Are planetary scientists rare in astrophysics departments?

AI Thread Summary
Planetary sciences, particularly the study of gas giant moons, is a niche area within astrophysics that is often housed in Earth and space sciences departments rather than traditional astrophysics departments. This can create challenges for students interested in planetary science, as they may face different admissions criteria. There is a discussion about the possibility of applying to both types of departments within the same university, with a recognition that while admission to astrophysics may be easier, the passion for planetary science remains strong. The conversation also touches on future aspirations, including the desire to build a team of planetary scientists in an academic setting.
Simfish
Gold Member
Messages
811
Reaction score
2
I really love planetary sciences, especially the science concerning the moons of the gas giants (although lots of this research is constrained by the availability of space probes). But are planetary scientists rare in astrophysics departments? In my university, almost all of them are in the Earth and space sciences department, which has different admissions criteria from the astrophysics department here. I could possibly apply to both astrophysics departments and planetary science departments in the same university, but I'm not sure if this is allowed (I almost certainly have a higher chance of getting into an astrophysics department, although planetary science actually excites me more).
 
Last edited:
Physics news on Phys.org
When I'm a professor, I'll surround myself with my own planetary scientists. :smile:

I'll call them Rocky I II III IV and V, etc …

and I won't have any with rings or spots. o:)
 
TL;DR Summary: I want to do a PhD in applied math but I hate group theory, is this a big problem? Hello, I am a second-year math and physics double major with a minor in data science. I just finished group theory (today actually), and it was my least favorite class in all of university so far. It doesn't interest me, and I am also very bad at it compared to other math courses I have done. The other courses I have done are calculus I-III, ODEs, Linear Algebra, and Prob/Stats. Is it a...
Yesterday, 9/5/2025, when I was surfing, I found an article The Schwarzschild solution contains three problems, which can be easily solved - Journal of King Saud University - Science ABUNDANCE ESTIMATION IN AN ARID ENVIRONMENT https://jksus.org/the-schwarzschild-solution-contains-three-problems-which-can-be-easily-solved/ that has the derivation of a line element as a corrected version of the Schwarzschild solution to Einstein’s field equation. This article's date received is 2022-11-15...

Similar threads

Replies
7
Views
2K
Replies
5
Views
2K
Replies
11
Views
2K
Replies
1
Views
5K
Replies
1
Views
1K
Replies
10
Views
2K
Replies
3
Views
4K
Back
Top