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Email: Astronomy@NatureQuest.net


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* We have posted our Second Edition of this Site's Overview below.

  • Our next task is to complete the Astronomy' Overviews with respect to each Subject-Section of our publication and then move on with the posting of our first Issues for Debates in Astronomy.
 

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  Site Overview Of

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Email: Astronomy@NatureQuest.net

 

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All Astronomy Overview

 

stronomy, can indisputably be considered the most grandiose and majestic of all Natural Sciences as its objects of study are all the celestial bodies (be they the planets, the moons, the comets, the asteroids, the stars, the galaxies, or the nebulae) with all the interstellar matter accompanying them. Astronomy's aims are equally grandiose as they seek to discover the nature, the structure, the origin and the evolution of all celestial objects and formations together with the phenomena associated with them, some of dazzling splendor and incredible beauty. The laws upon which the Universe "functions" are the ultimate laws that Astronomy seeks to discover and decipher and, joining hands with Physics in this endeavor, an indestructible bond and partnership was created. One of such fruits that was born as a result of this special relationship was a new field of studies called Astrophysics.

The beauty and splendor of the skies have fascinated man from the moment he first walked on Earth, and this fascination has never left him. Such beauty and splendor could not have been created by itself was believed, and still is believed by many, but that it was the work of a Creator with divine powers. How else, could one take into account the balance and the harmony of heavens if it were not for such a Creator? Out of such beliefs and bewilderment, culture after culture of civilization has defined and worshiped the image (or images) of such a Creator in a dazzling array of forms and ways. Man's fascination with the heavens continues now under the auspices of the Creator, and this continuous fascination has made the study of the heavens, and thus the study of Astronomy, the oldest science on record.

 

The relationship between the Church and Astronomy was a complex one. Results from Astronomy such as the prediction of various eclipses were widely used and sought by the Church. Magnificent places of worship were also created incorporating clear elements of studies gained from Astronomy. On the other hand, studies of the heavens which went outside of the religious teachings and were in conflict with them, were crushed and supressed.

Because of this suppression, for centuries and centuries, the advancement of Astronomy nearly came to a standstill. Eventually, revolutionary ideas were able to surface and be implanted, challenging, first and foremost, the central place which Earth was believed to have had within the grand scheme of things in the Universe. The various religious teachings were now being challenged in a direct way by these new revolutionary ideas, setting thereby Astronomy somewhat free from these preconceived religious dogmas.

Astronomy, through its branch Cosmology, began pursuing its own inquiries into this most fascinating, perplexing and ancient subject of all time: the origin and the evolution of the Universe.
  All of the various cosmological theories and models proposed had one common denominator: the Creator or God was left out from these considerations. No one proclaimed the abandonment of God, as the Creator's place was always assured to exist at least for the absolute origins of things, but these new bold ideas advanced by Cosmology were nevertheless viewed by many as a threat to the religious teachings of "understanding" the Universe.

Simultaneous with the inroads that Cosmology was making, another branch of Astronomy, Astrophysics, began making rapid advancements into our understanding of the physical Universe. The studies of the stars (most notably our Sun), of the galaxies (most notably our Milky Way Galaxy), and of the interstellar and intergalactic space began gaining prominence, leading the way to all of the studies in Astronomy. Celestial Mechanics, the oldest branch of Astronomy --studying the motions and the dynamics of the stars and galaxies, Planetary Astronomy --studying the planets, the moons, the meteors, the asteroids, and the comets of our Solar System, also evolve as mature sciences leading us into the cosmic age of space exploration. Finally, "specialty" astronomical sciences such as X-Ray Astronomy, Spectral Astronomy or Radio and Radar Astronomy opened new vistas of exploring the vastness of the Cosmos.

Our eleven (11) subject-sections plus The Hall of Fame section, which can be accessed through the above Navigational Bar located in the page's heading, are designed to provide a comprehensive reference to the many facets and ways of studying and investigating the subjects of Astronomy. Aside from the two (2) Index sections --one by Subject, the other by Author, and three (3) Forum sections --The RealDeal® Forum Letters, The RealDeal® Forum Chat Rooms, and The RealDeal® Forum Workshops, which are perhaps self-explanatory, the other remaining six (6) sections need a further introduction as follows.

A special section entitled The RealDeal® List (and Auxiliary List) of Most Wanted Solutions was designed to list and emphasize what is not known or understood from the realm of Natural Sciences in a way so as to attract both the attention and the interest in further studying the topics involved.

To continuously emphasize and present, in a candid manner, what is not known or understood from the vast number of subjects and topics of Astronomy, is imperative for the continued health of this ancient science. Pointing out the unknown, is the first step in attracting and luring a new generation towards careers in Astronomy. The stated section entitled, The RealDeal® List (and Auxiliary List) of Most Wanted Solutions, corresponding to Astronomy, is designed for exactly this purpose, that of identifying, defining, compiling, sorting, and classifying the important, unresolved problems of the variety of subjects involved in the hope that this will spark attention and interest in finding the corresponding answers and solutions.

The remaining five (5) sections

1. The RealDeal® Foundational Inquiries;

2. The RealDeal® Theoretical Studies;

3. The RealDeal® Discovery Reports;

4. The RealDeal® Focus Line; and

5. The RealDeal® Historical Scrutinies;

which form the so-called Core sections of our publication are designed to cover a wide range of issues involving Natural Sciences and Philosophy, and a brief description of those sections related to Astronomy is described below. [Additional information is provided in the HomePage of each section (which you can reach from our Science's FrontPage site, by clicking on the corresponding Icon-Button of each section located at the left side of the respective title) as well as in the Astronomy part of each section (which can be accessed from the corresponding Navigational Bar of the respective section located also in our Science's FrontPage.)]

1. Astronomy because of the grandeur of its studies is more vulnerable than any other Natural Science to theories incorporating speculations at their foundation. Speculative theories, as interesting as they may be, should never ever be allowed to enter into the realm of Natural Sciences, but rather, at best, should find a place into something that may be called Pseudo Sciences, or Imaginative or Fictional Sciences.

 The human Mind is equipped with a stunning faculty --that of Imagination. We can imagine things, and this imagination, when cultivated, can lead to spectacular imaginary creations. We enter into trouble when we treat imaginary results and creations as real, physical results. And when such imaginary results are treated as reality (i.e., considered to be outside our imagination and existence), and when physical theories are built up upon their premises, the results obtained are no longer results that should rest within the body of Natural Sciences, but they need to rest, as stated, elsewhere. Imaginary concepts, such as the so-called "Big-Bang" and the corresponding theories associated with it, the "black hole" concept and the corresponding theories associated with it, the "anti-matter" concept and the corresponding theories associated with it, are only a few of the most known and prevailing concepts and theories of "modern" Astronomy. The imaginary foundation of these theories, and others not mentioned in this Introduction, shall be exposed in great detail in our Foundational Inquiries section, as it is imperative for the survival of Astronomy, as a credible science, to detach itself, in its entirety, from the speculative theories that have infiltrated and engulfed its entire theoretical body.


2. Studies of the major topics of Astronomy shall be presented in The RealDeal® Theoretical Studies section. In addition to the guidelines set up in our Publication Policy page with respect to the style and form of presentation, these studies need to be written in a way, so as to attract the largest possible audience interested in the subject at hand, in a non-technical language, with an "eye" towards freshmen students, with one and only one goal in mind:

to lure and attract as many young students as possible into pursuing a career in Astronomy.

To accomplish all this, the style and form of presentation will be quite different from anything else ever written on the subject at hand because these studies, regardless of the complexity of the subject involved will need to be provocative --to provoke first and foremost the interest in the subject itself. And second, you, the reader must be introduced not only to the beauty and the complexity of the subject involved, but also, and most importantly, to the shortcomings of the theory or subject described. These shortcomings, if properly implanted, will spring into fresh ideas and approaches to the subject at hand.

 

3. Notable discoveries in Astronomy will be reported in our RealDeal® Discovery Reports section, through a process involving four (4) phases, as follows,

i)  [?] The Status Phase

Immediately, upon learning of a discovery in Astronomy that appears to be significant (in the sense that the said discovery appears to confirm or upset a theory currently in use), we shall report such a discovery in the following manner:

a) If the discovery is theoretical in nature, we shall first attempt to get a non-technical version of it from the author(s). If that attempt fails, we may still try to get a non-technical version from other sources. If that attempt fails as well, we will place it into a special category of reports entitled The Unattainable Discovery Reports. If on the other hand, the said theoretical discovery can be presented in a non-technical language, it shall be placed into a different category entitled The Probable Discovery Reports.

b) If the discovery is experimental or observational in nature, we shall first attempt to get the details about the experiment in a non-technical language together with the results that it claims to prove from the author(s). If that attempt fails, we may still try to get a non-technical version from other sources. If that attempt fails as well, we will place it into a special category of reports entitled, as noted above, The Unattainable Discovery Reports. If on the other hand, the said experimental discovery can be presented into a non-technical language, it shall be placed into the category entitled, as noted above, The Probable Discovery Reports. Also if an experimental discovery reported cannot be duplicated elsewhere, and credible reports on this become available, the said discovery reported will be placed at once under the stated category of The Unattainable Discovery Reports.

Only discoveries from The Probable Discovery Reports will continue to receive our attention. The Unattainable discovery reports, at any time, may be converted into the Probable category if the stated conditions are met, but if this conversion does not take place within one (1) year, they will be permanently removed from our site.

ii)  [!] The Scrutiny Phase

The discoveries from The Probable Discovery Reports will enter, after a 30-day period, into a second phase of their existence, known as The Scrutiny Phase. This phase which shall last one (1) year, and upon good reason can be extended, will be the phase in which the veracity of a reported discovery shall be meticulously investigated and examined. If the challenges posed and accumulated appears to be lethal or formidable to overcome, for a particular reported discovery, the said discovery will be placed into the Unattainable category (as discussed above). If no serious challenges were able to be mounted against the discovery in question, at the end of one (1) year, the said discovery will get a RealDeal Pass and will be placed into The RealDeal Interim Discovery Reports section.

iii)  [=] The Defining Phase

The Interim discoveries, after a 30-day period, will enter, for 60 days, into what is called the Defining Phase. As a result of the challenges received during the Scrutiny Phase, the author(s) of the discovery may want to redefine and perhaps further clarify their discovery, defining thus even better the discovery in question.

iv)  [/\] The Disposition Phase

With the Defining Phase over, a reported discovery, will permanently enter into the RealDeal "Hall Of Fame". A "Hall of Fame" discovery shall always stay and be posted in our site.

To unseat a "Hall of Fame" discovery, the process will involve the accumulation of compelling evidence pointing away from the discovery in question, as follows:

-For experimental results, a proof "beyond a reasonable doubt" must exist to establish the existence of fraud and/or misrepresentation of data in support of a particular research. Upon such proof, the said discovery reported shall be removed from the "Hall of Fame" page and, shall be placed permanently into The RealDeal "Hall Of Shame" page.

-For theoretical discoveries to be unseated, a theoretical proof which annihilates and/or eliminates the old result(s) must exist, or alternatively, a fundamental logical error in the proof of the theory must be found to exist. In such a situation, the said theoretical result will be removed from our site, with no trace or reference to be found, as if it were never published.

Finally, when an experiment or observation contradicts an established theoretical result, this, in itself, will not be able to unseat the said contradicted theoretical result, but a warning of the apparent conflict will be posted and placed into a new category entitled The Unresolved "Hall Of Fame" Discoveries. In all probability, the apparent scientific conflict created will be posted in our List (or Auxiliary List) of Most Wanted Solutions section.

 

4. Science, as anything else in life, to be able to flourish in a given Society and Culture must be able to have the necessary support. But what is actually "necessary" is not as simple to answer as perhaps it may seem. Issues of this sort affecting the complex relationships between Astronomy (with its Space Exploration Programs and Projects) and Society will be explored from different viewpoints in our section entitled The RealDeal® Focus Line. Also there, issues involving the antagonism, real or imaginary, between Astronomy and Religion will be presented from various perspectives and points of view.

 

5.Historical and biographical studies in Astronomy shall be covered in our RealDeal® Historical Scrutinies section. The central focus of these studies will be to adhere as much as possible to the Historical Truth and separate myths from reality. This historic scrutiny is essential for protecting and defending the Historical Truth related to the History of Astronomy, a field not fully matured and independent --as an academic field of inquiry and research. These studies to be presented herein are intended to act as academic historical filters which should be able to set new standards of research into the History of Science. It is because of all this, that the historical material published herein will be quite different, both in its scope and form of presentation.

 

With respect to our two (2) Forum sections mentioned at the beginning of this overview presentation, which are listed in our FrontPage science site as the last two (2) sections, we may want to mention here the following:

· In The RealDeal® Forum Letters, we will present selected letters received from our readers with respect to the variety of issues that are being covered. Issues which do not pertain to the subjects covered herein will not be considered for publication in any form or fashion, although we will read all mail received and, when appropriate, we may respond in kind.

· Finally, in The RealDeal® Forum Chat Rooms we shall organize science events from a variety of topics and issues for debates.

 



 

 

 

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