Questions & Answers:

Dream Weaver​​: when and why did astrology get created, @Science Mom?

Basil​​: If "ology" means the study of something, then why is astrology not the science? Why is the suffix for astronomy "nomy?"

Many branches of science end with the suffix “ology” (biology, ecology, geology, physiology, etc) because their titles were coined during the Renaissance and Scientific Revolution when it was common practice to coin new terms using Greek or Latin root words. 

Physics and mathematics were much older branches of study, so they kept their established names. Around this time, alchemy evolved into chemistry. You can see the similarities from the Latin “alchimista” to the French “chimiste” which became the English “chemist.” 

Astrology and astronomy were also old branches of study with well established names. They are both very old words that date back to ancient Greece. 

Astronomy means “law or arrangement of the stars.” 

Astrology means “study of the stars.” 

The terms were sometimes used interchangeably but in ancient times, astronomy usually referred specifically to studying the movements and positions of celestial objects. It included things like:

• Figuring out that Jupiter would pass behind the Moon in two month's time.
• Using the position of the stars to accurately navigate a long distance.
• Predicting the time of a lunar eclipse.
  

Astrology, on the other hand, was concerned with the Earthly consequences of how celestial objects behaved. It included things such as:

• Advising people to marry on a certain date because the star position would increase their chance of a happy marriage.
• Predicting that people would be more aggressive when Mars was visible.
• Delaying crop planting because a comet appeared and this was considered unlucky.
  

Astronomy and astrology were practiced together for hundreds of years in many cultures around the world (not just ancient Greece).

The two fields remained intertwined until about the 17th century. At this point, advances in astronomy started to discredit astrology. For example, heliocentrism (the Sun being the center of the solar system) worked well for astronomy but was problematic for astrology. 

As the scientific method became more important in science, astronomy developed into a true branch of science. Astrology, on the other hand, steadily lost intellectual respectability. By the end of the Renaissance, astrology was viewed as unscientific.

Simone S:​​ Should we still study Astrology even though it’s wrong?

Studying astrology can still be valuable because it gives us insight into human cultures, mythology, and history. It also has interesting symbolism and can teach us things about human psychology. 

For example, the Barnum Effect states that people have a strong tendency to believe vague, general statements are personally meaningful. We definitely see this with horoscopes! The Decision Lab has an interesting article about this effect with several examples relating to astrology: https://thedecisionlab.com/biases/barnum-effect 

Again, the danger in studying astronomy is when it’s applied as a science. The central claims of astrology are based on superstitions and mythology and it’s detrimental to interpret them as being factual. 

NormalHumanBeing:​​ I thought space doesn't look like that. Don't they put in colors to make it pretty and it arent those colors not visible to our eye?

Summer:​​ How are the JWST images of stars colored? 

"Cosmic Cliffs," an image of the Carina Nebula (NGC 3372) fromt he JWST

The James Webb Telescope (JWST) takes images in multiple wavelengths and has an incredible range. Colors are applied to the data to help us better see and understand the images. Instead of each pixel being one of 65,000 different shades of grey, they assign colors to different wavelengths. Shorter wavelengths are blue, longer wavelengths are colored green, and the longest wavelengths are colored red.

You can read more about how the JWST images are processed here: 

https://webbtelescope.org/contents/articles/how-are-webbs-full-color-images-made