Whats the difference between astronomy and astrology?
Astrology is a pseudo-science which claims that the positions of the heavenly bodies have an effect on the lives of human beings and events on Earth. Astrology has many of the trappings of real science, like math and complicated diagrams and a specialized vocabulary, but astrologers do not follow the scientific method. Real scientists make careful measurements in well-controlled studies. Astrologers don’t do experiments to prove their theories. Instead, they like to provide anecdotal evidence — stories people tell about how accurate they think astrology is. Anecdotal evidence is not acceptable in a real science because it’s too easy to leave out all the negative experiences people have, and people not very good at recalling and accurately reporting experiences. Don’t refer to an astronomer as an astrologer! If you are interested in a career in astronomy and you have more questions, I’d love to get email from you!
