Astrology vs Astronomy

Cameron & Anette

Learning Goals
After this lesson you will…

- Understand what is the difference between astrology and astronomy.

- Why astrology could be scientific
- Why astronomy is scientific.
Astrology
The study of the movements and relative positions of celestial bodies
interpreted as having an influence on human affairs and the natural
world.
Past Astrology:
The history of astrology began in 2000-1600 BCE by the Babylonians, they have generally been credited for the
birth of astrology. For 2000 years astrology and astronomy were the same science. Horoscopic astrology is
significant to Babylonian beliefs, because associating the sun, moon, and planets with their gods shaped the way
the Babylonians lived their lives and viewed the world around them. Babylonian astronomers were able to
predict lunar eclipses and - later - solar eclipses with a fair accuracy. Their tool was the Saros-cycle: this is the
period of 223 synodic months (or 18 years and 11.3 days) after which lunar and solar eclipses repeat themselves.
E.g., when you know that there has been a solar eclipse on 18 May 603 BCE at dawn, you can be confident that
there is an almost similar eclipse on 28 May 585 at sunset.

The Babylonian science was then introduced to the Greeks in the 4th century, the Romans, and then the Arabs
who spread it all throughout the world. Earliest astrology was used to bring order out of apparent chaos, it was
then used to predict weather patterns for agricultural purposes. It was eventually broadened to predict forecasts
of natural disasters and war and other events in the course of human affairs. Amassing successes in these fields,
it was a natural progression for astrology to be used as counsel for kings and emperors and, in time, for all of us.
Astronomy
The branch of science which deals with celestial objects, space, and the
physical universe as a whole.

Early cultures identified celestial objects with gods and spirits. They related these objects (and their
movements) to phenomena such as rain, drought, seasons, and tides. It is generally believed that the first
astronomers were priests, and that they understood celestial objects and events to be manifestations of the
divine, hence early astronomy's connection to what is now called astrology. Ancient structures with possibly
astronomical alignments (such as Stonehenge) probably fulfilled astronomical, religious, and social functions.
How Astronomy is Scientific
Astronomy today is considered a branch of science (physical science alongside physics and chemistry), studied
by astronomers. Astronomers now study the placement of the planets, stars, and other celestial bodies, not to
necessarily find a connection between the celestial bodies and how it may affect human identity but to just
understand the universe as a whole and how it works.

Nicolaus Copernicus- proposed model Giovanni Cassini- Measured

Galileo Galilei -creation of the of the solar system that involved the how long it took the planets
optical telescope Earth revolving around the sun. Jupiter and Mars to rotate
Is Astrology Credible?
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