science” page 3.26). Joseph Banks travelled on that voyage, much as Charles Darwin did on the Beagle, documenting the flora and fauna from Australia and Pacific islands.

When the Admiralty got wind of it they put in some money that enabled the ship to be made a bit bigger and reminded Cook to look out for the postulated southern continent - Australia. Captain Cook's first voyage was an astronomical expedition, funded by the Royal Society, and was a major science project to make Transit of Venus observations from Tahiti. There is also the obvious economic impact of astronomy in its role in navigation. (Gemini Observatory)Īstronomy has driven important contributions to science and knowledge throughout history, from Copernicus dethroning the Earth from the centre of the universe, with Galileo taking that idea further, through Kepler's work on orbiting bodies, leading onto Newton, whose work was largely inspired by astronomical observations. Glorious starry skies, as seen here at Gemini North, are now a rarity for most people. I'm not going to talk about other sorts of impact in astronomy - when astronomers have something like an impending collision with an asteroid to tell the public about it can be very significant, but it's not what I'm talking about here. The cycles of the heavens, the predictability of the planets and the regularity of the motion of the Sun in the sky inspired people into thinking about time, about changes and ways to predict them, and started them thinking about simple physical laws - and about things which weren't so obvious, such as comets. Astronomy stimulated science in ancient societies. The monuments that ancient peoples left behind stand as proof of their interest in, and knowledge of, astronomy ( figure 1). Modern cities and lighting mean that few of us have a view of the dark sky ( figure 2), so most people are not as aware of the night sky now as they used to be.

I hope I will show that we all need to do what we can to promote the worth of our work in the wider world, at this difficult time for public spending.Īstronomy had a major impact on ancient peoples and it's pretty obvious why whenever you look up at a starry sky. I will also discuss why these benefits are so difficult to quantify in terms of the contribution made by basic science. I will outline the impact astronomy has had on our society historically, and at present, in terms of cultural, technological and economic benefits. During my Presidency of the Royal Astronomical Society I've had to deal with several different issues related to the impact of astronomy: the tensions between the scientific, societal and economic worth of what we do are the focus of this Presidential Address.

Astronomical applications of astrometry pdf