1.

Introduction to astrophysics
Astronomy is a science which deals with the origin, evolution, composition, distance, and motion of
all bodies and scattered matter in the universe. Astrophysics on the other hand deals with the physical
properties and structure of all cosmic matter. It is an amalgam of physics and astronomy.
Ever since human beings have come into existence, we have looked up at the night sky and have been
captured in awe and curiosity by its dazzling features. The motion of the stars, planets and moon
begged for an explanation; and as we have learned throughout history, there have been countless trials
and errors which weve come across. It was not until a handful of people who would later on become
famous, cracked the code that would unravel the secrets of the heavens and usher in a new
understanding of the cosmos that would perpetually renew our perspective throughout the course of
history. After centuries of speculation, we now have a clear picture of how the universe works.
As an astrophysicist, you study celestial objects such as galaxies, neutron stars, black holes along with
the forces which govern our universe to name but a few.
Some individuals may be confused by the difference between astrology and astronomy/astrophysics.
Astrology is a pseudoscience which assumes that the stars have some sort of emotional influence over
humans. It has thus, nothing to do with astronomy. As early as 6 B.C, Astrologers have contributed to
astronomy by designing imaginary shapes in the sky called constellations (Beyond The Big Bang,
2007). There are 88 constellations in total, each with a name assigned to them and they help modern
astronomers to locate objects.
2. History and development of astrophysics
Greek philosophers of the past were perplexed by the stars which seemed to move at a constant rate
across the sky. Since they all appeared to be fixed, they postulated that they were laid across the inner
surface of a hollow sphere which surrounded the Earth (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2010). This idea
originated from Pythagoras who thought that the Sun, Moon and planets travelled in different hollow
spheres around the Earth (StarTeach Astronomy Education, 2013).
In the 2nd century AD, a Greek astronomer by the name of Claudius Ptolemy came up with the concept
of an earth-centred universe which suggested that every object in the universe orbited around Earth at
a constant speed and that planets moved in epicycles (In reality this was due to the position of outer
planets relative to Earths position around the Sun). His calculations could predict the motion of
planets even though the way they moved according to him was wrong. This notion became known as
the Ptolemaic system and held sway for over 1300 years (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2010).
This was until Nicolaus Copernicus; a Polish astronomer came up with a radical new idea in the 16 th
century which would shake the Catholic Church off of its feet due to their belief. He proposed that the
Sun was at the centre of the universe and not the Earth. Copernicus had also deduced that the Earth
spun around its axis once a day from west to east. This lead to the realization that we are revolving
around the Sun; in addition to that, the moving stars in the sky were just an illusion created by Earths
rotation. This simple change was a remarkable one which gave the true picture of how our solar
system is organized.
Jahannes Kepler is another person who revolutionized the understanding of astronomy, particularly
how the planets moved. He came up with the three laws of planetary motion which govern how the
planets move around the Sun. Soon after Kepler revealed these laws, a great scientist of the 17 th
century served the role which would serve as a testimony to the Sun centred solar system model. His
name is Galileo Galilee. He designed his own refractor telescope which was over one metre in
diameter (Jordman, 2010). With it, he observed the craters and mountains on the moon, the large
number of stars in the sky and most importantly the changing phases of Venus (StarTeach Astronomy
Education, 2013). This is why today he is known as the Father of Modern Science.
In the modern day, we have technology which has helped us to further our understanding of the
universe. In the past however; people did not have such, thus they created solid structures which
would help them to track celestial objects. Structures such as Stonehenge and the Goseck circle

enabled early people such as farmers to know when is the right time to plant and to harvest (Beyond
The Big Bang, 2007).

Bibliography
Beyond The Big Bang. 2007. [Film]: Flight 33 Productions.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2010. Astronomy. 15th ed. Encyclopaedia Britannica.
Jordman, F., 2010. A History of Astrophysics - Part 1. [Online] Available at:
http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/4424 [Accessed 02 October 2013].
StarTeach Astronomy Education, 2013. [Online] Available at:
http://www.starteachastronomy.com/astronomers.html [Accessed 02 October
2013].