Astro Definition and 68 Threads

Please select up to 3 members who had the most positive impact in the Astro/Cosmo forums in 2024. This is a popular vote. Polls were created by weighing activity and measure of helpfulness. Everyone nominated should feel honored! Many more could be added to this poll, we can never realistically...

On the night of December 23rd 24th 2015, an occultation of a bright star by the moon will be visible from Britain to Japan. Given that the moon is in full phase on December 25th, which star does the moon occult? a. Aldebaran (RA 4h 37m, Dec 16o 31’) b. Pollux (RA 7h 45m, Dec 28o 2’) c. Regulus...

I have used my entry-level Zwo colour camera to get movies of planets and, subject to my limited skills, those movies (Avi format) are handled quite happily by Autostakkert and Registax. I have used my DSLR successfully to take multiple long exposure images and they have stacked fine (of...

How would you respond to postdoc applicants if they hold a PhD in another field (physical oceanography) and then complete an MRes in astrophysics? Just interested because I don't qualify for funding for any of the astronomy and cosmology PhD positions I'v found in the UK (even though I am...

I created this thread because every online resource I have examined to date has been largely worthless- either totally over-engineered complexity or superficial garbage (can you tell I am irritated?). The problem is simple: optimize DSS image stacking and post processing based on quantitative...

I have read that postdocs are extremely hard to come by in Astrophysics, and is likely a dead end at the end of the PHD and that Condensed Matter is less competitive in academia. Would a Condensed Matter PhD also provide more opportunities in UK science industry - in particular the life sciences...

I teach high school astronomy. I am in my second of teaching. My bachelors is in physics and astronomy. i was presented with the idea of starting an astro club, but I don't know what I would do with it. The only reason It was brought up is because there is a NASA test facility near here, and I...

Hi! I'm trying to understand a perfectly black body. So the definition I have found is that a black body is one that absorbs radiation of ALL wavelengths and reflects NONE. Therefore it appears black at low temperatures. And when heated it emits radiation of all wavelengths making it appear...

Can anyone give me some insight as to what a good school in Indiana would be for Astro physics? Purdue? IU? Thanks!

Currently enrolled at a regional campus to complete basic core courses for my B.S. in Physics with a research concentration. I have completed over 40 credit hours while I was also in high school, and am starting my first semester of classes toward my major. After this semester, however, that...

Behold my first photos of stars...:smile: Thanks to PF members and PF threads, and reading about astrophotography, I succeeded the first time. This was just some tests I did with my mobile phone, LG G4, which has a pretty decent camera which can be used in manual mode, i.e. I can set the ISO...

There are lots of amazing photographs of nebula around. The colors contribute greatly to their grandeur. But if we were able to get near enough to a nebula to see it with the naked eye would it possesses the colors we see in published photographs taken by telescopes? Or are the colors in astro...

Hello. What are the most common programming languages that are used by astrophysicists who work in the following fields: radio astronomy, SETI, signal detection, signal processing, exobiology, exoplanetology, solar system astronomy and stellar astronomy? If possible, please sort the languages...

I was reading through some questions online and one asked the reader to calculate the distance between a star and Zenith given Sidereal Time 17hrs, RA*=16hr30mins, DEC*=50degrees. Could someone explain to me how you would do this please? There were no examples and so far I haven't managed to...

So my school offers both an honours physics degree and a combined honours degree in physics and astronomy. The combined degree basically entails taking slightly less upper level physics courses in exchange for astronomy courses, the replacement of an electrical laboratory with an optics...

I'm planning to start grad school for astrophysics next year, but am kind of put off by reading about the lack of jobs in science after graduation. It looks like data science is the current hot field to go into, even for PhDs in other fields. Would it make sense to start a PhD program fully...

Hi there, I am having a lot of struggles with program. I am not using this for any true kind of publication but more so we can reference material. However, it is very important that I have a coordinate system where I can plot the WCS. Whenever I try to save as a PNG or JPEG it does not...

So here is the gist. I just completed my 3rd year of a 4 year Phys and Astro Masters at the University of Exeter, and for the second year in a row, me and all my course mates were passed over for internships because we lack experience (which we can't get because no one will pick us for...

Hi all. I'm a prospective physics major, hoping to either go into particle physics or condensed matter research or enter tech if research doesn't turn out to be for me. I was wondering which elective I should choose for next semester--astro 101 or Chemistry 1 or CS 1? Will chemistry help me with...

Hello all. I am a high school student, and I plan on going to University (not sure which yet) to study Astrophysics, and I hope to eventually land a research job at a prestigious University. Of course, this is a very ambitious goal, and that's where my question comes in: Will I be able to do...

I've been looking and I really can't find too many opportunities for jobs in Astro Physics. I'm starting to apply to colleges and that's what I want to major in, but I'd really like to know what I can do with that degree.

Homework Statement Explain why stage 1 and 2 of the triple alpha process will not being until the core Temp of the star is around 10^8K. Homework Equations 4He+4He = 8Be (step 1) 8Be+4He = 12C (Step 2) The Attempt at a Solution I "think" I need to work out the nuclear energies... However I...

I'm applying for graduate school but am from a basically unknown state school. My stats can be found here: http://www.physicsgre.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=5735. I am looking for a low ranked or unranked theoretical cosmology/hep-th school or a similarly ranked observational astronomy program...

Hi everyone, I'm currently in a MS program in Physics and I do astronomy research. I've always wanted to get a phd, but with the outlooks of actually getting an astronomy job... I've started to consider teaching. I'd like to teach both physics and astronomy (preferably astronomy). I...

Nice general collection of high resolution astro images. http://www.holtz.org/Library/Images/Slideshows/Gallery/Cosmic/

So, I've been in community college for a year now and my original plan was to get out of here in 2 years as fast as I could. Tonight, I just met with a part time professor here and I have the opportunity to take part in some research with him and another student (or 2). This honestly sounds too...

I'm an udergrad, 2nd year physics. I recently got interested in solar physics - one reason being, that I was offered to cooperate on a project, where I'll be doing some sunspot simulations. I really like mathematics and I kinda like the mathematical modelling curriculum. However the...

Hello! I apologize in advance if this has been asked before, or if it more properly belongs in the career section - I wasn't sure since I'm still at university. I'm currently in the middle of my undergrad studies in physics with an astronomy focus. My plan has been to go on to grad school to...

Has anyone used The Astronomy on the Personal Computer book by Montenbruck and Pfleger? It covers quite a lot of useful astronomical techniques, and provides the C++ code on a CD-ROM to compile and operate them. I haven't bought the book yet, but I have a borrowed copy. To compile code they...

Hi, I'm 16 years old and I really want to win my national science fair. I'm fascinated by all things space and I have been addicted to astrophysics ever since my Dad showed me a documentry on the discovery channel when I was ten. I was wondering if anyone could put me on the right path...

Homework Statement Find the energy released for the reactions in the Proton-Proton chain. Homework Equations Proton-Proton Chain: 1H + 1H -> 2H + e+ + v e+ + e- -> γ + γ 2H + 1H -> 3He + γ 3He + 3He -> 4He + 2 1H The Attempt at a Solution To find the energy released in each...

Homework Statement OK so I'm doing a past exam paper as some revision: The central galaxy in the Perseus cluster has an X-ray spectrum in wavelength units which is well described by the power law F_\lambda \propto \lambda^{-2} . If the spectrum in frequency units is described...

my friend is insufferable and thinks astro is "a waste of time" As the title suggests, I have a friend who is insufferable, loves arguing and is convinced that astronomy/astrophysics is "a waste of time". I will admit that I am a journalist by trade, have barely a layperson understanding of...

Hey guys, I'm studying in my final year, physics as an undergraduate student, and we have to complete a research project for the finals. Our course length is 2 months. I'm deeply interested in astro physics and cosmology. Any new topics that i can consider as an research topic?

I was just curious if anybody could give me an in depth explanation. thanks!

Ive been going through some landers of Venus and Mars and I found they were equipped with radio doppler experiment(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venera_9 ) I was wondering what this does. I mean there is radio signal transmitted through space everywhere and i suppose the device would measure...

Hi guys, So I have a little bit of a dilemma right now. I got into two internship programs, one for computational/theoretical astrophysics and the other at Fermilab. I want to go to graduate school for theoretical particle physics. So the question is, what looks better when you're applying...

I am 18 years old, going to a 2 year college to get my diploma and transfer to a University that does Computer Science, but I do not know if that is the right path..? I do not mind programming and Computer Science, but I have had more of a passion with Astronomy since I was a kid. I do not see...

Hi to all the astrophysicists out there i have few question I want to know the answers to so here I go 1. Why does Earth rotate around the sun in a particular orbit and what factors contribute Earth to stick in the orbit. 2. Why does Earth has to revolve on its axis is it to maintain the...

I am currently working on my BSEE, a degree I settled on due primarily to financial stability compared to taking a BS in physics or Astronomy. However, I am hoping perhaps to graduate and go into an Astronomy Ph.d. program as that is my true passion. I am hoping that my EE background would...

There are hundreds of options with this tool, so this is just an offthewall sample of what you can get: http://graduate-school.phds.org/rankings/astronomy/rank/_M_M____________________________________________________________U I'm not advising anyone to seriously use this, or believe in...

I want to double major in AstroPhysics and Quantum Mechanics. But considering the two work on different scales (Sizes of matter- One Celestial, the other, Sub Atomic), is it an unrealistic goal? The two fields are at odds at the moment, so I'm starting to have doubts as to whether or not it's a...

how much mathematics is important in astrophysics? (which topics mainly?) is astrophysics is a kind of theoretical or observation physics?

Hi everyone, I am currently double majoring in math and astrophysics and am hoping to pursue a Ph.D in theoretical astrophysics after my undergraduate career. I am planning on taking the Physics GRE (of course), but was wondering if it would be beneficial to also take the math GRE. Would...

So I am looking into prospective career paths, still in high school, and I've found that physics is the way for me, but the problem I've run into is that i love these two fields, but double majoring wouldn't be prudent for my plans. What are the best traits about each of these fields, the worst...

I am so sick of that stinking show! When I first heard of it, I thought that it was a cool idea... until I watched an episode. I've never watched it since, but can't help being bombarded with clips and trailers for the stupid thing. If I had a couple of million bucks kicking around loose, I'd...

hi everyone, i am a 1st year btech student. iam interested in robotics and astro physics. i want to know what project i should takeup.we are a team of 2.

Hi all. I am starting graduate studies in astronomy&astrophysics in the fall, but due to the curriculum at my school, I don't have much of an astro background. What books can people recommend I go through during the summer to get myself prepared? Do you think going through Carroll&Ostlie...

Hi there, I'd like to know if a person who has pursued his engineering in Information Technolgy can switch line and take up furthur studies in Astro Physics? If yes, could you list the possible ways in which one can atleast kick off? Thanks, Smita

I am considering changing my major to Philosophy and Physics with a astrophysics minor, since my school doesn't offer astronomy and astrophysics as a major. My current major is biotechnology. I was reading some article that was a little scary, it is about how the job market for physicist isn't...