One of my biggest science pet peeves is when people confuse astronomy with astrology. I realize that most people are doing this unintentionally and it's just a word slip, but as someone with a Ph.D. in astrophysics, it's a bit annoying when someone refers to my class or job as astrology/astrologist. So let me take a minute and clear point out the differences between astronomy and astrology.
Astronomy is a science. Astrology is not. A science is a field of study that bases its conclusion on observable physical evidence. In other words, when we say that the Sun has a surface temperature of 5800 K, there is solid evidence that backs up that statement. In the "field" of astrology there is no evidence that supports the claims made.
Astronomy is the study of the Earth, stars, planets, galaxies, and the Universe. Telescopes are used to acquire data and answer questions.
Astrology is the "study" of predicting someone's future based on the position of the planets, stars, Sun, etc. There is absolutely no evidence that backs up these predictions. We all read our horoscope from time to time and often it seems that our horoscope is correctly predicting our future. It's not. Horoscopes are very vague, so you can almost always find a sliver of truth in them.
So there you are. I teach astronomy, not astrology. I teach a science, not a pseudoscience (fake science). I study the stars, galaxy, universe, etc. I can't predict your future...although for $25 I'll gladly "read" your palm! :-)
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