As a source of information that is open to exploration, astronomy is a career field that is often ignored in favour of options such as business or psychology. But when overlooking the possibilities, students can miss out on opportunities they are unable to obtain in any other field. So many could learn so much with the technology that scientists have improved. It’s important to know the facts about the astronomy field, without dumbing it down.
In the simplest terms, astronomy is the study of the stars and heavens. Once you delve deeper into the subject, you find that astronomers do more than sit behind a telescope until their eyeballs bleed. In fact, much of the career is spent behind the computer, making programs based on their area of study (N.O.A.O.). Being able to study an unknown science, many astronomers also work full time to find information to back up or debunk theories. In order to find a job in the field, a lot of work must go into research and schooling, which means that, yes, going to your classes is probably a good idea.
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Preparing to take courses for this type of job, you must be prepared to actually study. A Ph.D. is required in a lot, if not most, astronomical fields. This usually takes five to seven years, if not longer, depending on your time at school (Astronomer: Job Info & Career Requirements 2014). Supernovas are super cool, but failing grades are not. Most schools have a Major, or at least Minor, in astronomical studies. Though it’s important to say that if you want to have a job in the field of astronomy, but don’t actually want to be an astronomer, there are plenty of other practices inside that area of
& MCMILLAN, S. 2008. Astronomy Today - Sixth Edition, United States of America, Pearson Education, Inc.
Vera Cooper Rubin was born July 23, 1928 in Philadelphia, PA. Her father was Philip Cooper, an electrical engineer, and her mother Rose. She first developed an interest in astronomy at the age of 10 while stargazing from her home in Washington D.C. Her father encouraged her to follow her dreams and took her to amateur astronomer meetings. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from Vassar University in 1948 of which she was the only astronomy major that year. Later she earned her master’s from Cornell in 1950 with her masters’ thesis was controversial and centered around the possibility of bulk rotation by looking for “sideways” motion of galaxies. She finally got her Ph.D. from Georgetown University in 1954. Her doctoral thesis was on the clustering of galaxies and how she describes the definite clumping and not random distribution throughout the sky. She had attempted to enroll in Princeton for her master’s degree, but at the time women were not allowed in the graduate astronomy program. She was married in 1948 to Robert Rubin and has four children all with Doctorate degrees.
Since elementary school, I have been fascinated with the field of astronomy and have enjoyed learning, researching, and reading about this topic, purely to satisfy my own intellectual curiosity. I began visiting our school planterium and eventually found myself venturing into research on complicated celestial bodies such as black holes, quasars, and pulsars. Though my school does not offer courses on astronomy, I pursued topics of relevance such as calculus and physics, thus enabling me to delve deeper into topics at a collegiate level which are interrelated to astronomy.
“Eventually, we reach the utmost limits of our telescopes. There, we measure shadows and search among ghostly errors of measurement for landmarks that are scarcely more substantial,” is a quote about Hubble’s views on discovery and exploration of the universe (Hubble, 1936). Edwin Powell Hubble was born in Marshfield, Missouri, USA on November 29 1889 but later moved to Chicago with his family, where he completed his post secondary education and obtained an undergraduate degree in mathematics and astronomy, from the University of Chicago. To fulfill his father’s wish, Hubble being a dutiful son, later went on to study law at Oxford University on a Rhodes scholarship. Upon obtaining his law degree, Hubble successfully opened and operated a small practice back in the US. Seeing as law was never a passion of Hubble’s, as he stated, “It was astronomy that mattered” and knowing his heart lied elsewhere, Hubble once again went back to the University of Chicago to obtain his doctorate in astronomy (Mayall, 1970). Earlier in his life, as having broken the state record in high jump, Hubble was better known for his athletic prowess. Hubble today is lauded as a pioneer and a visionary, who went beyond the confines of his time to seek more and see farther out into the universe, on route making major discoveries and contributions into the vast field of astronomy.
As I sat on edge of my bed, questioning all of my thoughts and caught in a storm of overthinking, “I got it!” I said, “I want to become an astrophysicist!” A tornado swept away my dream of becoming an architect and crushed my attitude towards becoming an astronaut...and I couldn’t have been happier. My whole life, nothing has been more confusing to me than my future. I pondered and pondered about what it is I wanted to do, and in doing so, I found a purpose for myself. However useful or useless life may be, I knew I could make something of it, and now the astrophysics has become a part of my identity. I spent hours studying the latest on black holes and understanding exotic particles and other space quandaries. I read 32 hours worth
Science is a field that prides itself on being objective. To help ensure that this objectivity is met, scientists have formed a process to test each hypothesis. Each hypothesis is then subject to revision, or replacement should a theory come along with more support. As a science, the field of astronomy also strives to reach this goal. However, astronomy has been riddled with mistakes. Just as teens chase after fads today, be it fashion or the latest heart-throb, astronomy too has tenaciously followed trends that were logically flawed. Almost from its inception, astronomy has followed this pattern of clinging to these erroneous ideas. Much like today’s fads, these ideas seem silly in hindsight. However, this makes them no less powerful in the time they occur. But even knowing that such fads exist, which topics today are legitimate science and which are dead ends?
Less and less girls are choosing career in STEM fields causing a growing gender gap as well as a decline in many STEM fields. Now one may wonder what is STEM? The acronym STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. (Lawerence-Turner Jody, 1) There are many reasons that few girls are choosing careers in STEM fields.This is due to many factors such as socialization, lack of exposure, and lack of female role models. (Danae King, 2) A growing issue
Thousands of years ago, ancient people looked up at the night sky and spotted unfamiliar objects in the sky, known as stars. Some people saw the stars as a tool to navigate at night and to keep up with the seasons. Others were completely clueless about what the stars were and why there were up in the sky. This eventually led to curiosity and the beginning of astronomy. The very first astronomers grouped stars into constellations, which basically is connecting the stars to make an imaginary outline of people, object, or animals. This allowed the astronomers to keep track of the movement of the planets and the sun, which allowed them to create the very first accurate calendar to know when it was the right time to harvest and plant.
What is astronomy? Astronomy consist of a lot of things that make up our solar system such as: the nine planets, asteroids, meteorites, the moon and the sun. Astronomy is also a fascinating hobby that can be followed by anyone. You do not need to be, as some people seem to imagine, ‘mathematically-minded’ , in order to start, or even to become a very experienced observer. Yet astronomy is one of the few hobbies where not only can you gain great enjoyment, but if you feel want to can very easily make observations of great scientific value.
The Revolution in Astronomy Read the article, "The Revolution in Astronomy" and take notes. Concentrate on the following people / terms: • Heliocentric theory: This is a theory proposed by a few ancient astronomers, and adopted by some medieval philosophers, which claims that the earth moved about the sun. But since it seemed to be contradictory to common sense and observed data of the time, such theory was only accepted to a minority of people before the second quarter of the seventeenth century. • Empirical method: ""Empirical means that all evidence must be based on evidence, so the empirical method refers to the use of hypothesis, which actually can be tested via observation and experiment.
Additionally, as a student assistant I mentored peers in telescope assembly, and educated high school teachers in our network about astronomy. The skills of networking and data-analytics I have acquired as a student assistant for RECON will help me conquer challenges I may face in the SPS Internship Program. Communicating with others is a valuable attribute to have in any internship experience and I have learned this through teaching others about telescopes and astronomy.
Human fascination with the stars is as ancient as Babylonians and has been suggested to be older than Stonehenge. From “be fruitful and multiply” to “live long and prosper,” the instinct to protect and propagate the species has manifested in religion, art, and the imaginations of countless individuals. As human understanding of space treks out of the fantastical and into the scientific, the realities of traveling through and living in space are becoming clearer. Exploring, investigating, and living in space pose an expansive series of problems. However, the solutions to the problems faced by mankind's desire to reach beyond the horizon, through the night sky, and into the stars are solutions that will help in all areas of life on Earth.
“Sheltered as we are by Earth's atmosphere and magnetic field, which deflect lethal radiation from space, we are like coddled children who have never ventured into a tough neighborhood” (Folger 2). Humans have been fascinated with space since the beginning of our time. Just like children and rough neighborhoods, we have tackled obstacle over obstacle to make it home again. In the end, we have a better knowledge and strength than before. The future of space exploration can assist us in answering the everlasting question of how the universe came to be. The more we explore the infinite galaxies, the more we can scientifically discover and create new technologies as science advances. As we continue to discover, we can create new fields and occupations for aspiring young students like myself.
...roups that have been important to astronomy are the Akkadians, Egyptians, Chinese, Polynesians, and the Greeks. They used astronomy for navigation at sea, creating accurate calendars, making new inventions, and many more things! Some modern jobs in astronomy include Educational, Private industries, National Observatories and Laboratories. Also, some technical advances because of astronomy include many telescopes, tracking programs used by FedEx, and IRAF which is used to analyze computer systems. Even though astronomy is an incredibly interesting field, there are minimum job opportunities. Some of the jobs are included in the following fields: education, national observatories and laboratories, or in private industries. Astronomy has been the key to unlocking many new inventions and by connecting things from the past, to the present, and going into the future.
Today, professional astronomers play a very different role than hundreds of years ago. Surprisingly, astronomers today spend minimal time at the telescope gazing at the night sky. Operating planetariums, teaching astronomy classes, or operating and maintaining an observatory are some of the things astronomers today do.