Astronomy is the science of the sky: stars, planets, moons, comets, galaxies — what they are, how they move, how they are born and how they die. You do it with telescopes, maths, and a lot of patient looking, not with luck or fortune-telling. The person is an astronomer.

Astronomy astronomy（天文學） is the science of the sky是研究天空的科學： stars, planets, moons, comets, galaxies星星、行星、衛星、彗星、星系— what they are, how they move, how they are born and how they die它們是什麼、怎麼運動、怎麼誕生、怎麼消亡。You do it with telescopes, maths, and a lot of patient looking要靠望遠鏡、數學，還有大量耐心的觀察， not with luck or fortune-telling不是靠運氣或算命。The person is an astronomer做這件事的人叫astronomer（天文學家）。

Students mix this up with astrology, which tries to read the sky as a guide to personality or the future. Astronomy is a science; astrology is not — though actually, for a long time in Europe the two sat in the same chair, and the word is older than that clean split.

Students mix this up with astrology學生常常把它跟astrology（占星術）搞混， which tries to read the sky as a guide to personality or the future占星術是想從天象去解讀個性或未來。Astronomy is a science Astronomy是科學； astrology is not astrology不是— though actually不過事實上， for a long time in Europe the two sat in the same chair在歐洲有很長一段時間，這兩者是坐在同一張椅子上的， and the word is older than that clean split這個字本身也比這種乾淨的區分還要古老。

In everyday talk people also stretch “astronomy” to mean almost anything about space, even rockets or physics, which is looser than a scientist would like.

In everyday talk在日常對話裡， people also stretch “astronomy”人們也會把astronomy這個字延伸使用， to mean almost anything about space, even rockets or physics用來指幾乎任何跟太空有關的東西，甚至火箭或物理， which is looser than a scientist would like這比科學家會喜歡的用法還要鬆散。