Astronomers and Astrophysicists

Astronomers and Astrophysicists are scientists who study celestial bodies such as black holes, moons, planets, stars, nebulae, and galaxies. Professional astronomers are highly educated individuals who typically have a PhD (an advanced degree you can earn after you graduate from college if you go back to school and do a lot of research) in physics or astronomy and work for colleges, universities, science museums, and other research institutions. Astronomers and Astrophysicists spend the majority (most) of their time working on research. 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 (the study of rocks and minerals), and engineering, whose research interests are closely related to astronomy.

You can learn more about the history of Astronomy and how important Astronomers really are by clicking the links on the left to read about some of the most famous Astronomers, Cosmetologists, and Astrophysicists who ever lived. All of these scientists made landmark discoveries (really important discoveries) that changed the way we think about the universe (our galaxy, the Milky Way, and all of the galaxies beyond us).