Cultural astronomy, sometimes called the study ofAstronomy in Culture, has been described as investigating "the diversity of ways in which cultures, both ancient and modern, perceive celestial objects and integrate them into their view of the world."[1] As such, it encompasses theinterdisciplinary fields studying theastronomies of current or ancient societies and cultures.[2] It developed from the two interdisciplinary fields ofarchaeoastronomy, the study of the use of astronomy and its role in ancient cultures and civilizations, andethnoastronomy, "a closely allied research field which merges astronomy, textual scholarship, ethnology, and the interpretation of ancient iconography for the purpose of reconstructing lifeways, astronomical techniques, and rituals."[3] Cultural astronomy is also related tohistorical astronomy (analyzing historical astronomical data),history of astronomy (understanding and study and evolution of the discipline of astronomy over the course of human knowledge) andhistory of astrology (investigating relationships betweenastrology and astronomy).[citation needed]
Research on cultural astronomy may be published in theJournal of Astronomy in Culture, which was established in 2016 by the International Society for Archaeoastronomy and Astronomy in Culture (ISAAC).[4]