Download this article
- PDF (345 KB)

Back to the Table of Contents

Astronomy in Everyday Life (page 30)
Marissa Rosenberg, Georgia Bladon, Pedro Russo, Lars Lindberg Christensen

Key Words
Justification, Technology Transfer, Astronomy and Society, Astronomy and World View

Summary

For a long time astronomers and other scientists believed that the importance of their work was evident to society. But in these difficult days of financial austerity, even the most obvious benefits of science have to undergo careful scrutiny. So, now more than ever is the time to highlight the importance of astronomy as a field in terms of its contributions to our technology, our mind sets and our lives.

Here we will outline both the tangible and intangible reasons why astronomy is an important part of society. Whilst considerable attention will be given to technology and knowledge transfer from astronomy, perhaps the most important contribution outlined is the awareness that astronomy gives us of the vastness of the Universe and our place within it.