Modern astronomy is an exhilarating science . As an advertisement for science, it is hard to beat. In the first year astronomy course you will probably hear and see more modern scientific results than most final Honours courses deliver. Astronomy is an excellent subject to learn how science works . Data is hard to come by and the skill of deduction has to be honed to the highest.
Astronomy is old enough to illustrate how science matures and is self-correcting.
The science in Astronomy is truly universal and not special to a small discipline. The results introduced and the skills required to appreciate the deductions are common to much of physical science. Good, transferable, scientific ideas and methods are learnt in an astronomy course, almost painlessly. Astronomy has shaped mankind's view of the Universe . If the Earth had been enveloped in permanent cloud, our view of the Universe would have been extremely parochial.