Astrophysics Definition and 876 Threads

Hi, I'm a junior at a Ivy League (H/Y/P/C - going to remain anonymous for privacy reasons) and I wanted your honest opinion on what my chances are for graduate school in computational astrophysics and where I should look for the best chances. GPA: 3.5/4 (working to raise this, had a bad...

Is there really much of a difference between an astronomy PhD and an astrophysics PhD? There seems to be a lot of overlap in the fields, and it seems that both can qualify you for many of the same careers, it just depends on the PhD focus. For an example, I'm very interested in almost all areas...

I made three charts from several different sources plotting the luminosity and distance from Earth of 26 to 300 Stars. In each chart, there appears to be a correlation between a star's luminosity (in solar units) and its distance from Earth (or solar system, whichever you prefer) in light years...

Is it due to the bolded section outlined here? "Astrophysics is the branch of astronomy that employs the principles of physics and chemistry "to ascertain the nature of the astronomical objects, rather than their positions or motions in space" One still calculates the evolution of a given...

I'm willing to make postgraduate studies in astronomy or astrophysics so which major is more suitable for me applied or pure phyics?

<Moderator's note: Moved from a technical forum and thus no template.> So i began studying on my own for my astrophycis class that will start on 2 weeks and i have trouble solving an exercise. So the exercise goes as follows: given that mbol=-2.5log(∫fλdλ)+Cbol and mbol=-26.83 for sun. Show...

(Sorry for Length) 1. Homework Statement You have decided to use a CCD camera to check if a 16th magnitude quasar is variable. You can presume that all of the light of your quasar falls on one pixel. You know that a star with a magnitude of 0 would deliver 1 × 10^9 photons/second to one pixel...

Homework Statement Can you estimate how the time spend on the subgiant branch varies with mass? Quantify this by writing table displaying the lifespan of subgiants in years for a given initial solar mass (1 solar mass, 3, 5, 10, 25, 60). Homework Equations I was not provided a relevant...

Why in Astrophysics it is used νLν (where ν is the frequency and Lν is the luminosity at that frequency) in the emission spectrum of an accretion disk?

Hello, I'm not very familiar with neural networks, but it seems very interesting. I would like to ask how may I use it in physics, especially in astrophysics? I guess for some data mining? But could anyone show some concrete example of what it can do with data? Or if there is anything else...

Can I get a job as an engineer or as a researcher, other than astrophysicist, with a degree(s) in astrophysics?

Considering one is taking all the required math courses for a typical physics degree, what math electives are most crucial to the field of cosmology/theoretical astrophysics? Also, is it true that mathematical modeling courses(discrete and dynamical modeling across physics) are more important to...

The question “how do we know the composition of the sun” falls shorts everywhere I look. 1. There is the spectral absorption lines. Explanations given how that works, indicate how we know the elements, but fails to tell us how we know about the preponderance of Hydrogen and Helium...

Hey guys, I just wanted to get a few ideas about an Astronomy or Astrophysics project. I am doing this project for the purpose of an Extended Essay in the IB Diploma Programme. For those of you who don't know what means, it is basically a 4000 word essay on a scientific investigation The thing...

I dream of getting a PhD someday and focussing on astrophysics. I would want to work near the west coast so I could take advantage of their clear night sky. I'm only about 45 credits into my undergrad and would appreciate any tips I could implement while moving forward in this career. Also, what...

Hello everyone. I am trying to solve a problem whose statement reads as follows: Neutron stars have radii of ##\sim 10## km. If we assume that before the collapse the nucleus of the white dwarf precursor has a mass equal to that of Chandrasekhar, estimate the energy generated in the collapse...

Hi to whoever reads this, Some back ground info: I am a current undergrad student halfway through their degree, and I'm starting to think about what I'd like to do after I receive my diploma. I know I want to continue studying, and possibly move to a different country to do that. I know I can...

Hi, I am an Alevel science student and looking forward to study Astrophysics in university. Can someone recommend books that are more like fact books with descriptions of celestial bodies, their composition, formations and etc. Like more like an encyclopedia than a book .

Hi all! I am currently doing my undergrad in Astronomy and Astrophysics and minoring in Computational Mathematics. I am starting to think about grad school and facing a dilemma: I would like to eventually receive a PhD in Astrophysics, but in the future I would possibly like to apply my...

im trying to become an award winning physicist (I know, I am ready for the grind, I am 15 and ready to start) how hard is it to first get a job in this area right out of college after a phd? any way to make 70-80k and go up to make 6-figure salaries in research for the government or in a lab...

Hi everyone! Recently I've been looking for a college that has a program that would be good for astrophysics or interplanetary physics. Any ideas for something slightly affordable in either Texas, or around Southern Michigan or the surrounding area (ideas from anywhere would be fine though)?

So I'm attempting to write a scientifically accurate story and i need some help with the planets characteristics. I have a few things set up already and need some educated guesses and ideas for how the rest will work. So to start with what i have: Planet name: Remvale Radius:~8370 miles Gravity...

Hello all, I am going to college this fall and I will be studying physics with a concentration on astrophysics, I am a pretty good student and afterwards I will serve 5 years in the Navy as an officer. My question is, will the 5 years I spend in the Navy hinder my chances of getting into top...

One day consists of slightly more than 360° of rotation (360.9856°) on it's axis (due to Earth's orbit around the Sun). I imagine that one orbit is also either > or < 360° around the sun, relative to the motion of the sun around some object. Is this true, or is the orbit of the Earth...

I'm trying to understand the Schechter function, I read on Wikipedia that the L star term in the function is the 'characteristic galaxy luminosity where the power-law form of the function cuts off'. What does this mean exactly?

I read that the the energy of an Oort cloud object is approximately zero, as in the potential energy plus the kinetic energy is equal to zero. I was also told that the radius was approximately infinite and the velocity is approximately zero. I understand why the radius is said to be infinite...

So I was doing some studying and got a question on why the rate of expansion of the universe was increasing, and it got me thinking. Newton's first law states that an object in motion will remain in motion with a constant speed unless an external force acts upon it. If the expansion of the...

I need some advice with a tough choice between two great programs. On the one hand, I have University College London, a 1 year program in Astrophysics which covers 6 courses and an original research project. On the other hand, I have Leiden University, a 2 year program in Astronomy with ~12...

Homework Statement Quasars arise when supermassive black holes swallow nearby gas, or even entire stars. Their masses are typically 10&7 solar masses, and their luminosities are typically around 10&39 W. Hide the children! Roughly how many stars must one of these monsters eat per year, in order...

Can anyone enlighten me as to why the total thermal energy of a star will increase with time if the star has no nuclear energy source?

Homework Statement If a 6.5m diameter telescope operates at wavelengths between 600nm to 2800nm, and for stellar densities similar to the Solar neighbourhood, what is the range of distances this telescope can resolve individual stars? Homework EquationsThe Attempt at a Solution My attempts so...

Does an astrophysicist in research areas such as cosmic structure and evolution, galactic archaeology, and/or black hole phenomena require extensive skills (i.e. undergraduate degree) in computer systems engineering/computer engineering? The idea is to do a combined degree with computer...

Homework Statement What is the tension of this rope? Cosmonaut m=100kg is outside of spaceship M=5 tons on rope with length 64m. Cosmonaut along with his spaceship moves in orbit at a neglible distance. m=100kg M=5000kg L=64m Planet's mass 6*10^24 Planet's radius 6400km Homework Equations...

I am seeking an undergraduate and graduate text for solar astronomy and astrophysics. By solar, I mean the Sun. Quantatative, too. Recommendations and testimonials appreicated. Thank you,.

Homework Statement A binary stellar system is made of one star with ##M_1=15{M}_\odot## and a second star with ##M_2=10{M}_\odot## revolving around circular orbits at a relative distance of ##d=0.001pc##. At some point ##M_1## explodes in a supernovae leaving a neutron star of mass...

Homework Statement The sun has a rotational period of 25 days. Finding the rotational period if it can shrink to form a white dwarf (##R_{WD}=10^3Km##). Knowing that the density of magnetic flux of the Sun on the surface is ##1 Gauss##, finding the magnetic flux of the white dwarf. Homework...

Homework Statement ##\alpha##-Centuary is in a binary visual system with another star. Their separation, from their CM, is 8.0'' and 9.7''. The distance from the Earth is 1.31pc. Their revolution period around the CM is 80.1 years. I have to find masses and luminosities for each star. Homework...

I am studyng accretion process on "Astrophysics in a nutshell" by Dan Maoz and I have some doubts about the derivation of the formula for the eddington limit. I understand what the edding limit is. The accretion rate cannot be arbitrarly large. The starting point is to consider an electron at a...

Massive Space Structures Have Surprising Connection to Quantum Mechanics Math Reading my daily science news I came across an interesting article that talks about how massive space objects have unexpected relationships to quantum mechanical mathematics. I was quite surprised to hear this, as I...

It is postulated that there was a "Dark Age" subsequent to the so called Big Bang. The "matter" subsequent to the Big Bang would be composed of Quarks,if there was no light postulated for that time. This would indicate that the forces present would be only the Strong Force. The Strong Force of...

I was asked this in a PhD interview and hit a blank, it seemed to open...

I love astrophysics and cosmology, reading books of great men like Einstein, Stephen Hawking, NDGT and many more but I also have craze for rockets, their propulsion and aeronautical engineering like satellites and vehicles (SPACEX, NASA...) I am confused what Shall I do?

My dissertation was basically a literature review of sean caroll lecture notes on general relativity. I got a first in this, and got offered phd interviews with the supervisors being aware of this so it must suffice? but I'm unsure how you explain the motives and conclusion of such a piece of...

Hi! I just started high school and have developed a passion for cosmology and astrophysics. I would like to know if I really need to be very good at physics and mathematics (and if there is more that I need to be good at) and where do i find a job (spaces like N.A.S.A., SpaceX etc). Thanks for help!

Currently a fourth year undergraduate student and haven’t had the opportunity to take any Astrophysics courses. In September I am starting a master’s degree in Physics but with an Astrophysics research project. I am told it is fairly easy to learn all the Astrophysics stuff in the first few...

Education: PhD, theoretical astrophysics, Cornell. MS, applied math, Michigan State Univ. Occupation: Applied mathematician (and a few other things), esp. in convolutive linear acoustics. Reason for joining: To make an occasional contribution to something worthwhile.

Hey, so I’m in my first year of physics and astronomy right now (currently majoring in astrophysics) and I wanted time guidance, or insight in whether I should stay in this major or switch into physics. The reason I’m considering this is because I’m not enjoying learning astronomy- it’s a...

I'm currently completing a undergraduate BS Mathematics degree and want to go for a PhD in Astrophysics. I haven't decided on the precise area or topic yet, since there are so many fascinating areas of research, but I might have narrowed it down by the time I actually need to apply. A tutor...

Hi everyone, l have a situation and l thought you could help me. Actually, l live in the U.S. and want to apply for several phd programs, but I’m interested in both astrophysics and AMO physics, and l can’t decide which track l should pursue a phd in. I’ve talked to several professors from my...

Hi, I'm trying to find temperature of stars using the stars' B-V magnitude by using the Planck law. However i do not know how to solve for T (assume other quantities are all given and determined first). Any idea how to do so? I already tried to do it but reach a dead end. Here I attached the...