"Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena."
The study of celestial objects and the universe as a whole. Topics may include the history of astronomy, observational techniques, and the behavior and composition of stars and galaxies.
Celestial Mechanics: The study of how celestial bodies move and interact with each other under the influence of gravity.
Stellar Evolution: The process by which stars form, live, and die.
Planetary Science: The study of planets, their moons, and other bodies in the solar system.
Exoplanets: Planets that orbit stars outside our solar system.
Galactic Astronomy: The study of galaxies and their properties, including their structure, dynamics, and evolution.
Cosmology: The study of the universe as a whole, including its origins, evolution, and ultimate fate.
Radiative Transfer: The process by which light interacts with matter and is absorbed, emitted, and scattered.
Spectroscopy: The study of the interaction between matter and electromagnetic radiation, particularly how it is absorbed, emitted, and scattered.
Astronomical Instrumentation: The development and use of instruments to study astronomical objects and phenomena.
Astrobiology: The study of the origins, evolution, and distribution of life in the universe.
Interstellar Medium: The material that fills the space between stars, including gas, dust, and radiation.
High-Energy Astrophysics: The study of astronomical objects and phenomena that emit high-energy radiation, such as X-rays and gamma-rays.
Gravitational Waves: Ripples in the fabric of spacetime caused by the acceleration of massive objects, such as merging black holes or neutron stars.
Solar Physics: The study of the sun and its properties, including its magnetic fields, solar wind, and sunspots.
Dark Matter: A hypothetical form of matter that is thought to make up about 85% of the matter in the universe and can only be detected through its gravitational effects.
Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics: The study of the behavior of fluids in astrophysical environments, such as accretion disks and stellar atmospheres.
Astrostatistics: The application of statistical methods and techniques to the analysis and interpretation of astronomical data.
Astrochemistry: The study of the chemical composition and processes in space, including the formation of molecules and the chemical evolution of the universe.
Astrogeology: The study of geologic processes and features on planets, moons, and other bodies in the solar system.
Optical astronomy: The study of visible light emitted by celestial objects and captured using telescopes.
Radio astronomy: The study of radio waves emitted by celestial objects and captured using radio telescopes.
Infrared astronomy: The study of infrared radiation emitted by celestial objects and captured using infrared telescopes.
Ultraviolet astronomy: The study of ultraviolet radiation emitted by celestial objects and captured using UV telescopes.
X-ray astronomy: The study of X-rays emitted by celestial objects and captured using X-ray telescopes.
Gamma-ray astronomy: The study of high-energy gamma rays emitted by celestial objects and captured using gamma-ray telescopes.
Solar astronomy: The study of the Sun, its activity, and its impact on the Earth's environment.
Planetary astronomy: The study of the planets in our Solar System, their orbits, and their physical and chemical properties.
Stellar astronomy: The study of stars and their life cycle from birth to death.
Galactic astronomy: The study of the structure and dynamics of our Milky Way galaxy and other galaxies.
Cosmology: The study of the origin, evolution, and structure of the universe as a whole.
"In the past, astronomy included disciplines as diverse as astrometry, celestial navigation, observational astronomy, and the making of calendars."
"Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, galaxies, meteoroids, asteroids, and comets."
"Relevant phenomena include supernova explosions, gamma ray bursts, quasars, blazars, pulsars, and cosmic microwave background radiation."
"Cosmology is a branch of astronomy that studies the universe as a whole."
"The early civilizations in recorded history made methodical observations of the night sky. These include the Egyptians, Babylonians, Greeks, Indians, Chinese, Maya, and many ancient indigenous peoples of the Americas."
"Professional astronomy is split into observational and theoretical branches."
"Observational astronomy is focused on acquiring data from observations of astronomical objects."
"This data is then analyzed using basic principles of physics."
"Theoretical astronomy is oriented toward the development of computer or analytical models to describe astronomical objects and phenomena."
"These two fields complement each other. Theoretical astronomy seeks to explain observational results and observations are used to confirm theoretical results."
"Astronomy is one of the few sciences in which amateurs play an active role."
...such as finding new comets.
"It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution."
"Amateur astronomers have helped with many important discoveries, such as finding new comets."
"More generally, astronomy studies everything that originates beyond Earth's atmosphere."
"Cosmology is a branch of astronomy that studies the universe as a whole."
"These include the Egyptians, Babylonians, Greeks, Indians, Chinese, Maya, and many ancient indigenous peoples of the Americas."
"Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, galaxies, meteoroids, asteroids, and comets."
"Relevant phenomena include supernova explosions, gamma ray bursts, quasars, blazars, pulsars, and cosmic microwave background radiation."