Science is the knowledge of facts and truth gained by systematic study. Experiments and observations must be reproducible by independent observers in order to be accepted by the scientific community.

Scientific theories must be consistent with known observations and experiments and must make predictions that have never been made before and that can be tested. An example of this is Newton's law of gravitation, which, among other things, predicts the occurrence of eclipses and comets. Einstein's theory of relativity predicts the bending of light by massive objects and accounts for the precession of Mercury's orbit. Relativity calculations are used frequently in consumer products, for example, time dilation must be taken into consideration when using GPS units.

Scientific theories should be aesthetically pleasing. If there are different explanations of a phenomenon, the simplest one, the one that involves the least unverifiable assumptions, should be chosen (this is Occam's razor). And finally these theories can potentially be disproved, but they cannot be proven.

Supernatural explanations (such as God) lie outside the realm of science.

The dictionary defines astronomy as the science that deals with the material universe beyond the Earth's atmosphere.

Astronomy is a scientific explanation of how the universe works and of where we come from and where we're going. It is one of the sciences that will allow us to leave Earth when the human race can no longer inhabit this planet.

It was the end of trial and error and the beginning of a systematic way of acquiring knowledge.

It is the ability to "see" into other times and places, like the center of the Sun, the creation of the solar system, or the creation of the universe.

It is unfinished, there will always be something new to learn.

It is hard and many times counterintuitive.

It is beauty—just look at the Hubble Space Telescope web site!

Ana Dodgen-Torres