galaxy changes on astronomical timescales

An example of tautology in science writing:

"…the details of the overall appearance of the Galaxy are constantly changing on astronomical timescales, although the basic picture stays the same. This has been likened to the life cycle of a living organism, and astronomers freely use terms like 'birth', 'evolution' and 'death' to describe the behaviour of stars and galaxies."

John Gribbin (1996) Companion to the Cosmos. (Ed., Mary Gribbin) Weidenfeld & Nicolson.

(Astronomical timescales are timescales on which astronomical change occurs, just as geological change takes place over geological timescales!)

Read about tautology in science


Author: Keith

Former school and college science teacher, teacher educator, research supervisor, and research methods lecturer. Emeritus Professor of Science Education at the University of Cambridge.