Astronomer
hideAn astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars, and galaxies.
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. 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 number of professional astronomers in the United States is actually quite small. The American Astronomical Society, which is the major organization of professional astronomers in North America, has approximately 7,000 members. 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 almost 9,500 members from 87 different countries who are involved in astronomical research at the PhD level and beyond.
While the number of professional astronomers worldwide is not much larger than the population of a small town, there is a huge community of amateur astronomers. Most cities have amateur astronomy clubs that meet on a regular basis and often host star parties in their communities. 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. Like any hobby, most people who think of themselves as amateur astronomers 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 very ambitious, who own science-grade telescopes and instruments with which they are able to make their own discoveries and assist professional astronomers in research.
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News tagged with astronomers
Expanding Spot on Venus Puzzles Astronomers
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Aug 04, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- The expanding spot discovered on Venus last month may not have garnered as much attention as the meteor impact with Jupiter, but its cause is certainly more puzzling. ...
Astronomers find most crowded collision of galaxy clusters
Apr 16, 2009 |
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The most crowded collision of galaxy clusters has been identified by combining information from three different telescopes. This result gives scientists a chance to learn what happens when some of the largest ...
Solar Mystery Solved
Aug 26, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Solar flares are amongst the most dangerous cosmic phenomena man has ever known. Though they pose no harm to humans, their effect on technology is vast. When they occur, they possess the capability ...
A 3-D view of remote galaxies
Mar 10, 2009 |
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For decades, distant galaxies that emitted their light six billion years ago were no more than small specks of light on the sky. With the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope in the early 1990s, astronomers ...
Amateur Astronomers See Perseids Hit the Moon
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Sep 03, 2008 |
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One, the old-fashioned way: Find a dark place with starry skies and count the meteors streaking overhead. Two, the new way: Find a dark place with starry skies and then completely ignore the meteors. Instead, ...
What Hit Jupiter?
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Aug 03, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- It began with a furrowed brow, a moment of puzzlement, quickly dismissed.
Space rock gives Earth a close shave
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Mar 03, 2009 |
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An asteroid of a similar size to a rock that exploded above Siberia in 1908 with the force of a thousand atomic bombs whizzed close past Earth on Monday, astronomers said on Tuesday.
Colors of Quasars Reveal a Dusty Universe
Feb 26, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- The vast expanses of intergalactic space appear to be filled with a haze of tiny, smoke-like "dust" particles that dim the light from distant objects and subtly change their colors, according to a team of ...
Galaxy-Sized Observatory for Gravitational Waves
Sep 17, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Astronomers are making plans to create a galaxy-sized observatory to look for gravitational waves. The project is part of a joint effort with astronomers from Australia and Europe, who also ...
World's fastest and most sensitive astronomical camera
Jun 18, 2009 |
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The next generation of instruments for ground-based telescopes took a leap forward with the development of a new ultra-fast camera that can take 1,500 finely exposed images per second even when observing extremely ...
Galaxy Zoo Hunters Help Astronomers Discover Rare 'Green Pea' Galaxies
Jul 27, 2009 |
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A team of astronomers has discovered a group of rare galaxies called the "Green Peas" with the help of citizen scientists working through an online project called Galaxy Zoo. The finding could lend unique ...
Astronomers capture spectacular meteor footage and images (w/ Video)
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Oct 07, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Astronomers from The University of Western Ontario in London, Canada have released footage of a meteor that was approximately 100 times brighter than a full moon. The meteor lit up the skies ...
Cluster listens to the sounds of Earth
Jun 27, 2008 |
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The first thing an alien race is likely to hear from Earth is chirps and whistles, a bit like R2-D2, the robot from Star Wars. In reality, they are the sounds that accompany the aurora. Now ESA's Cluster mission is showing ...
Astronomers hit a telescopic jackpot
Jan 12, 2009 |
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Astronomers this year are about to get a windfall of new and improved telescopes of unprecedented power with which to explore the universe. The bonanza arrives 400 years after Galileo spied craters on the moon through the ...
Astronomers, royalty, rock stars to inaugurate world's largest telescope
Jul 13, 2009 |
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Four hundred years after Galileo first turned his handmade telescope toward the heavens, the world's largest, most technologically advanced telescope is set to make its formal debut.
