Several reports in the US (National
Research Council, 2010) and Europe (Bode
et al., 2008) indicate that one of the biggest
contributions of astronomy is its provision
of a unique perspective that extends our
horizons and helps us discover the grandeur
of the Universe and our place within
it. The awe-inspiring nature of astronomy
makes it a perfect vehicle for introducing
children to science. It has been found
that teaching astronomy to our youth is of
great value and that pupils who engage in
astronomy-related educational activities at
a primary or secondary school are more
likely to pursue careers in science and
technology, and to keep up to date with
scientific discoveries (National Research
Council, 1991). This does not just benefit
the field of astronomy, but reaches out
across all scientific disciplines.
As well as influencing our history and
enhancing our present, astronomy also
helps us study how to prolong the survival
of our species into the future. For example, it
is critical to study the Sun’s influence on the
Earth’s climate and how it will affect weather
and water levels. Only the study of the Sun
and other stars can help us to understand
these processes in their entirety, in the
same way that mapping the movement of
all the objects in the Solar System, is the
only way to predict potential threats to our
planet from space. Events that could cause
major changes to our world, as was clearly
demonstrated by the meteorite impact in
Chelyabinsk, Russia in 2013.