Big Bang to Homo Erectus to Multi-Messenger Astronomy

Abstract

If the title of this chapter doesn’t quite make sense to you it will after you have read the chapter. Now that you have committed to a cruise with an astronomy/astrophotography element it would be to your advantage to learn something about astronomy – the science that studies the universe. By doing so you will gain a deeper appreciation and understanding of the sky sights you will see and photograph. After all, astronomy is recognized as the oldest of the sciences and has a direct lineage from ancient astrology, where practitioners observed the sky to foretell the future. After reading this chapter and the others on specific astronomy and sky-related topics you will have a working knowledge of the concepts and structures of the universe.