ASTRONOMY Curriculum Focus on The Nature of the Science
Science is a process of describing the world systemically and logically. Originating
from a positivist philosophy, scientific knowledge is based on unbiased observations
and replicable experimentation. The hallmark of contemporary science is that all
of the knowledge it generates is tentative and always open to revision. The rapid advancement
of technology over the last century has frequently revised earlier theories (discovery
of subatomic particles, measuring expansion of the Universe, and the verification of plate tectonics theory among others).
Contemporary science is sensitive to changes in society's perspectives as well as
advances in technology. Science is not free to pursue every question that can be
asked scientifically, such as the viability of fetal tissue research as a potential
cure for Parkinsons' Disease. Scientists today often work in groups, frequently use computers
for data acquisition and analysis, share data over the Internet, and present their
work for debate in professional journals. Scientists also use models (both scale
and conceptual) to simplify phenomena and make predictions.
The nature of astronomy is one of observing and describing the universe through observations.
Most folks realize that the Sun rises in the East every morning and moves westward
across the sky. It is also self-evident that the Sun sets in the West every evening and returns triumphantly to the East over the course of the night. Unfortunately,
as more and more citizens migrate to urban centers, the farther humans are removed
from the land. The phenomena that every grandparent readily understood, from Moon phases to seasonal day length changes, is apparently lost in the upcoming generation.
Planetaria are becoming museums, one of the few places where children can wonder
at thousands of stars or at the dazzling brilliance of the Milky Way. The excitement
of science comes from the process of conducting investigations that lead to knowledge.
Changing scientific knowledge has a rich history and is intimately related to advances
in technology and to the evolving perspective of society.