Can Astronomy Play a Key Economic and Social Role Like in Ancient Times?

In prehistoric and ancient times, astronomy was a fundamental factor affecting survival. It played a significant role in timekeeping, navigation, and even directly influenced agricultural production—determining the timing of sowing and harvesting—and had a foundational impact on the development of our calendar and the numerical system used in time measurement, the researchers write in their article. So what direct impacts does this scientific field have on our economy or society? Exploring the answers to the question remains topical even today. "News related to astronomy have become commonplace, making the background of it all also be better known," said Ákos Kereszturi, senior researcher at the HUN-REN CSFK Konkoly Thege Miklós Astronomical Institute.

"We consider it a social and economic benefit when astronomy helps solve a societal or economic challenge, make the right decision, increase well-being, or achieve useful innovation," the researchers state, as they explore numerous aspects of the topic. They also highlight that, while it is important to delineate astronomy from other scientific and technical fields, this boundary is not always clear, and interdisciplinary research is becoming increasingly common. Quantification is further complicated by the fact that the outcomes sometimes materialize decades or even centuries later. A good example of this is the discovery of spectral analysis, which was originally a result of astronomical research but was later advanced by other scientific fields and is now used in the pharmaceutical industry and materials technology as well.

The foundation of it all?

The extreme celestial bodies analyzed in astronomy and the physical conditions associated with them help us understand many natural laws. The internal structure of neutron stars, the processes during supernova explosions and recently detected gravitational waves all contribute to understanding the big picture. Few might realize it, but the physical principles governing distant stars operate similarly in our phones, and even in the way our eyes and brains work when we read.

Without astronomy, we may not have gamma-ray telescopes, interferometric technology that links distant radio telescopes, or the vibration-free stabilization of handheld camera footage. The researchers emphasize that in technical developments, it is not primarily astronomers who handle the majority of technical implementation, but rather the engineers and companies working alongside them. However, in such cases, without the demands of astronomy—as the 'client'—these types of developments would rarely begin.

Beyond instrument development, programming languages created by astronomers are also valuable: for example, the programming language IDL, originally designed for astronomical purposes, is used by General Motors, while the astronomical image processing software IRAF has been employed by the telecommunications company AT&T for data analysis tasks. Similarly, many medical diagnostic methods, such as MRI and CT technology, owe much to astronomical research, data processing, and imaging.

Astronomy is, of course, not merely the foundation for discoveries, new research, and technologies. The researchers also highlight that, in their view, it is:

• an ideal tool for steering young people toward the natural sciences,
• useful for career orientation (thus expanding the pool of technical-scientific professionals),
• beneficial beyond education in fostering problem-solving attitudes,
• instrumental in appreciating the beauty of nature and valuing our environment. Understanding our planet is much easier and its characteristics more meaningful when, for instance, we know about the icy world of Mars or the scorching landscape of Venus.

Psychological research from recent decades demonstrated that one of humans' essential needs is attachment; it is in such a state that we feel calm, safe, and comfortable (this is why we are drawn to familiar environments, our home, friends, and daily routines). Astronomy expands the scale of attachment: it shows what the Universe is like, how vast it is, and how our home, Earth, fits into it.

The full article is available at the following link: https://mersz.hu/dokumentum/matud202410__15/