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astronomy

American  
[uh-stron-uh-mee] / əˈstrɒn ə mi /

noun

  1. the science that deals with the material universe beyond the earth's atmosphere.

astronomy British  
/ əˈstrɒnəmɪ /

noun

  1. the scientific study of the individual celestial bodies (excluding the earth) and of the universe as a whole. Its various branches include astrometry, astrodynamics, cosmology, and astrophysics

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
astronomy Scientific  
/ ə-strŏn′ə-mē /

  1. The scientific study of the universe and the objects in it, including stars, planets, nebulae, and galaxies. Astronomy deals with the position, size, motion, composition, energy, and evolution of celestial objects. Astronomers analyze not only visible light but also radio waves, x-rays, and other ranges of radiation that come from sources outside the Earth's atmosphere.

astronomy Cultural  

  1. The science that deals with the universe beyond the Earth. It describes the nature, position, and motion of the stars, planets, and other objects in the skies, and their relation to the Earth.

Etymology

Origin of astronomy

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English astronomie, from Anglo-French, from Latin astronomia, from Greek; equivalent to astro- + -nomy

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Wilson Observatory to satisfy his lifelong interest in astronomy.

From Los Angeles Times

This overlap raises a major question in astronomy.

From Science Daily

Quantum networks may even contribute to astronomy by enabling optical telescopes with enhanced resolution, potentially allowing scientists to directly observe planets orbiting stars beyond our solar system.

From Science Daily

One of astronomy's longest standing puzzles has been understanding how black holes grew so large in such a short span of cosmic time.

From Science Daily

"No low-frequency radio image of the entire Southern Galactic Plane has been published before, making this an exciting milestone in astronomy."

From Science Daily

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.