The difference between astrology and astronomy.?

Question

I know, I know, It is kind of a stupid question, but every time I look up the difference it seems that there are none. Can someone please tell me the main difference between the two?

Answer 1

Astrology-deals with your birth sign

Astronomy-deals with objects in space

Answer 2

The difference is about the same as between physics and psychics.

Astrology is like an older form of astronomy. Like alchemy is an older form of chemistry.

Answer 3

Astronomy is the dude with telescopes looking at the stars. Astrology is the dude with a computer and an ability to spin s#it.

Answer 4

astronomy- it is what you see.

astrology- it is what you interpret from what you've seen

Answer 5

Astrology began as the attempt to understand the heavens (EXACTLY the same as astronomy).

However, at the time, the only way things were known to move was by direct contact.  There was no such thing as "action at a distance".

Planets were simply stars that moved among the "fixed" stars ("aster planetes" means moving star).

So, the best theory was that gods (later, angels) were moving the planets around, and they were doing that to send messages to us.  Because they live for very long time, they do not have to write fast.

Astrologers therefore had, as an important role, the task of interpreting the messages sent to us by the movement of the planets.

Meanwhile, some of them were looking for patterns and found them: they were able to predict future movements of planets and they prepared tables.  Thus is born astronomy (meaning: listing things in the sky).  However, their main task was still astrology ("understanding" the heavens).  

Many famous astronomers were also famous astrologers (this was practical in order to get funding for observatories: get the prince to pay for the observatory, in return you tell him what the gods have in store for him  -- keep it vague and positive, and you'll get funding for a long time).

With Kepler and Newton, it became clear that planets were in orbit around the Sun and did not need anyone to move them around: gravity was the "action at a distance" that kept the planets moving.

This is the point where astronomy and astrology went their separate way, with the latter still 'interpreting' the messages of the planets, even though the planets no longer had any messages for us.

Answer 6

Astronomy - Fact

Astrology - Fiction

Astronomy is the scientific study of celestial objects (such as stars, planets, comets, and galaxies) and phenomena that originate outside the Earth's atmosphere (such as the cosmic background radiation). It is concerned with the evolution, physics, chemistry, meteorology, and motion of celestial objects, as well as the formation and development of the universe.

Astrology  is a group of systems, traditions, and beliefs in which knowledge of the apparent relative positions of celestial bodies and related details is held to be useful in understanding, interpreting, and organizing information about personality, human affairs, and other terrestrial matters

Answer 7

Astronomy is a science.  It is the study of things beyond the earth's atmosphere.  Astrology is the activity of pretending that astronomical phenomenon can be used to predict personalities and personal events here on earth.

Answer 8

Thanks for your interesting question. Since so many of the answers took only one point of view, I will add my point of view.

What we call Astrology today was the best form of Astronomy that ancient peoples were able to do. It was more important to them than modern Astronomy is to us.

The ancients had many beliefs, with many differing opinions. Some of these were life and death affecting beliefs. The most important of these were 'When should we plant the seeds for our crops?' and 'When should we plant the seeds to make strong babies?' Others were 'When should we attack our enemies?' and 'When should we move the village to a warmer or cooler location?'

The wisest among them could see a relationship between the Sun, Moon, and stars, to what was happening on Earth. If the stars could indicate when you should plant, maybe they could indicate other useful things.

Ancients all over the world kept track of the movements and events that they saw, and recorded events on Earth so that they could see if any events were related. In China, for example, the arrival of spectacular comets forewarned of terrible events on Earth. Last year we had a spectacular comet, and China suffered a terrible earthquake.

The ancient Chinese Astrologer would say, 'It was foretold by the comet.'

The ability to see a correlation between stars and earthly events gave the wise men tremendous power. Imagine how ancient people would feel when the wise man would say (based on his observations and calculations) 'Tomorrow, because you have been bad, the Sun will become dark, and only if you bow and say you will be good, will it re-appear!'

The following day, the solar Eclipse occurs and the power of the wise man becomes stronger. Today we call these ancient men 'witches' or 'witch doctors' or 'Astrologers.' But they were careful observers of the stars who kept accurate records over years of time. Astrology was the forerunner of modern Astronomy.

Astrology today is still used by people to try to foretell the unknown, or to decide if they will have a lucky or unlucky day. It is used to influence all kinds of opinions. People pay money to astrologers, and believe in what they say.

Some would say, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Today, Astronomers say, 'There could be a terrible asteroid that might hit the Earth and kill everybody!' You better pay attention to what we say! Give us lots of money and we will protect you!

:-D Of course most Astronomers are just people who are interested in the stars and love the beauty and mystery that they can find out in the Universe. For a few hundred dollars, anyone can have a telescope that can let them see what the ancients could never have imagined.