Astronomy, Astrology, and a Parade of Planets

Biology, Zoology, Geology. I assume you know that the suffix of these words (i.e., “ology”) means “the study of.” Therefore, you can quickly determine that the corresponding definitions of these words are the study of living organisms, the study of animals, and the study of Earth. What other “ology” words can you think of?

The Study of  the Laws of the Stars

Let’s look at this one: astrology — the study of the stars. If you’re familiar with Apologia’s curriculum, you know we have an elementary-level and a high-school-level course titled Exploring Creation with Astronomy. Why astronomy and not astrology? Astronomy means “the law of the stars,” which is obviously closely related to the study of the stars.

Think back to the time before the birth of Jesus. The Magi studied the movement of the stars for generations in anticipation of the coming Messiah. Were they practicing astronomy or astrology?

Astronomy vs. Astrology

Astrology has the connotation of being related less with predicting movement and more with influencing life. For example, astrologists might foretell one’s romantic future, financial fortune, and/or impending calamity. Astrologists point to the formation of the stars for predictions of these life events.

Astronomers study and learn the laws of the stars. One result is that they can predict the movements of the heavenly bodies. This was experienced first-hand by millions of Americans and me on August 21, 2017, and April 8, 2024, when we traveled to witness a total solar eclipse at the exact location and the exact time predicted by astronomers. You can read my summaries here, here, and here.

In general, astronomy is respected more in today’s world. Think of how it fits into some educational philosophies. Did you know that one of the seven pillars of a liberal arts classical education includes astronomy? That’s right. The entire list is grammar, logic, rhetoric, arithmetic, music, geometry, and astronomy.

The Parade of Planets

So, let’s stick with astronomy and look at an astronomical prediction in the recent past and another fast approaching. Due to this phenomenon’s extremely rare occurrence, it even has a fancy name: The Parade of Planets.

It’s rare enough for three planets to appear lined up in the night sky. Of course, it’s more rare for four, five, or six planets to align. Since there are eight planets, and we’re standing on Earth, the most we could ever observe at once would be the other seven planets. This would be a truly great spectacle to appear in the heavens and one that would loudly declare the glory of God and proclaim His handiwork (Psalm 19). In late August 2024, six planets were aligned in the following order: Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, and Saturn. But the grand-daddy of them all—all seven planets—will appear on February 28, 2025. They will appear in this order: Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Venus, Neptune, Mercury, and Saturn. All the planets normally orbit on roughly the same plane. This great planetary parade happens because they are also on the same side of the Sun as they continue their heliocentric revolutions. You can read more about this celestial event in this article published by The Epoch Times. 

This is marvelous, awe-inspiring, and God-glorifying. Between SpaceX rockets, International Space Stations, NASA’s Artemis Moon initiatives, and Elon Musk’s ambitious goal to colonize Mars, space travel has been receiving a great deal of attention lately. So, let me ask a question posed in this article published by The New Atlantis. What is the purpose of outer space? In other words, what is space for?

Space Exploration

What is space for? That’s an interesting question. Carl Sagan famously stated when considering this issue, “The universe is a pretty big place. If it’s just us, seems like an awful waste of space.” Other atheists have been known to look at the universe, study the galaxies and stars, and then wonder if God is out there, why is He working so hard to hide Himself? That is certainly a sad conclusion, but don’t miss the obvious. Outer space is huge. Current estimates believe there are between 200 billion and 2 trillion galaxies. Each one is 3,000 to 300,000 light years in diameter. It doesn’t take much math to realize space is bigger than big. It’s so big that it is literally mind-boggling. But I’ll ask again. What are we to do with it all?

President John F. Kennedy famously challenged Americans in the 1960s to land on the Moon not because it was easy but because it was hard. One sentiment this elevates is that space should be studied to advance and enrich humanity. Sure, there are national and defense interests related to space travel, but can (or should) any country claim the Moon, Mars, or any other planet as their own? This begs another question, “Does space belong to anyone?” Should we look at the heavenly bodies as land to be occupied, claimed, and settled like the New World of the 1600s or the American West of the 1800s?

When astronauts first landed and walked on the Moon, experiencing the awe and wonder of space from that new vantage point, the idea that Earth’s Moon was a dead rock rang hollow. Each astronaut documented their experience as moving, transcendent, and sacred.

God in Creation

You see, being God-centered and Creation-oriented amplifies our cosmological studies. With this perspective, I propose that space is for divine communion with God Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth. I hope and pray that Apologia’s creation-based courses will light a fire in thousands of homeschooling students and foster a passion for scientific inquiry among young and budding astronomers, physicists, and scientists of all specialties. 

So why study the stars? Why learn the laws of their motions? Why explore space? Because it offers something powerful and transcendent from which only humans can benefit. As Pope Benedict so simply stated, “Creation exists for the sake of worship.” And in the words of King David, the author of Psalm 19:

The heavens declare the glory of God,
And the sky above proclaims His handiwork.
Day-to-day pours out speech,
And night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech,
Nor are there words,
Whose voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out through all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world.