Astrophysics Definition and 876 Threads

Hi, so I'm currently a senior high school student and I'm doing a research project on Astrophysics. I just need help on picking a topic as I know there is a lot out there. I need a project idea that is current but not too challenging as I am limited with resources. Thanks.

I have the ultimate goal of self-studying astrophysics and cosmology just for personal interest and fulfillment. I've taken introductory mechanics and electromagnetism with some modern physics in university, but at the time, I slacked off and didn't really learn the material well. I am...

Hi guys, so I was trying to start my extended essay for IB physics in astrophysics and I came up with an idea of looking at how redshift changes based on different cosmological distances. However I can’t find any databases from NASA, esa, etc. is there anything you guys can suggest? Any help is...

$$1 - \Omega_{tot} = \Omega_κ = \frac{-κc^2}{R_0^2H_0^2} $$ For ##\Omega_κ=-0.0438## we get a some value for ##R_0##. This ##R_0## is the radius of the observable universe right ? Not the universe ?

I have yet to decide on values for the mass of the fixed object, M, the mass of the moving celestial body, m, the initial velocity, v, and the distance between the two objects, r. I will most definitely decide on a larger mass M because I would like the celestial body to spiral in towards the...

See the attached figure. I understand that we look for the apparent transverse velocity v , for example through v = d/t (d - distance, t - time). The distance to the galactic nucleus is known as D. Though I am not sure how to read off the time from this figure.

Hi all. I'm currently an aerospace engineering undergraduate student in my second year, but I'm going through a very confusing process of second guessings and would greatly appreciate advice from older people who work in the Aerospace or in the Physics/Astronomy fields to help me compare the...

What is/are the potential or theoretical effect on electricity due to reversal of planetary magnetic field? Would circuitry continue to function or would knowledge and understanding need re-evaluating as a result of a reversal of our magnetic field on planet Earth? Note: this is not a homework...

Summary: Can black means many thing? The black we see in night sky has to mean many things First of all, from point of views of human eyes then the photons can't reach our eyes so it appears black. Secondly, the objects appear smaller as we go farther from that object. So, at some point object...

I am trying to derive the radial momentum equation in the equatorial Kerr geometry obtained from the equation $$ (P+\rho)u^\nu u^r_{;\nu}+(g^{r\nu}+u^ru^\nu)P_{,r}=0 \qquad $$. Expressing the first term in the equation as $$ (P+\rho)u^\nu u^r_{;\nu}=(P+\rho)u^r u^r_{;r} $$ I obtained the...

Given that L is the luminosity of a single star and there are n stars evenly distributed throughout this thin spherical shell of radius r with thickness dr, what is the total intensity from this shell of stars? My calculations were as follows: Intensity is the power per unit area per steradian...

My apologies for not detailing my attempts at a solution; I'm not sure how to to digitally illustrate or describe the various setups I attempted before looking at the solution to this problem. I am also ONLY asking about the setup, though I included the full question for context. The solution to...

Homework Statement: A binary star system consists of M1 and M2 separated by a distance D. M1 and M2 are revolving with an angular velocity w in circular orbits about their common center of mass. Mass is continuously being transferred from one star to the other. This transfer of mass causes...

Substituting : a = (9.15x10^7 mi)+(9.45x10^7mi) = 1.86x10^8 mi b = ( a/2 ) = 9.3x10^7 mi For this, I used six terms and got : 1.075x10^9 miles Is my math wrong?;

Summary: Master in astrophysics from aerospace science I am studying Aerospace Science and Technology and I always want to study theoretical physics and astrophysics. So, can I do a MSC in astrophysics or theoretical physics or must I learn more things about the subject to be ready? Is...

Let’s say to the average Astronomer conducting research; generalizing the research to “astronomy” ; which would be more useful for the “average” Astronomer on a day to day basis: Quantum Mechanics or General Relativity? Obviously most are, but which so more? Which would be referred to more?

I know that it would vary depending on the type of research a specific astronomer would be doing ( Astrophysics/Cosmology research versus an Astronomer researching exoplanets ) ; but in your opinion, “how much” or “how well” should an Astronomer with a graduate degree in Astronomy know General...

I just finished my Junior year in high school in Houston. I am currently pursuing a degree in Astrophysics. I have been looking at Rice and Cal-tech as my best options, but in case I can't make it into those school I am considering Texas A&M, University of Texas for being in state. As well as...

The first law of thermodynamics states that matter can only be transferred from one state to another, and cannot be truly destroyed. What happens to matter consumed by a black hole? What happens to it and where does it go? Does the first law still hold true?

https://pmt.physicsandmathstutor.com/download/Physics/A-level/Past-Papers/AQA-Old/Unit-5/June%202015%20MS%20-%20Unit%205-2A%20AQA%20Physics%20A-level.pdf mark scheme question 2 very simple question why is the change in wavlength not 656.05 - 656.52? instead. The difference being in the mark...

The answer says its 1 meter i don't understand how they arrived at this, The mark scheme suggests that the 50mm is the resolving power or Rayleigh criteria? https://downloads.umutech.net/Physics/Past_Papers/PA05/Astro/MS/physics_u5_astro_ms_jan_2003.pdf

Problem Statement: We can use "spectroscopic line shift of S2" and "its proper motion", but I don't have any idea what dose this sentences mean. please show me details! Relevant Equations: spectroscopic line shift

I was speaking with my prof about the requirements for the applied physics major track offered at my school, and she said some very surprising things. Just for context, I’m interested in pursuing observational astrophysics/astronomy in grad school later. She said that I can skip diff equations...

Hello. If we consider PBH formation from collapse of large density perturbation in the early Universe, a mass PBH depends on density contrast as And δ must be larger then . Also we have β — an abundance of black holes, it's the ratio of the PBH energy density to the total energy density, this...

Hello. I'm trying to study primordial black holes for my work, but I still can't understand what are abundance and mass spectrum? Could you explain? Thanks in advance.

We all heard about the "photo of black hole". My question is: did this image show any hints of physics beyond general relativity? I read once (not sure where) that the apparent size of black hole shadow is very sensitive to corrections to general relativity. Add some minor correction and the...

Hello everyone, I'm a Physics student on a gap year, doing a bit of work ATM. I'm going to come back in October this year to do a one-year Masters' at Cambridge, and I'm faced with a tough choice: A) Specialize in Astrophysics/cosmology, which is something that I'm not as good at, but really...

I don't know where to even begin?

If we want to show whether or not a specific Cosmic Ray particle is confined to our galaxy we must use the Larmor radius (relativistic version), r = γmc / qB Considering a 10^14 eV proton and assuming the galactic magnetic field strength is 10^−11 T, show that the particle is confined to the...

Hi, I go to a small liberal arts college and I'm majoring in physics. The college I attend has a VERY unique academic curriculum, with few required core courses, and one can have an oxford style tutorial in almost any area in physics, no matter how advanced. I want to pursue graduate school in...

Hello everybody. I am currently on my last year of Computational Physics education. More and more I am interested in Machine Learning and Neural Network. Time has come for me to choose diploma work thesis, so I am searching for interesting ideas where I can merge my interest in neural networks...

Next year I'm considering an online masters in astrophysics / astronomy. Any recommendations / has anyone done one? Top universities in this field? I have a B.Sc and M.Sc in mathematics and strong background in computer science / data analytics so I want one which is technical. The options I...

I'm currently studying in a Canadian University(SFU). I've come to notice that the astronomy/physics portion here is lacking. There are a few astrophyics/cosmology research teams but they are small and encompass a few graduate students. I'm a first year, I really want to get involved in research...

Homework Statement Given that there are 10-2 Ellipticals per Mpc3 and my garden telescope can reach to 14 mag. How large an area of sky would I need to survey to find 100 Elliptical galaxies ? (assume the typical absolute magnitude for an Elliptical galaxy is -21 mag).Homework Equations...

Homework Statement Assuming a Salpeter IMF with upper and lower mass limits of 0.1 and 20 M⊙ respectively, calculate: (i) the mass point at which half the mass formed in a stellar cluster lies in more massive systems and half in less massive systems. ii) the mass point at which half the...

I know this topic has been discussed a lot on this forum, but I had trouble finding an answer to my precise question. Current Understanding: I have read up on the differences between the US and European graduate systems. I understand US merges MS and PhD programs resulting in an average...

As someone who is interested in astrophysics, I always get emphasized on the importance of knowing statistics and error analysis in results of a calculation. However when I read about real physics papers, I never see any numerical solutions, just equations that demonstrate phenomena. I know that...

Like many of you, I have always enjoyed physics and math throughout high school. When applying to universities, I was quite unsure about my goals, so I applied to both engineering and science majors. I have always been deeply fascinated by astronomy, but I enjoyed environmental science as well...

Dear community, I am Pedro de la Torre, now doing my PhD on Cosmic ray propagation. Now, I have started to study reacceleration due to interactions of CR with plasma waves. My problem is that I do not find neither a good book or any kind of review with a detailed demonstration on the...

For the three-body-disturbing function expanded in multipolar orders with respect to the ratio of the semi major axes, the function converges for small ratios, how to check the convergence for a certain set of parameters? I'm using the work of the Laskar in his paper "Explicit expansion of the...

Hello. The book "General Relativity, Astrophysics, and Cosmology", by Raychaudhuri, et al., looks like a good compact exposition of GR, astrophysics and cosmology, which is exactly the kind of book I'm looking for. What do you think of this book? Thank you in advance.

Hi all! Happy New year! I will select my supervisor soon but i want to involve in the field that uses QM or GR frequently I love physics and i want to apply physics to explain astrophysical phenomenon. I know that Compact objects and Astrochemistry use such physics but i wonder to know more...

Hello everyone, I am currently applying for physics REUs. I am looking for people who would help me proofread my essay and criticize it as much as you'd like please. Beginning It was my junior year of high school when I first harbored an interest for physics above other subjects. When I first...

I am more of a budding (sorry) botanist / plant scientist, but I have an interest in astrophysics, how planets came to be the way they are and how this can help us understand what makes a habitable planet. I'm also starting something of a novel regarding a failing terraformed utopia. I won't...

I'm majoring in physics and I'm planning on pursuing computational astrophysics in graduate school. Will a second major in computer science/programming look good to graduate schools, and/or will it give me great advantages in the field of computational astrophysics or astronomy?

Homework Statement λ = 240 nm D = 2.40 m We are supposed to find the angle resolution (minimum angular distance between two objects so we still see them as two separate objects) to the telescope for ultraviolet light with wavelength 240 nm Homework Equations The equation that I used is θ =...

Hi everyone! I am currently in desperate need of help in choosing an appropriate topic for an extended essay in HL physics. (If you didn't know, an extended essay is a 4000 research paper where you analyze data, do experiments etc... for a particular topic of your choice) I am really interested...

I am interested in learning astrophysics and all the associated sciences and math, though I cannot afford schooling and am not nessecarily interested in a degree in the field. I have been interested in science fiction and the prospect of exo-planets and space travel for many years and would...

If someone wanted to pursue a career in gravitational wave physics, and work at places like LIGO, studying astrophysical objects such as black holes and neutron stars, etc. What are some key courses/skills that person should take/learn as an undergraduate, and graduate student?

I'm an undergraduate and there is a very good optical spectroscopy and nano-materials physics lab at my college. I have FULL access to all equipment and a professor in that field is offering me a ridiculous amount of co-research time during the school year. However, I'm really only interested...