Astronomy has been taught throughout much of recorded human history, and has practical application in timekeeping and navigation.
Teaching astronomy contributes to an understanding of physics and the origin of the world around us, a shared cultural background, and a sense of wonder and exploration.
Astronomy organizations provide educational functions and societies in about 100 nation states around the world.
This can be demonstrated in the identified 20-year lag between the emergence of AER and physics education research.
[3] The body of research in this field are available through electronic sources such as the Searchable Annotated Bibliography of Education Research (SABER)[4] and the American Astronomical Society's database of the contents of their journal "Astronomy Education Review" (see link below).