Astronomy???

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   IntimatEvolutionposted 12 years ago

   Why do you think that this art form has been somewhat loss?  Why aren't we taught astronomy and astrology in at least Jr high and high school in America.  I am quite dumbfounded by these two particular subjects.  But it seems our future might literally been in the stars, so why aren't we taught how to interpret them?  I can hardly find the big dipper.  Why aren't we at least shown how to map the sky like the ancient peoples did?

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      Randy Godwinposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Now we just use the computer, IE.  I have very little faith in our present educational system to teach the basic subjects, much less ancient arts. 

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         IntimatEvolutionposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         I cant even figure it out online.  I find that rather embarrassing.

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      jomineposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Just look at the sky and wonder, isn't that enough?
      Mysteries are interesting, ones its known, it becomes plain and simple.
      Future? we may not have much future, after all, given the way things are going!!

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         lone77starposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Such pessimism!

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   lone77starposted 12 years ago

   Astronomy is a science and definitely should be taught in junior or high school.
   
   Astrology is a pseudo-science or art, very ancient, but of little value in the modern world, except as a form of entertainment. If there are any who are truly adept at that art, they are a rare sort, but all that I've read about frequently get it wrong or are so general that they're bound to be right some of the time. Not much of a science, there.
   
   Astronomy and space travel have been in my blood for nearly 60 years. I even have a couple of websites dedicated to it -- one informational, one to sell 3D astronomy software.
   
   Most people live in or near big cities and that makes it hard to find constellations. When I moved from the States to the Philippines, I was finally able to see Alpha Centauri, our closest neighboring star system. This is because the star is only visible from the southern hemisphere or near the equator.
   
   The visible night sky has already been thoroughly mapped, many times over. We have sky atlases which show the location not only of individual stars, but nebulae, star cluster, many galaxies and the Milky Way.

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      IntimatEvolutionposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for the enlighting post.  Lone77 you have such great wisdom.  I throughly enjoy reading your comments.

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   wildernessposted 12 years ago

   Art form?  Astronomy is a science, not art, and Astrology is little more than an entertaining mythology that has absolutely no business in our school system.
   
   As Lone points out, astronomy is difficult to teach in or near cities.  Pictures of the night sky may be used, but it is not the same and doesn't carry the same interest of the student. 
   
   There is no need to map the sky as in the past; GPS systems, compasses, etc. provide the necessary information today.  While constellations are interesting and fun to find, they are of no real value any more than teaching a city dweller how to track wild animals is.

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      IntimatEvolutionposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Yes an art.  It takes a level of skill and talent to understanding Astrology or Astromoy.  Furthermore, I applied the word art here as way of describing my opinion on the subject matter.  You describe how you want and I will do the same.  Thank you though.

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         Cagsilposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Hey IE,
         
         Just a thought....
         
         It isn't bad form to put astrology and astronomy in the same category. Astrology is a mystical application, deemed invalid and/or conjecture. Astronomy is an actual science.

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            IntimatEvolutionposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            Why is Astrology so frowned upon?  You know I really don't much about either of them.  In the 1980's in rural Mo, we were never taught about the stars.

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               Cagsilposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               It's not testable. It's all based on interpretation.

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                  IntimatEvolutionposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  Ah.  Hey thanks!

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               kmackey32posted 12 years agoin reply to this

               I can find the Big Dipper...

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               wildernessposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               Astrology is not the study of the stars.  Rather it is a mystical determination, using the position of the planets, of what and who you are.  It is used to give advice on how to act in the future.
               
               One must look at where the planets were when you were born, where they are now, and thus determine everything about you and what your future will be.  As these locations have nothing to do with who or what you are, much less your personal future, it is useful only for entertainment.  Much as a Ouija board is.
               
               It is neither science nor art, but only a scam to separate money from gullible believers in it's usefulness.

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            IntimatEvolutionposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            Well I guess so.  Wasn't really trying to be perfect or anything like that.  Truthfully Cags...  I don't care.  I just wanted to post something in the forums that I thought people might like to talk about.  So I guess I should have, but, it really wasn't important enough to me to put that kind of thought behind that particular post.

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               A Troubled Manposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               Hmmm, maybe caring and putting thought into posts is the reason why some can tell the difference between astrology and astronomy and why one isn't taught in schools.
               
               You might have even answered your own question without post it.

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                  IntimatEvolutionposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  Absolutely.

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   Spacekidposted 12 years ago

   At my old school, they didn't have anything involving space,i was lucky to even get a footnote from a text book that wasn't even related to the subject.I would have been more than happy if there was a class. I mostly had to do astronomy on my own time.

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      IntimatEvolutionposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Yeah, this is my situation as well.

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   recommend1posted 12 years ago

   What the hell has happened to American education !!!   when people do not know the difference between the real scientific 'subject' of atronomy and the mumbo-jumbo of astrology I can only conclude that creationist teaching is at work !  When will somebody in the UJS of A get a grip on this flat-earth nonsense and ban it from schools where it is making morons of your people !

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      IntimatEvolutionposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      You take these forums far to literal.  Secondly, since you only use a tiny part of hubpages it is quite clear that you do not understand how a hubber gets a hub score like mine...  This is the second time I have tried to explain this to you. 
      _____________________»
      Personally,  I get tired of hosting conversations like this one here, because a person chooses to be ignorant about how Hubpages scoring works.  Shall we blame that on the flat earth theory used earlier?  I think not...

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         recommend1posted 12 years agoin reply to this

         I suppose you know what you are talking about.  what previous conversation and when ?  maybe it was the only one we have had where you claimed to teach christianity but don't know the difference between astronomy and astrology, or the cross and a totem pole ?

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            IntimatEvolutionposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            I did teach Biblical history to kids & to adults.  My last gig was between 2001-2004 at the United Methodist Church in Tipton, Mo.  Like their phone number to confirm?  The receptionist name is Bertha. Then my husband killed himself by hanging. I found him.  Didn't do so hot after that....  So I quit and moved away and became afraid to go outside and talk to people.  So....  I am just now getting my life back.  But that doesn't change the fact thatI am educated in certain subjects.  I have two completely different degrees.   And have taken a class or two here and there.  I am not dumb and I am tired of you comments suggesting that I am.  Please stop doing that.
            
            I do know the difference between a cross and a totem pole. Where is your evidence that I don't know the difference.   Show me your facts.  I am sick of your personal
            opinions of me.  I am sure lots of
            people are.  I have
            politely asked you to
            stop with the personal insults.  There is no need for you to attack me in
            this way by making comments like this.  I find it very insulting and I think you mean it that way.  Based off my past experiences with you. You clearly do not like me.  So leave me alone.  I will do the same.  Hubpages is a big site.  There is no need for you to continuely attack my character or intelligence in this manner.  It is uncalled for.

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               recommend1posted 12 years agoin reply to this

               ok - I will stop pointing out the more ridiculous holes in your knowledge and understanding, I did not realise you wanted it kept a secret.

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   psycheskinnerposted 12 years ago

   However, it is true that treating astronomy and astrology as if they are equivalent is like asking why we aren't taught alchemy and chemistry.  Because one is a science and the other is at best a sociological phenomenon and arguably nothing more than an obsolete set of delusions.

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      IntimatEvolutionposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      But wasn't alchemy the grandfather of modern chemistry?
      
      That's the extent of my real connection I was making between the two.  Yes, a major aspect of both astrology and astronomy is only found in the stars.  That's all they had in common, but I thought maybe the differences would make for good conversation.  Hence my approach....

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   IzzyMposted 12 years ago

   Funny this subject should come up, as I just spent a happy hour star-gazing. They recently changed our street lighting to some sort of 'white light' and it may well be cheaper to run than the typical yellow street lighting, but it doesn't put out much light, which is great for star-gazing. Tonight is one of those nights with no moon and a starlit sky that is just wondrous to watch, at least until the mozzies chased me indoors.
   It is amazing just how many satellites are out there that we can watch traversing the night sky.

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      IntimatEvolutionposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      When I was a little girl you'd never come across them in the night sky.  But now, it's hard not too see them.

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      recommend1posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I spent a few months in the Carribean on a warship tracking the then new satellites that were being launched by the dozen to make up the communications network up there.
      
      My most enduring memory is just how many stars there are when you can actually see them, and how big they are !

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         wildernessposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         I spent 20+ years living in the heart of Virginia on the east coast where city lights drown out all but the brightest stars even in the country.
         
         One of my first trips after moving to Idaho was to go camping many miles from even the nearest small town.  It was awesome!  I had forgotten what the night sky looks like when you can actually see it and not the streetlights.

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            recommend1posted 12 years agoin reply to this

            Yep - the inability of most people to see the night sky may be partly responsible for the introspective and apparent dumbing down of the population.  Star gazing is useful to remind us of how insignificant and special we are.

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   IntimatEvolutionposted 12 years ago

   Yawn.

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      recommend1posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      There you go, now you are talking about something you  do understand.

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   IzzyMposted 12 years ago

   @IntimatEvolution, I am so sorry you've had the horrific experience of losing your husband to suicide. I just wanted to comment to let you know that folk here sympathise with you, and thanks for sharing.
   
   @recommend - you get back up that tree you huge black and white monster thing and get on with leaf eating or whatever it is you Pandas do!!

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