GodfreyLeeHighSchool

TheKnowledgeofanAstronomer
Astronomy

JoshuaCrame
SeniorCapstone
BrianCahoon
28thMarch,2016

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JoshuaCrame
BrianCahoon
SeniorCapstone
28thMarch,2016

TheSkillsthatareRequiredtobeanAstronomer
Thefieldofastronomyhaschangedgreatlysincehumansfirstlookedupatthestars.In
thepast,astronomywasconsideredtobelookingupintotheskyandmakingaprediction.Inthe
past,peoplewoulduseconstellationstopredictthefuture.Thisformofstudyisknownas
astrologywhichisanolderformofastronomy.Astronomyhasevolvedfarpastthisnow
utilizingmathematicstofigureoutdistances,programmingfortheuseofhightechtelescopes
andthentheknowledgeofmultiplesciences.Thecareerofastronomershasprogressed
exponentiallyinthepastcenturyalone.Themainaspectthathaschangedinthecareerof
astronomyistheskillsrequired.
Thebiggestchangeinastronomyistheneedforknowledge
ofeverchangingskills,theseskillsarecomputerprogramming,mathandknowledgeofthe
ofvarioussciences,andthelastskillisahighmentalcapacity.
Programminginastronomyisarelativelyrecentadditiontothefield,poppingupwith
theinventionofcomputingnearly50yearsago(astroed2013).Programmingtooknormal
meansofcomputingdata(alsoknownashandwritingandmanualcalculation)andalloweddata
tobeenteredintoaanalysissystemloweringtheworkloadforindividuals.Common
programmingusedintheastronomicalfieldisthepythonprogramming.Meaningthatanyone
desiringtogointotheastronomycareerrequiresatleastsomeknowledgeinthecomputing

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career.
Theprofessionisbecomingreliantuponprogrammingforeventhemostbasicaspectsof
astronomy.Computerscience,too,permeatesallfacetsofastronomytoday.Inrecentyears,
supercomputershaveallowedastronomerstosimulateprocessesthatbeforewerenearly
impossibletostudy(learn.org,WhatEducationDoesAstronomerNeed).
Inanycase
programmingcomingaboutoverthelasthalfacenturyhasplayedahugeroleinastronomywith
thediscoveryofpulsars,neutronstarsmassiveblackholesandtherelativelynewdiscoveryof
exoplanets.Theworldofprogrammingseemshavebecomeagreatassettoastronomy.Iteven
improvedtelescopes,TerrenceDickinsonandAlanDyermentionthisfactabouttelescopes
saying,likemostconsumerproductsinthe1990s,telescopeswererevolutionizedbycomputers(
DickinsonandDyer,2008,pg34).Computersprogrammingallowedforimagesfromspaceto
beimmediatelyprocessedandanalyzedbyacomputer.Asopposedtotakingmonthstoanalyze
itfromyourowneyesorownobservation.Theinventionofcomputersandprogramminghas
madeastronomyintheanalysiscomponentsignificantlyeasierbutintheprocesshasdeveloped
anewskillforastronomerstograsptoday.
ForMaththebasicsincludealgebra,statistics,geometryscientificnotation,logscales,
andcalculus.Mostschoolingforastronomyhasaveryheavymathfocuswhichisbecauseofthe
needforphysics.
Pertainingtowhatwasstatedbeforediscoveriestodayareoftencalculatedwith
thecombinationofscienceandmath.Equationsthatastronomersuseforthosearedistance(d/d
sun=squarerootofL/Lsun/b/bsun)(AstronomyOnline,Formulas),thentheequationof
magnitudewhichinvolveslogs,anexampleis(m2m1=2.5log10b2/b1)(AstronomyOnline
PhysicsFormulasMagnitudes),thenthereisluminosity,thethreeformulasareessentialtoan
astronomerinthetwentyfirstcentury.Asyoucanseewiththeequationsshownrequireabasic

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knowledgeofalgebra,infactthisisoftenthefocusformostcollegestudentsasamajor.Notto
mentionthatthesehavetobecombinedwithpreexistingknowledgewithphysicknowledge.An
applicationofthiswithinhistoryisthediscoveryofthe8thplanetinthesolarsystem,thetypeof
mathusedforthediscoverywasgravitationalmath.Thisincludestheuseoftheequationsstated
before,includingthedistanceformula.PertainingtotheeducationrequiredtheUniversityof
KansasliststhemasMath121and122whichiscalculus1and2,Math223(VectorCalculus),
Math290(ElementaryLinearAlgebra),Math320(ElementaryDifferentialEquation),ofcourse
thisvariablebetweeninstitutionbutitsageneraloutline(UniversityofKansas,Bachelorof
ScienceinAstronomy).Thepointofthelistingoftheequationisthatmathisaveryimportant
skillrequiredtobeastronomy,andsinceMathisaskillthatsconstantlyimprovedupon,ithas
andwillbesubjecttochange.It'saveryinvaluableskillrequiredforthefieldofastronomyin
thetwentyfirstcentury.
Astronomersneedtohaveahighknowledgeinthesciencesofchemistryandmostly
importantlyaextensiveknowledgeofphysics.Physicsplaysakeyrolewithintheastronomy
field,theeducationrequirementsaloneincludeastrophysics,stellarandplanetaryphysics,
galaxies,cosmology,interstellarmedium,andoptics(learn.org,WhatEducationDoesa
AstronomerNeed).Theoneslistedbesidesopticsaredifferentvariationsofvarioussciences,
whatsworthnotingfromthisinformationisthatinthepastphysicswreusedtoexpandupon
thesesciences.Infactthediscoveryofgalaxiescameaboutinthe1923byMr.Hubble(
amazingspace.org,1923OtherGalaxiesExist)whousedpreviousdistanceformulastodetermine
thattheirwerestarsoutsidetheMilkyWay.Thesediscoveriesgavebirthtothesciencesthatare
nowrequiredasknowledgefortheastronomyfieldsuchasgalaxyphysics.TheAmerican

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AstronomicalSocietyaddstothissayingforadegreelevelitlistsrequiredclassesthatmay
includemethodology,electromagnetictheory,quantummechanics,atmosphericphysics,
statisticalmechanics,inversemethods,dataanalysis,atmosphericdynamics,remotesensing,
computationalfluiddynamicsandatmosphericradiativetransfer(aas.org,PlanningYour
Education).Thesciencesrequiredareinnumerable,andconstantlyfluctuating,ifthehistoryof
astronomyisanyindicationtheeducationinthesciencesforastronomywillincrease.Asaresult
ofnewdiscoveriesleadingtonewversionsofastronomyjustlikethediscoveryofgalaxieshad
donebefore.
TheAmericanAstronomicalSocietyfurtheraddsdoctoralprogramsusuallyalsoinclude
asignificantamountoflabworkwhereyou'llhavetheopportunitytoperformoriginalresearch.
Youcanalsoexpecttocompleteanddefendadissertationbasedonyourresearch(learn.org,
WhatEducationDoesAnAstronomerNeed).Meaningthatyouneedtheabilitytoargue,butnot
onlythatyouneedtoresearchgooutonyourownandapplywhatyouknowtonewdiscoveries.
TheEducationforanastronomerisextensiveasyoucanseefrommultiplesourcesthedegree
requirementsalonegiveyouanidea.Itsworthmentioningthatoverthecourseofhistorythis
hasalsohappened,astronomybecameasolidscienceinthe1600s.Thenwenttobecomeheavy
advancedthroughthenexthundredyearswiththediscoveryandclassificationoftheother8
planets.Continuinginthe1900swiththediscoveryofgalaxies,neutronstars,blackholes,and
manyotherdiscoveriesrevolutionizingtheworldofastronomy.
Anaspectofastronomythatisessentialistheknowledgeofcelestialmechanics,how
celestialbodieswork.AccordingtoAnIntroductiontoCelestialMechanicsfundamental
principlessuchaselements,laws,rectilinearmotion,andcentralforces(Moulton1914pg14).

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Thepointthispassageistofurtherexpressthedeepknowledgeofmathandscienceforthe
astronomyoftoday.Thefewcoreprincipleslistedforcelestialmechanicsarejustthebeginning
ofwhatisneededtoknow.Thisattributestothechangeinthelastcentury,theinformationera
hasdecreasedtheactualobservationsthemselves.Asstatedbeforethisistheresultofthe
inventionofcomputersallowingfordatatobestored.Butasoflatetheworkloadofastronomer
hasgrownoverthelast20years.Thisistheresultofthediscoveryandacceptanceofexoplanets,
nowtheseskillsaremoreprevalent.Withthediscoveryoftheexoplanettheneedtobe
exceptionalwithcalculus,algebra,physics,andchemistryisevenmoreimportant.Inspecific
formulasthathavebeenunderconstantrevisionovertheyearsplayanimportantrolewith
exoplanets.Inthesearchforexoplanetsthedistanceformulaisinvaluableasaknownequation,
ittellsthedistancebetweenusandanygivencelestialbody.Exoplanetsareabrandnew
discoveryinthelast20years,thismeansthatanindividualmustbeabletoadjusttheirtheories
andbesubjecttocriticism.Exoplanetsareahottopicinastronomytoday,beforetheywere
discoveredtheywereinplainsight.Becausetheywereandareinplainsight,havingtheskillto
identifythedistance,it'sredshifts,blueshifts,andinterferenceareessentialskills.Theseskills
correlatetotheskillsmentionedearlier,thesebeingprogramming,mathematics,andsciences.
Theyhavebecomeincreasinglyimportantinthehuntfortheexoplanets,thesewillleadtoeven
morediscoveriesinthefuture.
Astronomyisaverydifficultcareertogointo,itrequiresawealthofknowledge.In
specificitrequiresawealthofknowledgeinthefieldofmath,thefieldofthesciences,computer
programmingandcombiningalltheseintoaprofession.Astronomyhasinthelastfiftyyears
alonehadchangedtremendouslyaddingtheusefulnessofcomputerintoit.NowAstronomers

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needtoknowtheirphysics,chemistry,andmathconceptsevenmoretokeepupwiththeever
changingfieldofastronomy.Astronomyhaschangedagreatdealandwillcontinuetobecome
morecomplicatedasitadvancescausingtheneedforevenmoreskillsjustlikewiththe
introductionofcomputersintothefield.Overthepastcenturyastronomyhaschanged
immenselyinspecificthediscoveriesofexoplanets,stellarevolutionandthegalaxies,withthese
discoveriescomestheneedtoadaptleavingitastheultimateskillneededforanastronomer.

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"BachelorofScienceinAstronomy."
TheUniversityofKansas
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<http://astronomyonline.org/Science/BasicMathematics.asp>.
"1923OtherGalaxiesExist."
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<http://amazingspace.org/resources/explorations/groundup/lesson/scopes/mt_wilson/discove
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