Portal:Astronomy

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Introduction

A man sitting on a chair mounted to a moving platform, staring through a large telescope. — Percival Lowell observing Venus from the Lowell Observatory telescope in 1914

Astronomy is anatural science that studiescelestial objects and thephenomena that occur in the cosmos. It usesmathematics,physics, andchemistry in order to explain their origin and their overallevolution. Objects of interest includeplanets,moons,stars,nebulae,galaxies,meteoroids,asteroids, andcomets. Relevant phenomena includesupernova explosions,gamma ray bursts,quasars,blazars,pulsars, andcosmic microwave background radiation. More generally, astronomy studies everything that originates beyondEarth's atmosphere.Cosmology is a branch of astronomy that studies theuniverse as a whole.

Astronomy is one of the oldest natural sciences. The early civilizations inrecorded history made methodical observations of thenight sky. These include theEgyptians,Babylonians,Greeks,Indians,Chinese,Maya, and many ancientindigenous peoples of the Americas. In the past, astronomy included disciplines as diverse asastrometry,celestial navigation,observational astronomy, and the making ofcalendars.

Professional astronomy is split intoobservational andtheoretical branches. Observational astronomy is focused on acquiring data from observations of astronomical objects. This data is then analyzed using basic principles of physics. Theoretical astronomy is oriented toward the development of computer or analytical models to describe astronomical objects and phenomena. These two fields complement each other. Theoretical astronomy seeks to explain observational results and observations are used to confirm theoretical results.

Astronomy is one of the few sciences in which amateurs play anactive role. This is especially true for the discovery and observation oftransient events.Amateur astronomers have helped with many important discoveries, such as finding new comets. (Full article...)

General images -load new batch

The following are images from various astronomy-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1HistoricalJantar Mantar observatory inJaipur, India (fromHistory of astronomy)
Image 2Mayall telescope atKitt Peak National Observatory (fromObservational astronomy)
Image 3Comparison ofCMB (Cosmic microwave background) results from satellitesCOBE,WMAP andPlanck documenting a progress in 1989–2013 (fromHistory of astronomy)
Image 49th-century diagram of the positions of theseven planets on 18 March 816, from theLeiden Aratea (fromHistory of astronomy)
Image 5An example of a gravitational lens found in the DESI Legacy Surveys data. There are four sets of lensed images in DESI-090.9854-35.9683, corresponding to four distinct background galaxies—from the outermost giant red arc to the innermost bright blue arc, arranged in four concentric circles. All of them are gravitationally warped—or lensed—by the orange galaxy at the very center. Dark matter is expected to produce gravitational lensing also. (fromPhysical cosmology)
Image 6ALMA is the world's most powerful telescope for studying the Universe at submillimeter and millimeter wavelengths. (fromObservational astronomy)
Image 7History of theUniverse –gravitational waves are hypothesized to arise fromcosmic inflation, a rapidly accelerated expansion just after theBig Bang (fromPhysical cosmology)
Image 8A voting session is conducted in 2006International Astronomical Union's general assembly for determining anew definition of a planet (fromAstronomer)
Image 9TheNebra sky disk, Germany, 1800–1600 BC (fromHistory of astronomy)
Image 10Sir Patrick Moore was one of the world's leading popularisers of astronomy. (fromAmateur astronomy)
Image 11The main platform atLa Silla hosts a huge range of telescopes with which astronomers can explore the Universe. (fromObservational astronomy)
Image 12Portrait of the Flemish astronomerFerdinand Verbiest who became head of the Mathematical Board and director of the Observatory of the Chinese emperor in 1669 (fromAstronomer)
Image 13TheOort cloud, one of the most successful theoretical models about theSolar System (fromTheoretical astronomy)
Image 14Amateur astronomy groups are often involved in outreach to introduce astronomy to the general public (fromAmateur astronomy)
Image 15An assembly inEstonia to observemeteors (fromObservational astronomy)
$Image 1650 cm refracting telescope at Nice Observatory (from Observational astronomy)$
Image 1650 cm refracting telescope atNice Observatory (fromObservational astronomy)
Image 17Sunset at theequinox from the prehistoric site of Pizzo Vento atFondachelli Fantina,Sicily (fromHistory of astronomy)
Image 18Places likeParanal Observatory offer crystal clear skies for observing astronomical objects with or without instruments. (fromAmateur astronomy)
Image 19Segment of theastronomical ceiling of Senenmut's Tomb (circa 1479–1458 BC), depicting constellations, protective deities, and twenty-four segmented wheels for the hours of the day and the months of the year (fromHistory of astronomy)
Image 20One of the Oldest Observatories inSouth America is theQuito Astronomical Observatory, founded in 1873 and located 12 minutes south of theEquator in Quito, Ecuador. The Quito Astronomical Observatory is the National Observatory of Ecuador and is located in the Historic Center of Quito and is managed by theNational Polytechnic School. (fromObservational astronomy)
Image 21"El Caracol" observatory temple atChichen Itza,Mexico (fromHistory of astronomy)
Image 22The inflationary theory as an augmentation to the Big Bang theory was first proposed by Alan Guth of MIT. Inflation solves the 'horizon problem' by making the early universe much more compact than was assumed in the standard model. Given such smaller size, causal contact (i.e., thermal communication) would have been possible among all regions of the early universe. The image was an adaptation from various generic charts depicting the growth of the size of the observable universe, for both the standard model and inflationary model respectively, of the Big Bang theory. (fromPhysical cosmology)
Image 23TheNorthern Hemisphere page fromJohann Bayer's 1661 edition ofUranometria - the firstatlas to havestar charts covering the entirecelestial sphere (fromHistory of astronomy)
Image 24TheCrab Nebula as seen in various wavelengths (fromObservational astronomy)
Image 25Map of theMilky Way Galaxy, with theconstellations that cross thegalactic plane in each direction and the known prominent components annotated includingmain arms, spurs, bar,nucleus/bulge, notablenebulae andglobular clusters (fromHistory of astronomy)
Image 26Amateur astronomer recording observations of the sun. (fromAmateur astronomy)
Image 27Historical accuracy of atomic clocks fromNIST. (fromTheoretical astronomy)
Image 28An amateur astrophotography setup with an automated guide system connected to a laptop (fromObservational astronomy)
Image 29Artist conception of theBig Bang cosmological model, the most widely accepted out of all in physical cosmology (neither time nor size to scale) (fromPhysical cosmology)
Image 30Babylonian tablet in theBritish Museum recordingHalley's Comet in 164 BC (fromHistory of astronomy)
Image 31TheAntikythera Mechanism was ananalog computer from 150 to 100 BC designed to calculate the positions of astronomical objects. (fromHistory of astronomy)
Image 32Overview of types of observational astronomy by observed wavelengths and their observability. (fromObservational astronomy)
Image 33TheHubble Space Telescope (fromHistory of astronomy)
Image 34An image of theCat's Paw Nebula created combining the work of professional and amateur astronomers. The image is the combination of the 2.2-metre MPG/ESO telescope of the La Silla Observatory in Chile and a 0.4-meter amateur telescope. (fromAmateur astronomy)
Image 35Southern Hemisphere (fromHistory of astronomy)
Image 36Ultra HD photography taken atLa Silla Observatory (fromObservational astronomy)
Image 37Calendrical functions of theBerlin Gold Hat c. 1000 BC (fromHistory of astronomy)
Image 38Arabicastrolabe from 1079 to 1080 AD (fromHistory of astronomy)

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Featured article -show another

This is aFeatured article, which represents some of the best content on English Wikipedia.

Herbig–Haro(HH) objects are bright patches ofnebulosity associated with newbornstars. They are formed when narrow jets of partiallyionised gas ejected by stars collide with nearby clouds of gas and dust at several hundred kilometers per second. Herbig–Haro objects are commonly found instar-forming regions, and several are often seen around a single star, aligned with itsrotational axis. Most of them lie within about oneparsec (3.26light-years) of the source, although some have been observed several parsecs away. HH objects are transient phenomena that last around a few tens of thousands of years. They can change visibly over timescales of a few years as they move rapidly away from their parent star into the gas clouds of interstellar space (theinterstellar medium or ISM).Hubble Space Telescope observations have revealed the complex evolution of HH objects over the period of a few years, as parts of the nebula fade while others brighten as they collide with the clumpy material of the interstellar medium.

First observed in the late 19th century bySherburne Wesley Burnham, Herbig–Haro objects were recognised as a distinct type ofemission nebula in the 1940s. The first astronomers to study them in detail wereGeorge Herbig andGuillermo Haro, after whom they have been named. Herbig and Haro were working independently on studies ofstar formation when they first analysed the objects, and recognised that they were a by-product of the star formation process. Although HH objects are visible-wavelength phenomena, many remain invisible at these wavelengths due to dust and gas, and can only be detected atinfrared wavelengths. Such objects, when observed in near-infrared, are called molecular hydrogenemission-line objects (MHOs). (Full article...)

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Did you know -show different entries

... that theLone Signal project sendsmessages byordinary citizens to extraterrestrial civilizations using theJamesburg Earth Station?
... that6Q0B44E, a recently discoveredsatellite ofEarth, is thought to be a large piece ofspace debris?
... that approximately one-third of nearbygalaxies containlow-ionization nuclear emission-line regions?
... thatlunar lava tubes could provide natural shelters formanned lunar habitats?
... that many geographic features onCampbell Island, New Zealand, were named for members of the French1874 Transit of Venus astronomical expedition?

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... thatNa drugą planetę, published in 1895 as one of the earliest Polish science-fiction novels, was later criticized by communist-era censors for its perceived "adoration for America"?
... that theactive galaxy3C 120 was given thevariable-star designation BW Tauri because of its variability in thevisible spectrum?
... thatKing Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard's "cli-fi"thrash metal album addresses a mix of current ecological threats and attempts to find another planet to live on?
... that in early depictions ofUranus in fiction, the planet was portrayed as solid
... thata group of K-pop fans performed a dance with the goal of convincing a company to commit to100% renewable energy?
... thatfictional planets of the Solar System include planets between Venus and Earth, planets on the inside of ahollow Earth, and a planet "behind the Earth"?

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WikiProjects

WikiProject Astronomy	WikiProject Solar System



WikiProject Cosmology	WikiProject Spaceflight

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Credit: Boris Štromar

Andromeda is one of the 48constellations listed by the 2nd-centuryGreco-Roman astronomerPtolemy, and one of the88 modern constellations. Located north of thecelestial equator, it is named forAndromeda, daughter of Cassiopeia. Andromeda is most prominent during autumn evenings in theNorthern Hemisphere.

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Astronomy News

2025 in space

« 2024
2026 »

Space probe launches

Hakuto-R Mission 2 (January)
Blue Ghost Mission 1 (January)
IM-2 (February)
SPHEREx (March)
Tianwen-2

SelectedNEOs

Discoveries

Exoplanets	Gaia 4b Gaia 5b Barnard's Star Planetary system

Comets

April anniversaries

2 April 1968 – Theepic science fiction film,2001: A Space Odyssey is released
3 April 2014 – NASA announces that theCassini orbiter has found evidence of an underground body of water onEnceladus, a moon ofSaturn
7 April 2001 –Mars Odyssey orbiter is launched to map and search for water onMars
12 April 1961 –Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human to enter outer space when he is launched into orbital flight inVostok 1
19 April 1971 – The firstspace station,Salyut 1, is launched into orbit
24 April 1990 – TheHubble Space Telescope, a powerful research tool and public relations boon for astronomy, is launched into orbit

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Space-related Portals

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Astronomical events

All timesUT unless otherwise specified.Portal:Astronomy/Events/April 2025

v t e Celestial events by month
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2020	January February March April May June July August September October November December
2019	January February March April May June July August September October November December
2018	January February March April May June July August September October November December
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2015	January February March April May June July August September October November December
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2007	January February March April May June July August September October November December
2006	January February March April May June July August September October November December
2005	January February March April May June July August September October November December

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Topics

Astronomy

Astronomy by

Manner	Amateur Observational Sidewalk Space telescope
Celestial subject	Galactic /Extragalactic Local system Solar
EM methods	Radio Submillimetre Infrared (Far-infrared) Visible-light(optical) Ultraviolet X-ray History Gamma-ray
Other methods	Neutrino Cosmic rays Gravitational radiation High-energy Radar Spherical Multi-messenger
Culture	Australian Aboriginal Babylonian Chinese Egyptian Greek Hebrew Indian Inuit Maya Medieval Islamic Persian Serbian folk Tibetan

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v t e Major subfields ofastronomy
Astrobiology Astrochemistry Astrometry Astrophysics Cosmochemistry Cosmology Extragalactic astronomy Galactic astronomy Orbital mechanics Physical cosmology Planetary geology Planetary science Solar astronomy Stellar astronomy