Galileo is often referred to as the Father of Modern Astronomy.
An
astronomer is a
scientist who studies
celestial bodies such as
planets,
stars, and
galaxies.
Historically,
astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of
phenomena in the sky, while
astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using physical laws. Today, that distinction has mostly disappeared. Professional astronomers are highly educated individuals who typically have a
PhD in
physics or astronomy and are employed by research institutions or
universities. They spend the majority of their time working on research, although they quite often have other duties such as teaching, building instruments, or aiding in the operation of an observatory. The number of professional astronomers in the
United States is actually quite small. The
American Astronomical Society, which is the major organization of professional astronomers in
North America, has approximately 7,700 members. This number includes scientists from other fields such as physics,
geology, and
engineering, whose research interests are closely related to astronomy. The
International Astronomical Union comprises almost 9,259 members from 89 different countries who are involved in astronomical research at the PhD level and beyond.
While the number of professional astronomers worldwide is not much larger than the population of a small
town, there is a huge community of
amateur astronomers. Most cities have
amateur astronomy clubs that meet on a regular basis and often host star parties in their communities. The
Astronomical Society of the Pacific is the largest general astronomical society in the world, comprising both professional and amateur astronomers as well as educators from 70 different nations. Like any
hobby, most people who think of themselves as amateur astronomers may devote a few hours a month to
stargazing and reading the latest developments in research. However, amateurs span the range from so-called "armchair astronomers" to the very ambitious, who own science-grade
telescopes and instruments with which they are able to make their own discoveries and assist professional astronomers in research.
Calculation in Astronomy
Corpus Christi College MS 283
(Arabic: زيج "astronomical tables of
Sind and
Hind") is a work consisting of approximately 37 chapters on calendrical and astronomical calculations and 116 tables with calendrical, astronomical and astrological data, as well as a table of
sine values. This is the first of many Arabic
Zijes based on the
Indian astronomical methods known as the
sindhind. The work contains tables for the movements of the
sun, the
moon and the five
planets known at the time. This work marked the turning point in
Islamic astronomy. Hitherto, Muslim astronomers had adopted a primarily research approach to the field, translating works of others and learning already discovered knowledge. Al-Khwarizmi's work marked the beginning of non-traditional methods of study and calculations.
The original Arabic version (written c. 820) is lost, but a version by the Spanish astronomer
Maslamah Ibn Ahmad al-Majriti (c. 1000) has survived in a Latin translation, presumably by
Adelard of Bath (January 26, 1126). The four surviving manuscripts of the Latin translation are kept at the Bibliothèque publique (Chartres), the Bibliothèque Mazarine (Paris), the Bibliotheca Nacional (Madrid) and the Bodleian Library (Oxford).
Modern astronomers
Contrary to the classical image of an old astronomer peering through a telescope through the dark hours of the night, it is very rare for a modern professional astronomer to use an eyepiece on a larger
telescope. It is far more common to use a
charge-coupled device camera to record a long, deep exposure, allowing a more sensitive image to be created because the
light is added over time. Before CCDs, photographic plates were a common method of observation. Modern astronomers spend relatively little time at telescopes - most spend a few weeks per year observing, and the rest of their time reducing the data (changing it from raw data to processed images) and analyzing it. Many astronomers work entirely from
astronomical survey or
space observatory data. Others work with
radio telescopes like the
Very Large Array, which is entirely automated, although it is maintained by telescope operators.
Astronomers who serve as faculty spend much of their time teaching undergraduate and graduate classes. Most universities also have outreach programs including public telescope time and sometime
planetariums as a public service and to encourage interest in the field.
See also
