Astronomy & Cosmology: What's the Difference?

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Astronomy focuses on observing and understanding celestial phenomena currently visible or predictable within a billion-year timeframe. In contrast, cosmology examines the universe's development and origins, using astronomical data to infer its history. Observational cosmology is essentially astronomy applied to the universe's largest scales, while theoretical cosmology involves modeling the universe from an external perspective. Both disciplines are interconnected, with astronomy providing the necessary data for cosmological theories. Understanding these distinctions enhances comprehension of the universe's structure and evolution.
DanReit
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What is the difference?
 
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Astronomy, both observational and theoretical (and now also experimental!) is about what is going on in the universe that we can see now, or extrapolate to short times (~a billion years) in the past or future.

Cosmology, is about how the universe developed, and how we can infer that from the data provided by astronomy.
 
Observational Cosmology = Astronomy on the largest possible scale.
"On the inside looking out"

Theoretical Cosmology = Modelling the universe as a whole.
"On the outside looking in"

Garth
 

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