<p>Hi everyone. I’m under the impression that astronomy is often not taken seriously enough. At my high school, for example, it’s a really easy-A class, which doesn’t mean that astronomy doesn’t get any respect. But even on university websites, the Astronomy department is very small, and PhDs granted in this subject number no more than 3 a year. Astronomy involves a lot of physics and chemistry, so it’s not some easy discipline. So why does it get no coverage ? Is it because career opportunities are limited in this field ? I mean, where could you work besides NASA, and maybe the US Geological Survey ? Maybe it’s not really interesting, and probably not too many schools even grant a degree in Astronomy ?</p>
<p>Its just like geology (my field) doesn’t get any respect. My personal opinion is that people are conditioned when they are kids that fields like geology and astronomy are ‘lower’ sciences due to these screw off classes of which the lower track kids are tracked into. In actuality, they are both very difficult inter-disciplinary fields where you have to draw on all of the traditional sciences to solve abstract problems. </p>
<p>Another secondary issue adding to the problem is that most don’t know what you can truely do with these degrees. Most people who go into these fields either had an interest in the fields as a kid (I have a suspicion this is more true for astronomy) or come to the field by some weird set of circumstances (normally the case for geology).</p>
<p>Now, I’m not as well versed in the applicability to astronomy in the employment sector as I am with geology (naturally), but you did hit on two big employers (NASA and USGS). A large number of those PhDs likely stay in academia as either a professor or a research assistant and a number probably go with large aerospace companies such as BAE, Boeing, etc as researchers.</p>
<p>The reason there are relatively few departments in these disciplines (at both Universities and LACs) is because there is a lack of interest in majoring in these fields and likely a lack of funding (typically depends upon which party is in control in the White House…ahem!).</p>
<p>The job market isn’t the greatest for astronomers, at least it wasn’t a few years back. My niece has a Ph.D. and went on to a series of low paid post doc positions. She never was able to find anything permanent (looked for some years) so went on to do something else involving computer programming. I don’t think she regrets studying what she loved, though.</p>
<p>most people think majoring in astronomy is “looking at the stars for four years” they don’t realize that it is a rigorous major that require an advanced knowledge of physics and math</p>
<p>-“typically depends upon which party is in control in the White House…ahem”-</p>
<p>LoL, it’s so true. But ya, I have a deep interest in astronomy and I will be majoring in physics at uiuc. They have two different “types” of majors if you will. One is the specialized physics degree and the other being more supportive of electives. I am taking the latter and I am looking into the astronomy discipline. Still have a lot to learn though.</p>
<p>Many times, astronomy is a gate way into a career in meteorology and such, so you just dont hear about it as often.</p>
<p>I love astronomy! And I think it’s of even more importance in helping develop those new breakthrough fields, i.e. astrophysics, bioastronomy (or is it astrobiology?).</p>
<p>But yeah, unfortunately, astronomy at my school is regarded as a slacker class, even though it is accredited as an honors course. I suppose that to the “motivated,” it can make their opinions of the class worse; people looking for an easy ‘A’ can get off with another ‘5’ on their weighted GPA.</p>
<p>Here’s to hoping NASA gives in to student requests and creates a much-desired USAstrO (USA Astronomy Olympiad)!</p>
<p>My school offers two levels of astronomy classes - introductory level to astronomy and an advanced course on stargazing and using computer programmed telescopes. My school’s new science center will also host a planetarium. I think I’m very lucky to have the opportunity to take them however I’m a little concerned about majoring in this field no matter how interested I am. (I liked it since I was little and taught myself how to use a telescope starting last year) I’m afraid that with a competitive and often low-paying job in Astronomy won’t be able to help me with a reasonable and comfortable support for myself and my parents in the future. I’ll have to make decision somehow.</p>
<p>Dont get too nervous about “low-paying” astronomy jobs. You realize that astronomy itself isnt really “stargazing”; there’s more to it. I dont know what your major is but…adding physics and astronomy together…you’ve set yourself up for acadamia, NASA… and if you’re really a communist non-American space agencies (just kidding about the communist thing, big patriot). </p>
<p>Oh, lol, I just read the parents part. What’s that about? Just like random helping out b/c of retirement or health problems? </p>
<p>One more thing, if you do tend to be a “stargazer,” with that usually comes lots of travel and provided housing through your grants. Dont give up because of pay (if you cant tell I’m very passionate about the subject).</p>
<p>Astronomy is basically a specific concentration of physics. As a result it often doesn’t get respect on the high school level etc because there’s no way you will have enough of a physics background at that point to do well in the subject, so all you do is learn facts about various things etc.
When you get to college there’s usually an astronomy class that doesn’t even count towards an astro major that’s the “astronomy for poets” sort, then there’s the “hard” intro astronomy class for the majors that you’re sometimes not even allowed to take until sophomore year. If you go to a good school for it no one will think astro’s easy at all!</p>
<p>Astronomy is in no way a “lower” science (whatever that means). Astronomy is very well respected and is among the top-paying careers in the United States (on average). Astronomy can be considered the oldest science in existence. It’s extremely interesting (to me, at least) and many, many schools offer astronomy or astrophysics degrees. Besides government labs, astronomers work in universities and observatories.</p>
<p>The title of this thread confuses me. Whenever I tell normal people what I study, they get a glazed over expression on their face and exclaim that I must be so smart!</p>
<p>Intro level Astronomy at my school is, along with Geosciences, generally perceived as an easy way to fulfill the lab requirement. Once you get past that level, people acknowledge that the subject is freaking hard (lots of calculations and thorough understanding of physics). Still, a lot of people get hooked trying to fulfill that requirement and end up being Astro minors.</p>
<p>Is astrophysics more involved with math or chemistry?</p>
<p>Astrophysics is a huge part math, almost no chemistry.</p>
<p>Edited to add: There is a branch of study called astrochemistry, if you’re interested in both.</p>
<p>The reason astronomy gets little respect at the high school/community college level isn’t that it’s a lower-level science; it’s that it’s almost entirely a higher-level science which requires a strong foundation in physics and math, and the field simply cannot be explained adequately without a grounding in math and the “basic” sciences, so any astronomy class that doesn’t require calculus-based physics as a prerequisite is necessarily going to be a “lower-level” class. Geology, atmospheric science, and oceanography are similar - they’re specialized, often interdisciplinary sciences built on the physics/chemistry/biology foundation, and the real classes in the majors don’t really start until the college junior level (sophomore for advanced students). Astronomy classes at the high school or college freshman level are usually targeted at non-science majors, though many future astronomers take them anyway purely out of interest.</p>
<p>Astronomy is usually part of physics departments, and in many cases you end up with a physics degree with an astronomy option/concentration; that will be more or less as marketable as any other physics degree from a comparable school (other than engineering physics, which is its own category). It’s pretty normal for would-be astronomers to never really specialize entirely in astronomy until graduate school, because physics covers most of the undergraduate-level theory. </p>
<p>The other specialized/interdisciplinary sciences are similar. Geology is a fairly common undergraduate degree but a large amount of the courses are often in physics or chemistry; many geology programs are so closely tied to physics and/or chemistry departments that it’s not unusual for students to double-major. Oceanography, atmospheric science, biochemistry, and other specialized science departments get many or most of their graduate students from physics, chemistry, biology, or math undergrad programs.</p>
<p>Well said, kaosgrace. Astronomy wasn’t offered in my high school, so I guess I missed out on it being a lower-level, unrespected class. However, astronomy sections in elementary and middle school never seem to fail to bring out the “wow” factor in kids. The younger ones respect it because of the wonder of it all.</p>
<br>
<br>
<p>How is astronomy a gateway into a career in meteorology? Does that mean that if I take an astronomy class will it complement my major, geography? I am planning on taking an intro to astronomy class because the professor is really good and I have always been interested in astronomy, but I don’t really see how it would help me understand meteorology any better since we’ll be looking far beyond the earth’s atmosphere, I assume.</p>
<p>Astronomy as a preparation for meteorology? I doubt it. (Well, except for the general math and physics concepts that are fundamental for both fields.)</p>