How does learning about astronomy benefit us in any way?

The reason we do astronomy, I think, is that people are interested in learning about it - humans want to know how the universe came into being, what our place in it is, and what other objects exist within it. Basically, we are curious, and astronomy enriches our lives that way. read more

Robert does an excellent job of summarizing all the surprising practical uses for studying astrophysics - there are many more than you would think. read more

“Dispelling the myth of wasted taxpayer dollars” is one NASA cites, along with encouraging the public to follow space exploration and showing how American ingenuity can work in space. There are many commercialized advances the program says it contributed to, including “memory foam” (first used for airline crash protection), magnetic resonance imaging and smoke detection. read more

Nonetheless, I would agree that astronomy does not have many practical benefits to people's lives. The reason we do astronomy, I think, is that people are interested in learning about it - humans want to know how the universe came into being, what our place in it is, and what other objects exist within it. read more

There are many direct benefits such helping to protect ourselves from CMEs: The Day the Sun Brought Darkness. The monitoring of earth orbit crossing objects. Satellite technology, atmospheric and weather science benefit from astronomy which help with supply chain logistics and farming. read more