Astronomy Definition and 805 Threads

I'm currently working on a BS in astronomy (basically a physics degree with astronomy/astrophysics courses to fill electives) and am hoping to also obtain a MS in astronomy as well. My question is in regards to non-academic paths taken by degree holders in physics and astronomy, particularly...

In Feynman's New Zealand lecture, he points out how the Inca Indians were able to predict the motion of major heavenly bodies but did not understand the physics behind these motions (Let us assume that is true. We don't have, as Feynman points out, much recorded Inca history so it is...

Does anyone know of a (relatively) cheap astronomy book which has Ceres officially labelled as a planet? I realize it may not be extremely cheap seeing that it would have to be from the 1800s, but perhaps there's one that was commonly enough in print to not be so hard to find? It's both...

I have a little trouble with positional astronomy so I wanted to clarify a few things to get my understanding right. The imaginary celestial poles are located directly above (or below) the poles of the Earth, right? And the Zenith is the position in the sky that a person would look if one was...

Hi ! I have a basic question : What should an amateur astronomer learn to better understand the sky he's watching ? I love watching my sky at night (Even though the quality of it is discusting, too much light pollution.) But I feel I lack knowledge because I'm watching space, but I don't...

Stellar or Solar system Astronomy?? I'm an engineering student and next quarter I will have space for an elective class and I wanted to do something with astronomy. My options are stellar astronomy and Solar System Astronomy, my school only offers these two courses, and I don't know which one...

Hi I am a Physics masters student from India in a college in Texas. I want to pursue a PhD in Astronomy (observational/radio) Australia. I have heard Australia is very good at obs astronomy - however google searches are revealing a lot about the telescopes and other facilities there but...

Hi I am a Physics masters student from India in a college in Texas. I want to pursue a PhD in Astronomy (observational/radio) Australia. I have heard Australia is very good at obs astronomy - however google searches are revealing a lot about the telescopes and other facilities there...

Nature,Astronomy and Physics have facinated me for years but I had no idea they were eerily similar in other ways. Nature produces hurricanes that in satellite photos look eerily similar to those of spiral galaxies photographed by the Hubble space telescope. Physics uses a model...

One day I aspire to work in the space exploration(or something similar) field using Computer Science skills, and my knowledge in Astronomy. Is this realistic? Or would a minor in Physics be better for trying to achieve the same goal? I plan to attend the University of Utah if the makes a...

What is the best, if not great, scholarship for a master (graduate) in Astrophysics or Astronomy? I have been looking around the internet, but I am not sure if the scholarships I have seen will allow me to study Astrophysics, and most of them have their deadlines passed. I'm also planning to...

Hi all, I've had an itching lately to dive into something new. Currently, I am a professional computer programmer but have always been interested in astronomy. I took an astronomy course (as well as a lab for it) when I was in college and I remember enjoying it all immensely. I want to get...

Hello, So I'm going to be a third year molecular and cell biology major soon and I'm barely catching up on the requirements to complete the major at my university. I really had a hard time choosing between this and physics, thinking and weighing out the differences between the two for a few...

Alright well I am in high school so my resources are limited as far as sophisticated telescope. Although I can ask around via email to see if there is any way to find time on more sophisticated technology. As far as what levels of math and physics I am at next fall I will be taking fundamentals...

I am a high school physics teacher looking to teach an astronomy class for juniors and seniors next year. I was wondering if there are any stand out texts for this. Thanks.

Hiya, First off, I'm not sure where to post this topic. I was thinking either the homework section, or General Astronomy, but I chose to put it here because my question relates to a research paper in Astronomy. Let me discuss the basics of the paper. We have to pick a topic in the 1920s that...

For someone wanting to work in astronomy... ...is an Astrophysics degree the way to go or should I go with Physics? I'm a first-year undergrad who sort of spent the past semester and a half thinking I'd be a History major. I have a strong interest in astronomy and would love to work in the...

I am a high school student starting grade 11 . I am preparing for physics olympiad and i have a solid knowledge of theory upto the level of RESNICK HALLIDAY . I leant Calculus,Analytic Geometry,Trigonometry,Differential eqns and Higher algebra . So i am preparing to go for Astronomy Olympiad...

"The future of Radio Astronomy" (your thoughts) Hello all, I'm doing an extended project on "the future of radio astronomy". And I would like to know people's opinions on the "future of radio astronomy" and what advancements the field of radio astronomy is expected to make in the future...

Hey! I'm doing Science Olympiads and my category is Astronomy. We're allowed to bring in a laptop with whatever we want on it but it just can't connect to the internet. Can you recommend any software, databases, or etc that would be useful to have? Normally, the questions are basic...

Hello everyone. It is exciting to discover your forum here. I am hoping someone might be able to point me in the right direction for finding any symbols, charts, diagrams, written formulas, et cetera (ANYTHING) that represents or communicates or otherwise serves to explain any of the...

Hello all, I'm aware that heterodyning is a radio signal processing technique as kindly explained by the Wiki article on the topic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heterodyne). However I don't understand how radio astronomers use this technique to aid their observations, what sort of...

Hi, I am currently studying electronics engineering in India and I plan to start applying for the fall 2013 semester within the next 2-3 weeks. I am pursuing a Masters' and PhD in astronomy and I will apply for the same. However, if I do not get an admit for this course from the universities I...

Physics vs physcs with astronomy. I'm currently applying to College. I know I'm intersted in science. If it wasn't for this book about planets I had when I was 5 I'd prob nvr liked science. So my question is should I major in physics or a physics with an astronomy emphasis? What exactly is the...

Hello! As my title suggests, I (twelve years old - not an adult) am starting an astronomy club at my school. I do want to take this rather seriously, and I am interested in accumulating several members. However, my main question in this forum is: What are some good topics to discuss in an...

Duke University is hosting a free course (video lectures) on "Introduction to Astronomy" by Ronen Plesser. Starts Nov 27th. Free to sign up! https://www.coursera.org/course/introastro

My astronomy lab group is planning a research project. We will have access to a .6 m reflecting telescope in the northern hemisphere as well as I believe a .6 or larger reflector in Australia remotely. We are curious how likely or practical it would be to be able to find research subjects...

Hello, I am a sophomore in high school and am looking to go into physics and ideally astrophysics. I am in honors precalc/trig right now and will be taking AP Calc next year, and probably multivariable calc my senior year. I'm in chemistry this year and physics next year. I will probably...

Homework Statement "Parallaxes are measured relative to background stars. If these are not infinitely distant themselves, then the parallax to the foreground object will be underestimated and its distance will be overestimated. Calculate the distance that will be measured to a star at a...

i'm in year 9 or 9th grade (american) I'm 13 I'm going to be making my options for my exams in year 11th . I'm wanting to do something in the field of astronomy when I'm older but i also have a interest in physics as well but i know more about astronomy so does anyone recommend me what i should...

Hi guys, I want to first let everyone know that my upper level physics classes are going really well so far - I was definitely panicking for no reason and thank you to all who reassured me. I was wondering about grad school for astronomy vs physics. I have heard that it's better to do...

I live in a home where we don't make very much money, but I would really like to go to school for Astrophysics. As of right now I do not know a lot as far as the mathematical processes go, so depending on where I were to get a scholarship or grant it might be rather difficult. What other ways...

Homework Statement Mars has a synodic period of 779.9 days and a sidereal period of 686.98 days. On 2/11/1990 Mars had an elongation of 43-deg W. The elongation of Mars 687 days later on 12/30/1901 was 15-deg W. What is the distance of Mars from Sun in AU units. (Hint: This is a multi-step...

I actually need help with using my calculator for astronomy equations. I am trying to do conversions from astronomical units to parsecs and vice versa, and the answers I am getting do not make sense. I believe I am simply performing my order of operations incorrectly, but after hours of trying...

Is it feasible to perform space VLBI at 230 GHz? Also how does one detect the radio jets at 230 GHz?

A couple of my friends are going to switch out of physics honors for astronomy because they think its much easier and I want to know if it's easier. I did a little research and both use trigonometry so why would they go into astronomy ? Thoughts?

Hi my name is TJ, friends call me Muzzy, and I'm a programmer. I love programming. I love physics, but my knowledge of physics is well... very bad lol. I don't really plan to start a career somewhere as a physicist, but I want to learn it for my own research involving astronomy. I'm fascinated...

hi i am looking at uni courses and i a a bit confused between the differences between; astrophysics, astronomy, cosmology and space science in terms of what is covered in each . Can anyone help please. Ryan

Just looking for some books that includes topics like evolution of stars, pulsar and quasar and the solar system.

Hi, I'm in my second year (out of 5) of Systems Engineering. I would love to study Astronomy (which is also a 5 year career) after I get my degree, but I don't know how useful it would be to finish studying that late, and I'm not sure how useful it would be to have both degrees. Obviously I'd...

Homework Statement (a) Calculate sidereal time at 11am on December 8th of any year. (b) Calculate the Greenwich Sidereal Time when the local sidereal time on longitude 20 degrees (West) is 20h 45m. Homework Equations I know from my notes that a Sidereal day is 4 minutes shorter than...

Hey there guys! I haven't been on this forum a while, been busy with school work and assessments, but still catching up on astronomical developments and physical advancements (Higgs Boson around the corner soon?!) Anyways, as the title suggests, I'm definitely entering a local science fair...

My main interest in physics is b/c of astronomy. I'm doing physics undergrad as a stepping stone to grad school astronomy/astrophysics. However upon introspection I notice that my main interest in space lies in the solar system and exoplanets and the potential for life. Is astronomy then the...

Homework Statement A telescope has a focal ratio of f/7.5. You wish to use it with a spectrometer that requires an f/10 beam at its input. Compute the focal length of a 50mm diameter lens that, when inserted in the beam 150mm in front of the unmodified focal plane, produces the required beam...

The most efficient way to reach Mars from Earth is following the Hohmann Transfer Orbit (Wolfgang Hohmann, 1925). A spaceship must first get free of Earth (it still orbits the Sun together with Earth, at 30 km/s, at a distance of 1 AU), then it adds speed so that its aphelion (in its orbit...

I need some ideas for a physics or astronomy related speech?

Hi guys, I am wondering whether I would be taken seriously by the admissions committees if I were to apply for a B.S. degree in Physics-Astronomy (concentration) because I am in the social sciences, getting my M.A. in a social science field this May. I want to earn my Ph.D. in Astronomy...

http://www.benthamscience.com/open/toaaj/index.htm, published as part of http://www.benthamscience.com/open/index.htm. From the website:

What is the difference between Astronomy, Astrophyics and Cosmology?

I'm currently a second-year student in EE at a large state school (top 30, I think). I chose EE when I applied, but I never really put any thought towards what major I wanted. I had taken AP physics, etc in high school and was always pretty good in math and sciences, so people told me to go...