Why do Astronomy & Astrophysics, and Why Not?

Many reasons can be enumerated.  The most usual ones follow.

Note: Astronomy = Astrophysics, for our purposes here.


Astronomy,  the study of matter and fields, light and waves, energy and
charges, and their interactions, is an international enterprise which plays 
a key role in the future progress of humankind.  The support of astrophysics 
education and research in all countries is important. 

In General, why study Astronomy ?

Astronomy is an exciting intellectual adventure that inspires young 
people and expands the frontiers of knowledge about Nature.

Astronomy generates fundamental knowledge needed for many future
technological advances. 

Astronomy contributes to the technological infrastructure and provides 
trained personnel needed to take advantage of scientific advances and 
discoveries.

Astronomy is an important element in the education of chemists,
physicists, engineers, mathematicians and computer scientists, as well as 
practitioners of the other physical sciences.

Astronomy extends and enhances our understanding of other disciplines, such 
as the earth, agricultural, chemical, biological, and environmental sciences.

Astrophysics and cosmology are subjects of 
substantial importance to all peoples of the world.

Astronomy improves our quality of life by providing some basic 
understanding necessary for developing new instrumentation and 
techniques for outside applications, such as computer tomography, etc.

Astronomy is an essential part of the educational system and of an 
advanced society.  

Specifically, why study Astronomy ?

• For its broadness. Astronomy is the science with the broader horizons full of new tech gizmo. The appeal of astronomy comes at an early age (6 y. old), full of excitement. Important discoveries are made each year, and will be for many decades to come.

• For the environment. The Sun sustains all life on Earth. During an 11-year solar sunspot activity there are times when charged particles from huge solar flares are emitted and bombard the Earth, interfering with communications systems, electric power grids, and even the yields of semiconductor chip production. In the long run (in 4 billion years), the Sun's core will have exhausted its hydrogen-burning life, and the Sun will grow to be a red giant star encompassing/eating up its lower planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth.

• For its beauty and wonder. We all marvel at all the different objects that are in the night sky: planets, nebulae, masers, dust spots, black holes, interstellar magnetic fields, galaxies; and maybe also different Life forms, and maybe other Intelligences. We can begin to contemplate the meaning or wisdom of it all.

• For the its newness. New objects are found from time to time, such as "proplyds", proto-stellar disks, jets, "light echoes", bursters, "Einstein rings", intergalactic walls and voids, gravitational lenses. There seems no be no end to the discoveries...

• For Science. Gains in knowledge are made through RESEARCH, a thorough inquiry started by defining a question, gathering relevant data, formulating an hypothesis inside a theoretical model, and then TESTING the predictions of that hypothesis. The testing results will confirm or infirm that hypothesis, devising a better model or abandoning the model for a new one.

• For the Technology. Astronomers are using ground-based telescopes, equipped with the latest electronic instruments and analysing hardware. They also use powerful supercomputers and modeling software.