Astronomer

Basic Information

An astronomer is a scientist who studies stars, planets, moons and other celestial objects.

In pre-modern times, the science of astronomy was largely concerned with predicting the influence of the planets on human affairs, and in Renaissance times there was a fair amount of overlap between astrology and astronomy. Johannes Kepler discovered important principles of planetary motion, and also plotted horoscopes

There are a large number of amateur astronomers and it is not at all uncommon for a new comet to be first sighted by such an amateur.

Some Notable Astronomers

• Galileo Galilei
• Edmund Halley
• Fred Hoyle
• Percival Lowell
• Isaac Newton
• Johannes Kepler
• Carl Sagan

Sources

Bibliography

1. Wikipedia article: Astronomer

Game and Story Use

• Astronomy as a field does not exactly lend itself to adventure, but a PC with a science background could possibly be an astronomer in his "day" job.
• More likely, the players encounter an NPC Astronomer
• In the 18th and 19th Centuries, astronomers sometimes traveled to remote locations in order to observe astronomical phenomena such as eclipses. The PC's could be accompanying an astronomer on such an expedition.
  • In science fiction, an astronomer might need to travel to someplace off the beaten path to observe a phenomenon. See interstellar-terrain for a few possibilities.
• In fantasy, there can be quite a bit of overlap between astronomy and astrology. Imagine an astrologer who knows about nebulae, or an astronomer who treats Leo as a meaningful entity.
• In Lovecraft country, the astronomer may be privy to certain plot details. Too bad he's raving mad…