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Lionel Mandrake

Lionel Mandrake's Journal
Lionel Mandrake's Journal
November 4, 2018

Names of sciences that begin with "Astro".

An educational song from "Sesame Street" goes like this:

"One of these things is not like the others,
One of these things just doesn’t belong,
Can you tell which thing is not like the others
By the time I finish my song?"

Here is a of things, one of which doesn't belong:

astrochemistry
astrodynamics
astrology
astrometry
astronautics
astronomy
astrophysics

Ironically enough, the thing that doesn't belong is the one most frequently abbreviated "astro". The other things in the list are respectable subjects one might study in a college or university. The one you are least likely to recognize (unless you have studied astronomy) is "astrometry". According to the dictionary on my computer, "astrometry" is "the measurement of the positions, motions, and magnitudes of stars".

What doesn't belong in the list is, of course, "astrology". Why doesn't it belong? For one thing, no reputable college would teach a course in it. It became disreputable during the 17th century and has remained so ever since.

What's wrong with astrology? Is it merely a scam? Is it a sign of stupidity? Is it a science that failed? Charles Day, who writes a regular column in the magazine Physics Today, had this to say in the October 2018 issue:

https://physicstoday.scitation.org/doi/10.1063/PT.3.4032?af=R&fbclid=IwAR2Q7BbJtPzRuUAbW4XxIlPOvAeewAqUYrZPBQgzQrvey4L-SCy1sYv1IcY

Profile Information

Gender: Male
Hometown: The Left Coast
Home country: USA
Current location: electrical wires
Member since: Sun Jul 1, 2007, 06:47 PM
Number of posts: 4,076

About Lionel Mandrake

I study, play the piano, play chess and go, and enjoy the company of my wife, children, grandchildren, other relatives, and friends. I am a perennial student at a school where they let me attend classes and use the library for free (because I'm old). My serious reading includes math, science, history, and biography. I enjoy science fiction and mysteries, which my wife and I refer to as "mind rot". And now on to politics. I hated Nixon and Reagan. I think W is a war criminal and was easily the worst president in US history until Trump came along. Trump and Sessions should be tried for having separated small children from their parents, which was a crime against humanity. I will support any candidate who is a "dove". I support "plan B" without prescription for girls of all ages. I support free abortion on demand, without delay, and without the requirement to notify anyone, for all women and girls who want it. I think it's time to repeal the Bush/Trump tax cuts for corporations and the very rich.
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