|Mapping the sky| |- Why survey?| |- Ancient Surveys| |- Modern
Astro| |- 20th Cent. Surveys| |- The SDSS| |Stars and Nebulae|
|Galaxies and QSOs| Why do astronomers map the sky? This page
gives a brief introduction to their reasons, and outlines the
history of astronomical surveys, from ancient times to today. To
learn more, visit your local library or browse the many
interesting sites on the Internet. Why Survey The Sky? For
millennia, humans have wondered about the universe outside of
our world. The stars and planets, mere points of light in the
night sky, have always piqued our curiosity as we have sought to
understand our place in the cosmos. To the ancients, these
points of light were often viewed in connection with higher
powers beyond their control, such as gods and goddesses. Some
civilizations began to realize that certain celestial events
repeated at regular intervals. These civilizations used these
regular events to mark time, helping with agriculture and
religious observances. Later, sky charts,