I heard this term tonight when reading a long term forecast, so I decided to look up what it meant, and astrometeorology means "The study of the theoretical effects of astronomical bodies and forces on the earth’s atmosphere." I was wondering if this is a legit field of science? Since I haven't heard of the field anywhere else.
mgb_phys
Aug26-08, 09:32 AM
The moon has an effect on the tides and the sun has affects the atmosphere but I'm not sure I would call that astrometeorology.
There is a legitmate field of 'space weather' which forcasts the effect of the solar wind on the ionosphere which has important consequences for satelites and radio communications,.
LightbulbSun
Aug26-08, 10:36 AM
The moon has an effect on the tides and the sun has affects the atmosphere but I'm not sure I would call that astrometeorology.
There is a legitmate field of 'space weather' which forcasts the effect of the solar wind on the ionosphere which has important consequences for satelites and radio communications,.
Well I'm guessing it's pseudoscience then because the sources I read up on this mentioned nothing of solar winds. There was one site that used star constellations. I'm not sure what that has to do with our weather?
Chronos
Aug26-08, 11:21 PM
It's a safe bet nothing beyond our solar system has any measurable effect on our weather patterns. The sun is the engine that powers weather patterns on earth. Conveyor effects in the atmosphere, oceans - and biological contaminants - are the other big players. Everything else is little more than a mosquito on an elephant.
Mental Gridlock
Sep10-08, 10:48 AM
The moon has an effect on the tides and the sun has affects the atmosphere but I'm not sure I would call that astrometeorology.
The term means the study of how extraterrestrial things has an impact on Earth's atmosphere.
To answer LightbulbSun's question: it's a specific branch of meteorology and is a legitimate field. It's just like "hydrometeorology" which is the study of how the water affects the atmosphere and behaves in it and how that affects the world.
Meteorology isn't the only field to have a subfield like that. Astrobiology studies how extraterrestrial forces impact life on Earth just like their impact on the atmosphere is studied in the field of astrometeorology.
I just wonder what you might then call the study of the atmosphere of different planets. Extraterrestrialmeteorolgy maybe?