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
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 30 Sep. 2025
Ancient astronomers knew of these slow shifts in the night sky, according to Dorian Gieseler Greenbaum, who teaches cultural astronomy and astrology at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 28 Sep. 2025
Introduced in 1927, Heisenberg uncertainty principle is a result that could underpin future ultra-precise sensor technology used in navigation, medicine, and astronomy.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2025
In astronomy, though, the frontiers felt wide open.
—Adam Frank, Big Think, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for astronomy
Cite this Entry
“Astronomy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/astronomy. Accessed 3 Oct. 2025.
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astronomy
noun
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