Astronomy, with its associated astronomical language, is much more complex than most people realize. As the most studied subject in all of Higher Education, it is important that we pay close attention to the vocabulary that we use in our general knowledge conversations. In order to become an astronomer you first must become a good “derive” from your astronomy class notes and essays. It is common knowledge that being able to derive can only be a tool to begin with.

Once you have learned how to derive well you are ready to go beyond the effective solar system to such astronomical sciences as celestial mechanics, the motions of heavenly bodies, and even the laws of physics. When studying astronomy in school, we will often find ourselves using the terms Newtonian and Einsteinian.

These are terms used to define the same basic physics laws, but they mean completely different things. In order to truly understand these terms you must study them well, but if you know a little bit about physics and are familiar with the laws of gravity it is not hard to grasp the definitions of these terms. The important thing to remember is that there is no such thing as simple or complex science, it is a difficult process and there are a lot of concepts that must be learned before you can truly understand any subject.

There are many other terms that will be used throughout this article, but knowing these two fundamental concepts and their meanings is important for the student of astronomy. Astronomy is far more than just the study of stars, planets, and galaxies, as well as their motions, but it is also the study of space and time. Knowing what these terms mean will allow you to grasp the concept of space and how it relates to your daily life, in ways that you might not realize at first.