Have you ever replied that you know nothing about astronomy when asked about your zodiac sign? Well, maybe you meant to say astrology instead. But don’t feel bad about it. Many think astronomy and astrology are the same when they are not.
Astronomy studies galaxies and celestial objects beyond Earth’s atmosphere and is based on science. On the other hand, astrology is a pseudoscience or an idea that stars and planets influence our personality, outlook in life, finances, romantic relationships, and even our careers. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg, so keep scrolling!
Related:
What Is Astronomy?
As mentioned earlier, this branch of studies studies all the phenomena that happen outside of planet Earth, including planets, moons, stars, and the whole universe. Its main objective? To understand how these objects work, their origin, evolution, and potential behavior.
With technological progress throughout the years, astronomers have led us to some of the most groundbreaking scientific discoveries in our history:
- Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543): Discovered that the Earth and the other planets of our solar system rotate around the sun.
- Tycho Brahe (1546-1601): Recorded the positions of stars and planets for decades, all without using a telescope. This paved the way for the research of another astronomer, Johannes Kepler.
- Johannes Kepler (1571-1630): Kepler formulated the three laws of planetary motion. Though mainly mathematical, these changed the way gravity was understood and studied.
- Galileo Galilei (1564-1642): Galilei was the first to use a telescope to study and observe our galaxy. He discovered craters on the Moon, the stars of the Milky Way, and the largest moons of Jupiter, among other things.
What Is Astrology?
Astrology is about how the position and movement of the Sun, the Moon, and the planets can influence our daily lives, human behavior, and shape our personality traits.
By interpreting the famous horoscopes or zodiac signs, astrology aims to explain and forecast events and personality types or moods, all calculated from your birth date.
Does Mercury in retrograde ring a bell?
One thing to remember is that there’s no scientific evidence to back astrology up, which is why it is considered a pseudoscience.
What’s the Difference Between Astronomy vs. Astrology?
Well, there’s one main difference between both disciplines: astronomy is a science, while astrology is not.
Astronomers base their research and studies on observation, records, and experiments that try to debunk or confirm their thoughts and theories. Thanks to it, we know that the position of the Moon alters the way tides behave, for example.
On the other hand, astrologers don’t have a scientific way to explain a person’s future. They rely on the movement of the planets and constellations for answers, which can be hard to demonstrate and prove in controlled environments. Basically, there’s nothing that proves that being a Scorpio makes you a hateful person.
Fun Fact: There was a time when astrology and astronomy were closely related and even synonymous.
To understand the difference between astronomy and astrology, here is a quick TLDR comparison table:
| Astronomy | Astrology | |
| Definition | A branch of science that studies celestial objects and phenomena beyond Earth | A belief system that suggests celestial events, positions, and movements can influence human affairs and traits |
| Specialist | Astronomer | Astrologer |
| Field Type | Science | Pseudoscience |
| Methodology | Based on observation, experimentation, and mathematical models | Based on symbolic interpretation and tradition |
| Purpose | To understand the universe’s structure, origins, and evolution | To interpret personal traits and predict a person’s life using birth charts or positions of celestial objects |
| Evidence | Backed by empirical data and peer-reviewed studies | Lacks scientific proof |
| Tools Used | Telescopes, satellites, and data modelling software | Horoscopes, zodiac charts |
Final Thoughts
And there you have it. Both astronomy and astrology observe and calculate the position of planets and stars. However, the latter (astrology) does not have scientific evidence to explain why Cancers are moody, and Geminis have a dual personality. On the other hand, the former is based on real science.
