Although astronomy and astrology are historically related and many individuals were interested in both, there is today no connection between the two. Hence two different USENET newsgroups exist: sci.astro (for the former) and alt.astrology (for the latter). DO NOT CONFUSE THEM.
Astronomy is based on the laws of physics (and therefore mathematics) and aims at describing what is happening to the universe based on what we observe today. Because the laws of physics are constant (as far as we can tell), astronomy can also explain how the universe behaved in the past and can propose a limited number of possible scenarios for its future (see FAQ entry about Big Bang).
Everyday life applications of astronomy include calculations/predictions of sunrise/sunset times, moon phases, tides, eclipse locations, comet visibility, encounters between various celestial bodies (e.g., SL9 comet crash onto Jupiter in 1994), spacecraft trajectories, etc. Astrology on the other hand claims it can predict what will happen to individuals (or guess what is happening to them), or to mankind, based on such things as solar system configurations and birth dates. Common applications include horoscopes and such. Regardless of whether there is scientific support for astrology, its goal and methods are clearly distinct from those of astronomy.
Astrology is based on the belief that the positions of the planets and stars at the moment of a person’s birth have an effect on the personality of the person and on some major events in the person’s life. According to astrology much can be told about a person and the person’s future based on this knowledge of the alignment of planets and stars at the moment of birth. One problem with astrology is that the materials used to determine the locations of planets stars and constellations are centuries old; they are old enough so that as a result of precession they no longer are in agreement with the true positions of the heavenly bodies. There is no widely accepted evidence that the claims of astrology have anything more than individually attested or anecdotal merit.
Astronomy is the study of anything that we can observe in the sky basically from the sun and planets on out. A lot of astronomy has to do with careful measurements of the true and apparent movements of celestial bodies, measurements of various kinds of energy emanating from stars and other bodies, the effects of gravitation, speculation about planetary and universal origins, black holes, discovery of new planets and other objects, research into the likelihood that some forms of life might exist in other parts of the solar system/universe, planning for manned and un-manned missions to other parts of the solar system, etc.
At one time astrology and astronomy were more closely related, and perhaps hardly distinguishable. That is no longer the case; they are independent areas of study.
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