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{{short description|Scientist in the field of astronomy}}
An '''astronomer''' or '''astrophysicist''' is a person whose area of interest is ] or ].
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
] was famed for his work on ]s, and being the first to study the surface of the ].]]
{{Use American English|date=September 2024}}
{{cs1 config|name-list-style=vanc|display-authors=3}}
]'s general assembly for determining a ]]]


An '''astronomer''' is a ] in the field of ] who focuses on a specific question or field outside the scope of ]. Astronomers observe ]s, such as ]s, ]s, ], ]s and ] – in either ] (by analyzing the data) or ]. Examples of topics or fields astronomers study include ], ], the ] or ], or the ]. A related but distinct subject is ], which studies the ] as a whole.


==Types==
Astronomers usually fall under either of two main types: ] and ]. Observational astronomers make direct ]s of ] and analyze the data. In contrast, theoretical astronomers create and investigate ]s of things that cannot be observed. Because it takes millions to billions of years for a system of stars or a galaxy to complete a life cycle, astronomers must observe snapshots of different systems at unique points in their evolution to determine how they form, evolve, and die. They use this data to create models or ]s to theorize how different celestial objects work.


Further subcategories under these two main ] of astronomy include ], ], ], ], ], ], or ]. Astronomers can also specialize in certain specialties of observational astronomy, such as ], ], ], and ].
==A sampling of famous astronomers==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Astronomer
!Contribution
|-
|-
|] and ]
|Determined the positions of about 1,000 bright stars, tried to explain the puzzles of astronomy without refuting the geocentric model of universe and classified stars by ].


== Academic ==
|-
{{For|subdisciplines|Outline of astronomy}}
|]
===History===
|Was one of the greats in the discoveries of ] and ].
] is often referred to as the Father of ]. Portrait by ].]]
|-
], one of the fathers of ]]]
|]
|First known person to propound the ] of universe. Attempted to calculate the sizes and distances of the Sun and Moon.
|-
|]
|This Persian astronomer gave the first extant exposition of the whole system of plane and spherical ]. Made very accurate tables of ] movements and named many ]s. Developed the ] which resolves linear motion into the sum of two circular motions. He also calculated the value of 51' for the ] of the ] and contributed to construction and usage of ].
|-
|]
|First exponent of heliocentrism in modern times.
|-
|]
|Did develop many important astronomical instruments, and achieved accurate measurments of the heavens by improving scentific methodology and by designing instruments on a large scale. His measurements of the orbit of Mars were very important to the development of astronomy.
|-
|]
|Suggested the ] of planets, and propounded his '']''.
|-
|]
|Was the first to use the ] to observe the sky. Condemned to house arrest for his discoveries by ]al edict, which was lifted 359 years later by ].
|-
|]
|Published ''Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica'' (]), containing the "]", which are fundamental to mechanical physics, and which explained Kepler's laws of planetary motion. Predicted the orbits of the ]s.
|-
|]
|Extensive work on the internal mechanisms of stars, particularly known for determining the effect of ] on stars, including being the first to calculate the ], which he did, without a calculator, on a boat journey.
|-
|]
|Catalogued ] stars in the ], in ] discovered the relationship between luminosty and periodicity in Cepheids -- leading to ] later work.
|-
|]
|Determined the distance to several ], when Cepheids were detected in other ] such as the ], the distance to those galaxies could then be determined.
|-
|]
|Discovered the expansion of the universe. (]) ] was named in his honor.
|}


<!-- ] violation: ] on the set of '']'']] -->
There is also a well-known painting by ] titled ''The Astronomer'', which is often linked to Vermeer's ''The ]''. These paintings are both thought to represent the growing influence and rise in prominence of scientific inquiry in ] at the time of their painting, ]-].
], astronomy was more concerned with the ] and description of ] in the sky, while ] attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using ]. Today, that distinction has mostly disappeared and the terms "astronomer" and "astrophysicist" are interchangeable. Professional astronomers are highly educated individuals who typically have a ] in ] or astronomy and are employed by research institutions or universities.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.noao.edu/education/astfaq.html |title=Frequently Asked Questions About Becoming an Astronomer |access-date=29 March 2009 |publisher=NOAO | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090403101540/http://www.noao.edu/education/astfaq.html| archive-date= 3 April 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref> They spend the majority of their time working on research, although they quite often have other duties such as teaching, building instruments, or aiding in the operation of an observatory.


The ], which is the major organization of professional astronomers in ], has approximately 8,200 members (as of 2024). This number includes scientists from other fields such as physics, ], and ], whose research interests are closely related to astronomy.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://aas.org/about-aas |title=About the AAS |access-date=18 November 2024 |publisher=AAS| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20241002195522/https://aas.org/about-aas|archive-date= 2 October 2024 | url-status= live}}</ref> The ] comprises about 12,700 members from 92 countries who are involved in astronomical research at the PhD level and beyond (as of 2024).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.iau.org/public/themes/member_statistics/ |title=IAU Member Statistics |access-date=18 November 2024 |publisher=IAU}}</ref>
== The modern astronomer==
] who became head of the Mathematical Board and director of the Observatory of the Chinese emperor in 1669]]
The progress in technology and wealth has enabled many more types of Astronomers than ever before. Advances in imaging technology have brought about an unprecedented sharing of visual and sub-visual phenomena in the sky, both day and night events. Web proliferation of space derived data has enabled many phenomena to be observed by more astronomers than ever before, especially auroral displays, comet appearances, and occultations. Advances in software to guide telescopes and cameras, and measure the light values accurately, had enabled higher quality images and vast contributions to be made by many more astronomers, than previously. Yet another type of Astronomer can be identified; the website builder and promoter, sharing science and sky images as part of the growth in networking astronomy, in-turn, encouraging the growth by disseminating both result and technique. Even the recent discovery of earth impact craters by so-called 'arm-chair' astronomers, using Google Earth, is a newly enabled valid type of Astronomer. Astronomers are often mathematicians, but more than likely looking through a telescope or camera and recording the image. Observing, measuring, and sharing occultation events is a growing activity, highly important to adding knowledge of and future predictions of sky objects, such as the shape of the moon, asteroids, and planets to a very high accuracy, with a modest investment in equipment.


Contrary to the classical image of an old astronomer peering through a ] through the dark hours of the night, it is far more common to use a ] (CCD) camera to record a long, deep exposure, allowing a more sensitive image to be created because the ] is added over time. Before CCDs, ] were a common method of observation. Modern astronomers spend relatively little time at telescopes, usually just a few weeks per year. Analysis of observed phenomena, along with making predictions as to the causes of what they observe, takes the majority of observational astronomers' time.
The division between professional and amateur astronomer is more blurred than ever before, with amateur astronomers contributing to many fields of knowledge, often significant, micro-lensing as a planet discovery method for instance. The division is often a perceived gap, inside astronomy there is often no gap.


===Activities and graduate degree training===
== Current activities by astronomers==
Astronomers who serve as faculty spend much of their time teaching undergraduate and graduate classes. Most universities also have ] programs, including public telescope time and sometimes ]s, as a public service to encourage interest in the field.<ref name="harvard-outreach">{{cite web |title=Public outreach project |url=https://astronomy.fas.harvard.edu/public-outreach-project|publisher=Department of Astronomy, Harvard University |access-date=15 September 2024 |date=2024}}</ref>
* measuring orbital data of objects
* measuring chemical composition of objects
* measuring light values of sky objects
* imaging solar activity
* imaging auroral activity
* imaging comets
* teaching astronomy
* building astronomy websites
* promoting astronomy
* running email lists to share and disseminate info quickly.
* traveling to astronomical events, such as eclipse, special telescopes, conferences, etc.
* developing optics
* manufacturing electronic equipment
* observing astronomical events, recording and sharing the information.
* observing and recording stars and other celestial bodies
* observing the phazes of a star
* viewing other galaxies


Those who become astronomers usually have a broad background in physics, ], sciences, and ] in high school. Taking courses that teach how to research, write, and present papers are part of the higher education of an astronomer, while most astronomers attain both a ] and eventually a PhD degree in astronomy, physics or ].<ref name=harvard/>
==See also==

* ]
PhD training typically involves 5-6 years of study, including completion of upper-level courses in the core sciences, a competency examination, experience with teaching undergraduates and participating in outreach programs, work on research projects under the student's supervising professor, completion of a ], and passing a final ].<ref name="harvard">{{cite web |title=Graduate program requirements |url=https://astronomy.fas.harvard.edu/requirements |publisher=Department of Astronomy, Harvard University |access-date=15 September 2024 |date=2024}}</ref> Throughout the PhD training, a successful student is financially supported with a ].<ref name=harvard/>

== Amateur astronomers ==
{{main|Amateur astronomy}}
While there is a relatively low number of professional astronomers, the field is popular among ]. Most cities have amateur astronomy clubs that meet on a regular basis and often host ]. The ] is the largest general astronomical society in the world, comprising both professional and amateur astronomers as well as educators from 70 different nations.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.astrosociety.org/about.html |title=About Us |access-date=29 March 2009 |publisher=]| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090225074145/http://astrosociety.org/about.html| archive-date= 25 February 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref>

As with any ], most people who practice amateur astronomy may devote a few hours a month to ] and reading the latest developments in research. However, amateurs span the range from so-called "armchair astronomers" to the highly ambitious people who own science-grade telescopes and instruments with which they are able to make their own discoveries, create ], and assist professional astronomers in research.<ref name="explore">{{cite web|url=https://explorescientificusa.com/pages/explore-alliance-astrophotography-ambassadors-jack-newton|publisher=]|title=Explore Alliance Astrophotography Ambassadors - Jack Newton|access-date=15 September 2024|date=2024}}</ref><ref name="tejassvi">{{cite web |vauthors=Tejassvi T |title=A starry-eyed weekend |url=https://gogeomatics.ca/a-starry-eyed-weekend/ |publisher=GoGeomatics Canada |access-date=15 September 2024 |date=10 June 2022}}</ref>

== See also ==
* ] * ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

=== Sources ===
* {{Cite book |last=Dallal |first=Ahmad |contribution=Science, Medicine and Technology |author-link=Ahmad Dallal |editor-last=Esposito |editor-first=John |title=The Oxford History of Islam |date=1999 |publisher=], New York |isbn=0-300-15911-0 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/islamsciencechal0000dall}}
* {{Citation |last=Kennedy|first=E.S.|title=A Survey of Islamic Astronomical Tables; Transactions of the American Philosophical Society| date=1956|location=Philadelphia| publisher=]|volume=46|issue=2}}
* {{Cite encyclopedia
| last = Toomer
| first = Gerald
| title = Al-Khwārizmī, Abu Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn Mūsā
| encyclopedia = ]
| volume = 7
| editor = Gillispie, Charles Coulston
| publisher = ]
| location = New York
| date = 1990
| isbn = 0-684-16962-2
}}


== External links == == External links ==
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{{Astronomy navbox}}
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Latest revision as of 22:51, 18 November 2024

Scientist in the field of astronomy

A voting session is conducted in 2006 International Astronomical Union's general assembly for determining a new definition of a planet

An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. Astronomers observe astronomical objects, such as stars, planets, moons, comets and galaxies – in either observational (by analyzing the data) or theoretical astronomy. Examples of topics or fields astronomers study include planetary science, solar astronomy, the origin or evolution of stars, or the formation of galaxies. A related but distinct subject is physical cosmology, which studies the Universe as a whole.

Types

Astronomers usually fall under either of two main types: observational and theoretical. Observational astronomers make direct observations of celestial objects and analyze the data. In contrast, theoretical astronomers create and investigate models of things that cannot be observed. Because it takes millions to billions of years for a system of stars or a galaxy to complete a life cycle, astronomers must observe snapshots of different systems at unique points in their evolution to determine how they form, evolve, and die. They use this data to create models or simulations to theorize how different celestial objects work.

Further subcategories under these two main branches of astronomy include planetary astronomy, astrobiology, stellar astronomy, astrometry, galactic astronomy, extragalactic astronomy, or physical cosmology. Astronomers can also specialize in certain specialties of observational astronomy, such as infrared astronomy, neutrino astronomy, x-ray astronomy, and gravitational-wave astronomy.

Academic

For subdisciplines, see Outline of astronomy.

History

Galileo is often referred to as the Father of modern astronomy. Portrait by Justus Sustermans.
Johannes Kepler, one of the fathers of modern astronomy

Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using physical laws. Today, that distinction has mostly disappeared and the terms "astronomer" and "astrophysicist" are interchangeable. Professional astronomers are highly educated individuals who typically have a PhD in physics or astronomy and are employed by research institutions or universities. They spend the majority of their time working on research, although they quite often have other duties such as teaching, building instruments, or aiding in the operation of an observatory.

The American Astronomical Society, which is the major organization of professional astronomers in North America, has approximately 8,200 members (as of 2024). This number includes scientists from other fields such as physics, geology, and engineering, whose research interests are closely related to astronomy. The International Astronomical Union comprises about 12,700 members from 92 countries who are involved in astronomical research at the PhD level and beyond (as of 2024).

Portrait of the Flemish astronomer Ferdinand Verbiest who became head of the Mathematical Board and director of the Observatory of the Chinese emperor in 1669

Contrary to the classical image of an old astronomer peering through a telescope through the dark hours of the night, it is far more common to use a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera to record a long, deep exposure, allowing a more sensitive image to be created because the light is added over time. Before CCDs, photographic plates were a common method of observation. Modern astronomers spend relatively little time at telescopes, usually just a few weeks per year. Analysis of observed phenomena, along with making predictions as to the causes of what they observe, takes the majority of observational astronomers' time.

Activities and graduate degree training

Astronomers who serve as faculty spend much of their time teaching undergraduate and graduate classes. Most universities also have outreach programs, including public telescope time and sometimes planetariums, as a public service to encourage interest in the field.

Those who become astronomers usually have a broad background in physics, mathematics, sciences, and computing in high school. Taking courses that teach how to research, write, and present papers are part of the higher education of an astronomer, while most astronomers attain both a Master's degree and eventually a PhD degree in astronomy, physics or astrophysics.

PhD training typically involves 5-6 years of study, including completion of upper-level courses in the core sciences, a competency examination, experience with teaching undergraduates and participating in outreach programs, work on research projects under the student's supervising professor, completion of a PhD thesis, and passing a final oral exam. Throughout the PhD training, a successful student is financially supported with a stipend.

Amateur astronomers

Main article: Amateur astronomy

While there is a relatively low number of professional astronomers, the field is popular among amateurs. Most cities have amateur astronomy clubs that meet on a regular basis and often host star parties. The Astronomical Society of the Pacific is the largest general astronomical society in the world, comprising both professional and amateur astronomers as well as educators from 70 different nations.

As with any hobby, most people who practice amateur astronomy may devote a few hours a month to stargazing and reading the latest developments in research. However, amateurs span the range from so-called "armchair astronomers" to the highly ambitious people who own science-grade telescopes and instruments with which they are able to make their own discoveries, create astrophotographs, and assist professional astronomers in research.

See also

References

  1. "Frequently Asked Questions About Becoming an Astronomer". NOAO. Archived from the original on 3 April 2009. Retrieved 29 March 2009.
  2. "About the AAS". AAS. Archived from the original on 2 October 2024. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  3. "IAU Member Statistics". IAU. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  4. "Public outreach project". Department of Astronomy, Harvard University. 2024. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  5. ^ "Graduate program requirements". Department of Astronomy, Harvard University. 2024. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  6. "About Us". Astronomical Society of the Pacific. Archived from the original on 25 February 2009. Retrieved 29 March 2009.
  7. "Explore Alliance Astrophotography Ambassadors - Jack Newton". Explore Scientific. 2024. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  8. Tejassvi T (10 June 2022). "A starry-eyed weekend". GoGeomatics Canada. Retrieved 15 September 2024.

Sources

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