[fastball]

We did not discover nuclear fusion from the stars, we realized the possibility of nuclear fusion and subsequently realized that this is what must power the sun (and every other star).

Ditto for everything else on that list. We made discoveries by looking at things and performing experiments here on earth and then realized that these things must be what is causing X and Y out in the cosmos.

[BinaryAsteroid]

Again you make wild false claims..

The first major breakthroughs for understanding nuclear fusion came because we wanted to understand what powered the Sun and Stars: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_nuclear_fusion

.. and these events began 100 years ago.

Part of what you say is true, we make discoveries by looking at things.. Astronomy gives us more things to look at, and in energy regimes that cost many $$ to replicate in experiments on Earth..

[fastball]

Your claim is not substantiated by the source, while mine actually is.

Without Einstein's E = mc^2, Arthur Eddington would not have realized that the fusing of nuclei could power the sun. In other words, he realized that fusing two atoms would release a lot of energy thanks to terrestrial research, and then hypothesized that this is what must power the sun. He did not come to this theory from staring at the sun through a telescope. Astronomy clearly did not lead to fusion - atomic theory did, which did not come from astronomy.

And neither did Einstein formulate E = mc^2 because he was an avid astronomer who wanted to understand the sun.

I am well aware this happened more than 100 years ago, not sure why you would be under the impression that I thought otherwise or needed to hear that for some reason.

[bdamm]

The discovery and confirmation of relativistic physics has resulted in more efficient materials research and led to space technology (communications) and microprocessor improvements here on earth.