Astrophysics Definition and 876 Threads

My current issue is that I am starting to believe I made a slightly wrong choice in my degree. But then again, it's hard to say. I love everything about space and so getting a degree in it has been my dream. I really want to be one of the people that help move our society toward space travel. I...

Hi. I'm 15 years old (grade 10) and I live in Vancouver, BC. Within the past 6 months or so, I have developed an extremely big interest in cosmology and sciences like that. It would definitely be my top choice as far as careers go, and I wouldn't be too worried about the money I was making, as...

Hey all, I am starting to think about colleges, it's a bit early for me (I'm entering 11th grade) but knowing which colleges I am seriously interested in would be a big help for a lot of reasons. I am absolutely sure I want to pursue a path in theoretical physics (not sure if that's the right...

Hi everyone, I may be being a bit dramatic about this but I feel extremely cruddy right now. I am (technically) a junior in college at the moment. I say technically because my first year was at community college where I not only didn't take 12 hours each semester (full time) but some of those...

"Practical" astrophysics. Hi, just a lowly undergrad hoping for some of the wisdom here to rub off. I have always had a keen interest in astrophysics and have considered giving a colder look at long-term prospects for an academic path in theory/computation in said field. Long-term stability...

I cultivate a strong interest in astrophysics. Can anyone suggest me texts for learning astrophysics?

Hi, I just want to know if it would be better job wise to have a degree in "Physics", or a "degree in Physics with Astrophysics" given; 1) I want to follow an astro related field? 2) I want to have number of options (physics related and/or unrelated eg banking)? ..and then an opinon...

I'm majoring in computer engineering, I already have decided this. But the problem is my minor - I wish to minor in astrophysics. Is this ok with my choice of major?

I have always been interested in astrophysics but my career took another direction and I have an MS in computer science. I wanted to go back and revive my interest. I have decent math/calculus background, ODE, PDE, numerical methods including solving PDE/ODEs, some linear algebra and...

I'm doing an undergraduate in astrophysics at the moment. In Sept, I'll have to decide between continuing the single honours in astrophysics or doing a double honours in experimental physics and mathematical physics. My goal is to go on to do a masters, preferably in the UK, in quantum...

I am studying for a degree in physics with astrophyisics (4 year course) in Ireland and am going into my final year. In my first two years, my grades were very poor due to lack of engagement and so on...I have improved upon this a little in the year I have just completed (3rd year) and acheived...

Hello all, I hope this is the right section to be posting this in, if not hopefully it will just be moved. I am an Astrophysics major currently seeking my B.S in my second year starting this fall. As such I'm not anywhere near elbow deep in it yet and am beginning to have second thoughts...

I'm finished with most of my Astrophysics bachelors and I find myself struggling to think about what I learned about the universe as a whole. I did the major because I'm very contemplative of the existence of everything. I thought that studying the universe, which is infinite, and trying to see...

The Exposition I'm an Astrophysics major going into my second year of University this September. I have room for one other course in fall and one course in the winter (so I have two spaces to fill.) I'm already required to take every physics course offered (6 total), and the two requisite...

Hi, I am currently enjoying my vacations and joining my UG course late this July. The institute I am joining doesn't offer any Astronomy and Astrophysics course but I am pretty much interested in it. So, I want some guidance and materials on how to start Astronomy and Astrophysics self...

Do you think it would be beneficial for me to add Geology to my Astrophysics B.S? I know it's going to be a bit tough for you to answer this questions without me knowing exactly what career I want to pursue (which I don't) but I have a general idea. I'm really interested in studying the...

Homework Statement What is the temperature of a star if the flux at 450 nm is measured to be 1.3 times the flux at 650 nm. Homework Equations I tried to use the equation Flux = 2πhv3/c2...

I am a second year undergraduate currently majoring in Astrophysics, and I'm not sure whether I want to stick with Astrophysics or tend down the path towards Medical Physics. I feel like I would enjoy a career in either. I would probably enjoy a career in Astrophysics a bit more than a...

So... I will be working in Gamma-ray astrophysics this summer, but still haven't figured out the topic, any ideas ? thanks a lot

Hello everyone, I hope I'm writing this in the right forum. I am so desperate for guidance == Long story short == I have a BSc in Information Technology and I want to get into astronomy and astrophysics for graduate school. how can I make this shift in fields? do I have to go...

Hi everybody, I'm in somewhat of a career conundrum. I'm 24, I've graduated from the University of Maryland in May of 2010 with a BS in Civil Engineering. I've been working for the past year for a fairly prestigious engineering firm, and while I do like my work, I've come to decide over the...

Before taking astrophysics... The prerequisites for astrophysics at my school are calculus based physics I and II. This means I would be able to take it by next spring. The classes I would have completed by then are Calculus I, II, and III Differential Equations Calculus based Physics I...

Homework Statement The statement is just this: For a given density p = p(r), being p==rho and r the radius of the star, how can I determinate whether the star has convective or radiative energy transfer? Homework Equations Equilibrium (1) Continuity (2) Ideal gas (3) Schwarzschild...

Can I study astrophysics if I have only studied Physics not Biology or Chemistry in my O levels? If yes then what job opportunities are there for it? And what other major can I do with it?

Hi there, I'm currently working on my BS in Physics with plans to do an Astrophysics grad degree. However, I'm not sure if I should go Astronomy or Astrophysics. My university I attend currently does not have an astronomy degree, so I chose to do physics. (I had to go to this university...

This has been something I have wanted to do for a long time, but have never really pursued it. I have taken some courses randomly, but nothing applicable to the degrees I need to get there I am positive. So basically my question is where do I start this very long journey??

Homework Statement A comet from the Oort cloud, with perihelion 6AU, is perturbed by Saturn into an orbit with perihelion 4AU. What is the semi-major axis and eccentricity of the new orbit? Homework Equations Perihelion = a(1-e) The Attempt at a Solution hey i could really...

Homework Statement 1. Suppose you are told that a star has been observed with a UBV color index of B-V=1.6 and that interstellar reddening is negligible. In addition, its apparent visual magnitude is 9.8. Detailed spectroscopy also reveals that the star has all the characteristics of a main...

Hello, I would like to know if anyone could recommend a book to start off reading about astrophysics. I have no previous background on any of the issues regarding the topic. I am a medical student who is interested in reading and getting to know more about the subject for my personal...

check this out. Is this even possible? http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110329/ts_yblog_thelookout/for-12-year-old-astrophysics-prodigy-the-skys-the-limit

I don't know what happened, but it seems that all the "hot" research is in fields like astrobiology, cosmology, computational astrophysics, and survey science (SDSS, LSST, etc). The most popular area of astro is still extragalactic stuff (which still makes up >50% of astro research), but even...

So, I am very sure I want to study astrophysics. Ideally, I would become a researcher, but I know that this is extremely unlikely. However, I also know that I would always regret it if I didn't try. But, understanding how unlikely this is, I want to be prepared. Is there any way to study other...

Homework Statement Show that a satellite in low-Earth orbit is approximately P = C(1 + 3h/2R_E) where h is the height of the satellite, C is a constant, and R_E is the radius of the earth) Homework Equations Unsure The Attempt at a Solution I have no idea how to approach this.

hello friends. I am currently in my third year of my bachelors of science in honors astrophysics, and after some consideration, I have decided that I want to go into aerospace engineering. Up until recently, my plan was to eventually get a Ph.D and go into a career of research. However, I've...

Hi, just wanted to know which version of FORTRAN is best to learn for one studying astrophysics...and whether C++ is of any importance in computational astrophysics...Thanks

Hi guys, I have a few questions that's been bugging me for a while and finally decided to post it in hopes to get some feedback. Tech background: Mechanical engineer BS, will be getting MASc. in ME as well. Although my degree is ME, my focus in undergrad had been on CNC machines/CAD and my...

What jobs are available in astrophysics other than teaching and research? Thanks so much.

What colleges are the best in astrophysics? Thanks so much.

I'm currently a high school freshman in NYC and was wondering what classes I should focus on in school and what programs are available in astrophysics, cosmology, and or relating to it for someone my age? Thanks so much.

Hi, I would like to ask you, How has your experience in pursuing your career in astrophysics been like? Such as College, University, Finding work in the field and working in the field. I ask because I love the subject, definate passion of mine and now i'd like to pursue it, get to...

Is there a difference between theoretical astrophysics and theoretical physics applied to astrophysics? Thanks

I posted a topic about this in the academic advisement forum... but it seems that no one really knew the answers (so it died off pretty quick). So I thought I'd ask here, maybe someone will know. Anyway, what I want to know about is particle astrophysics. From the name, I'd think that it's...

Two main questions here that google can't really help me with. Right now I do research in computational astrophysics (n-body simulations) and I think I like doing numerical simulations (I'm a pretty good programmer and I like to apply that to physics). I'm somewhat interested in particle...

I'm reading a research paper and they bring up the term "natal kick". And google didn't turn up a great explanation immediately so I thought I'd check here. Can anyone help me? Thanks.

Homework Statement Consider an unresolved binary star at a distance of 500pc consisting of an A1V dwarf and a K0III giant star. compute mb and mv and B-V for this object we know the mass, luminosty, radius, Mbol , Mv, Te , and B-V for each individual star. Homework Equations...

This is sort of similar to the math theory thread. But I'm quite curious how this various from field to field, especially as it pertains to astrophysics (and pretty much all the quantitatively related sciences such as planetary sciences and applied physics). Unlike math theory though, there...

Hello, I was wondering what's the difference between an astrophysicist and a theoretical physicist? Cause they seem like the same thing?

Which schools have the best programs in computational astrophysics? Judging by their websites, Princeton and Univ. of Chicago seem to have strong programs, but I was wondering if people knew of others as well??

Hi, I wanted to know if someone who has a degree in parallel computing and related work experience will be able to get a PhD project in Computational Astrophysics? What other skill sets would the person require? I have seen many PhD positions that accept people from a parallel computing...

Hi, I Have done my Masters in Computer Science from a top 20 universities of USA but I am not satisfied my this, I always wanted to become Astronomical Scientist. I Have read rules & guidelines, didnt answer my queries. Q1. How to tough is fit or a computer science graduate to do phd in...