Tag Archives: astronomy

Some scientists, including astronomers, consider it heresy to ask what is the use of what they do. So it’s nice to find a good essay on the why, especially astronomy. Other than the pretty pictures…

"Astronomy’s appetite for computational power drove the development of many of the earliest electronic computers. The space age, which brought us the communication and weather satellites upon which we depend each day, would have been impossible without the fundamental knowledge of gravity and orbits discovered by astronomers. Radio astronomers led the development of low-noise radio receivers that made possible the satellite communications industry. Image-processing techniques developed by astronomers now are part of the medical imaging systems that allow non-invasive examination of patients’ internal organs."

Worth the read.