Astronomy and it's field

Start writing...Astronomy is one of the oldest scientific disciplines that has evolved from the humble beginnings of counting stars and charting constellations with the naked eye to the impressive showcase of humankind's technological capabilities that we see today.

Despite the progress astronomy has made over millennia, astronomers are still working hard to understand the nature of the universe and humankind's place in it. That question has only gotten more complex as our understanding of the universe grew with our expanding technical capabilities.

As the depths of the sky opened in front of our increasingly sophisticated telescopes, and sensitive detectors enabled us to spot the weirdest types of signals, the star-studded sky that our ancestors gazed at turned into a zoo of mind-boggling objects including black holes, white dwarfs, neutron stars and supernovas.

1.Astrophysics

Astrophysics applies the principles of physics to astronomy. Akin to geophysics which studies Earth’s physics, astrophysics relates physical processes and properties to stars, celestial bodies, and its surrounding space.

Cosmology is different from astrophysics because it studies the evolution and expansion of the universe. For example, cosmologists study red-shift to see how fast the universe is expanding.

Spectroscopy studies how light reflects, absorbs, and transfers between matter. In a similar manner, photometry examines how luminous astronomical objects are in space based on electromagnetic radiation properties.

2.Astrometry

Instead of the physics that drives motion in space, astrometry focuses on the precise position of celestial bodies. It also provides a frame of reference for the movement of stars and individual objects in space.

On a similar note, exoplanetology inventories how many and where planets exist outside of our solar system. This inventory of planets lists all potential residences for new life outside of Earth

Planetary science (planetology) is concerned with how planets form in the solar system including their composition and dynamics in history. This subject is tied closely to planetary geology.

ASTROMETRY – How celestial bodies are positioned and move in space.

PLANETOLOGY – How planets form in the solar systems including their composition and dynamics in history.

EXOPLANETOLOGY – How many and where planets exist outside our solar system.

3.Astrogeology

When the Mars Rover started wheeling around the red planet, its crosshairs were targeting the rocks and geology of Mars. Specifically, it was getting a close-up of the composition or areology of Mars.

Astrogeology is very closely related to exogeology. They both focus on how geology relates to celestial bodies like moons, asteroids, meteorites, and comets.

Lastly, selenography studies the physical features of the moon. For example, it understands and catalogs features such as lunar maria, craters, and mountain ranges on the moon.

ASTROGEOLOGY – How geology relates to celestial bodies like moons, asteroids, meteorites and comets.

AREOLOGY – How geology is composed on Mars.

SELENOGRAPHY – How physical features on the moon formed such as lunar maria, craters, and mountain ranges.

EXOGEOLOGY – How geology relates to celestial bodies like moons, asteroids, meteorites, and comets.

4.Astrobiology

Astrobiology involves the search for life outside Earth. It also asks the questions: What is the origin and evolution of life? Is there life on other planets? Which environments can support life?

If you want to measure the probability of life in space, exobiology considers planetary conditions for life. For example, exobiology also understands the early evolution of life and the biological/environmental factors to advance life.

Lastly, astrobiology pulls from astrochemistry to better understand substances in celestial bodies, stars, and interstellar space. Observing molecules in space gives a solid indication of the physical conditions of what we are used to on present-day Earth.

ASTROBIOLOGY -How life (including extraterrestrials) in the universe evolved, originated, and what will be its fate.

EXOBIOLOGY – How likely and where is life in space.

ASTROCHEMISTRY – How to study substances in celestial bodies, stars, and interstellar space.