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Our ever-increasing technology. Image credit: VST

With an annual cost of $30.8 million, the Keck Observatory costs $53.7 thousand for a single nights worth of operation. It will cost the James Webb Space Telescope approximately $8.8 billion to reach orbit. And the Space Launch System that will carry the Orion capsule is expected to cost $38 billion.

Why should we be spending such a vast amount of money on astronomy? How is it useful and beneficial to society?

Astronomers face this question on a daily basis. Recently a ream of European astronomers have provided tangible answers relating advancements in astronomy to advancements in industry, aerospace, energy, medicine, international collaboration, everyday life and humankind.

I get this question quite often, Dr. Marissa Rosenberg, lead author on the paper, told Universe Today. One very personal reason for writing this article is that I wanted to share with my parents (both business people) why what I am doing is important and a necessary facet of society.

Today, millions of people across the world are affected by advances in astronomy.

Industry

Your iPhones camera is a charge-coupled device (CCD) an instrument, which converts the movement of electrical charge into a digital value. Originally developed for astronomy, CCDs are now used in most cameras, webcams and cell phones.

Every iPhone with has a built-in CCD

Originally posted here:

How Astronomy Benefits Society and Humankind