Earth Science and Astronomy Are Term Paper

Here, the mass of water is being pulled upward toward the atmosphere by its attraction to the moon. As it does so, the tide is pulled inward from the coastlines contained the body of water. As the moon moves closer to the earth during its daily rotation, the magnetic pull lessens. The diminished pull causes the bulge to decline, pushing the body of water outward and extending the coastlines.

It is particularly critical that an understanding of astronomy enter into any more detailed a description than this. This is because the phenomenon of tidal fluctuation is impacted by a number of variables relating not just to the lunar revolution or the lunar cycle but also to revolutions of the earth around the sun and, consequently, various interactions between the sun and the moon. That said, the technology available to us today denotes that the sun's gravitational pull is only equivalent to 46% of the moon's, rendering the latter the greatest determinant in the position of the tides. (Cooley, p. 1) Evolving understanding of the connection between the lunar revolution, the solar revolution and the daily tides has given us the ability to predict tidal positions down to the minute.

Not only has astronomy assisted us in understanding the movements of the ocean's waters, but it has also given us the instruments to navigate said waters.A second area in which astronomy has proven critical is in the science of geography. Indeed, the relative maturity of astronomy as a field of study is attested to by its importance in charting the known and expanding world during the age of sea-faring exploration. Sailors and explorers established the location of new lands, indeed established the locations of their own vessels, using the locations of the stars overhead.

And in fact, the demands placed upon sailors for increasingly more accurate ways of mapping and navigating an expanding world would encourage technological; innovations that are still of great value today. In fact, the need for such technologies would create a reciprocal relationship between the evolution in both the fields of astronomy and geography. According to Enotes (2003) "the need for greater accuracy and precision in astronomical measurements, particularly those used in navigation, spurred development of improved telescopes and pendulum driven clocks that greatly increased the pace of astronomical discovery. In 1781, improved mathematical techniques, combined with technological improvements, along with the proper application of Newtonian laws, allowed English astronomer William Herschel to discover the planet Uranus." (Enotes, p. 1)

This denotes the importance of recognizing the connections between Earth Sciences and astronomy. Indeed, these connections speak directly to our understanding of the earth as being part of a greater universe.

Works Cited:

Cooley,.....