astronomy
noun
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The Difference Between Astronomy and Astrology
Some may find it easy to confuse astronomy and astrology. At one time, these two words actually were synonymous (that is, astronomy once meant what astrology means today), but they have since moved apart from each other. In current use, astronomy is concerned with “the study of objects and matter outside the earth's atmosphere,” while astrology is the purported divination of how stars and planets influence our lives. Put bluntly, astronomy is a science, and astrology is not.
Examples of astronomy in a Sentence
Jacopo Prisco, CNN, 13 Aug. 2024
The Perseid meteor shower has already begun, but the peak time to watch it in the U.S. is the night of Aug. 11-12, says Alex Filippenko, a distinguished professor of astronomy at the University of California, Berkeley.
—Chantelle Lee, TIME, 6 Aug. 2024
George Mason University astronomy professor Peter Becker narrows a time frame down further.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY, 26 July 2024
Lee Billings is a science journalist specializing in astronomy, physics, planetary science, and spaceflight, and is a senior editor at Scientific American.
—Lee Billings, Scientific American, 26 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for astronomy 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'astronomy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near astronomy
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“Astronomy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/astronomy. Accessed 19 Aug. 2024.
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astronomy
noun
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