Editing Physics (section)

=== Ancient astronomy ===
{{Main|History of astronomy}}
[[File:Senenmut-Grab.JPG|thumb|right|upright=1.8|Ancient [[Egyptian astronomy]] is evident in monuments like the [[Astronomical ceiling of Senemut Tomb|ceiling of Senemut's tomb]] from the [[Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt]].]]
[[Astronomy]] is one of the oldest [[natural science]]s. Early civilizations dating before 3000&nbsp;BCE, such as the [[Sumer]]ians, [[ancient Egypt]]ians, and the [[Indus Valley Civilisation]], had a predictive knowledge and a basic awareness of the motions of the Sun, Moon, and stars. The stars and planets, believed to represent gods, were often worshipped. While the explanations for the observed positions of the stars were often unscientific and lacking in evidence, these early observations laid the foundation for later astronomy, as the stars were found to traverse [[great circle]]s across the sky,<ref name="krupp2003"/> which could not explain the positions of the [[planet]]s.

According to [[Asger Aaboe]], the origins of Western astronomy can be found in [[Mesopotamia]], and all Western efforts in the [[exact science]]s are descended from late [[Babylonian astronomy]].<ref name ="aaboe1991">{{harvnb |Aaboe|1991}}</ref> [[Egyptian astronomy|Egyptian astronomers]] left monuments showing knowledge of the constellations and the motions of the celestial bodies,<ref name="clagett1995">{{harvnb |Clagett|1995}}</ref> while Greek poet [[Homer]] wrote of various celestial objects in his ''[[Iliad]]'' and ''[[Odyssey]]''; later [[Greek astronomy|Greek astronomers]] provided names, which are still used today, for most constellations visible from the [[Northern Hemisphere]].<ref name="thurston1994">{{harvnb |Thurston|1994}}</ref>