All you need to know about pursuing a career in the field of ASTRONOMY!
Do you love star gazing? Dream of making the next big discovery about some far away celestial bodies? If so, Astronomy can be a pretty interesting career option for you. Although a bit challenging, this field can be very rewarding and exciting.
What does an Astronomer do?
|Wear a cool lab coat and gaze at stars? | |Identify new galaxies and stars? |
You probably would have wondered multiple times about what does an astronomer exactly do, right?
Astronomy is the study of the universe, including stars, planets and other objects beyond the earth and the solar system.
As an astronomer, your job will be all about discovering the secrets of the universe. There are plenty of options within the field of astronomy from where you can pick your favorite option and specialise on it!
You can be:
- A Planetary Astronomer and study the planets, galaxies and also build amazing new instruments.
- A Radio Astronomer and learn the celestial objects at radio frequencies using telescopes.
- A Solar and Stellar Astronomers and collect data of the solar system and its participants, study the constellations and discover new groups of stars.
- A Cosmologist and learn all the secrets of the origin, the evolution and the eventual fate of our universe.
Not only that, if your work is remarkable, you might get ranked along with names like GALILEO, NEWTON and STEPHEN HAWKING !! (ISN’T IT AMAZING)
Scope and opportunities in the field of Astronomy
The field of Astronomy has a lot to offer for those who have special interest in Physics, Maths and wants to dive into the world of research. But just like the saying goes, ‘Every success comes with a little challenge’; becoming an astronomer requires quite a bit of serious studies, lots of interest in observing the movements of celestial bodies, planets, etc. The top countries which offer the best courses for astronomy are US, UK, Japan and Switzerland.
But you needn’t have to travel so far!
In India, we have a plenty of options from where you can pick and pursue a degree in astronomy. Prestigious institutions like Indian Centre for Space Physics, Kolkata, TIFR (Tata Institute of Fundamental Research), Mumbai are currently encouraging young talents to become the future astronomers. You can also get a PhD degree in Astronomy & Astrophysics from Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bangalore; which is considered as one of the best colleges in India.
The Pathway:
For all the students and young scientist, the pathway to become an astronomer might be challenging but is completely doable. If you are aiming to hit one of the reputed workstations, all you have to do is get a doctoral degree from one of the reputed institutions.
Once you reach the eligible level, you can find opportunities in academics, observatories, planetariums, museums and with most reputed organizations like National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), VSSC, etc.
Here’s a list of the top Institutions where you can apply for a degree in Astronomy:
- Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore (IIA),
- Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore (IISc),
- National Centre for Radio Astrophysics, Pune (NCRA-TIFR),
- Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune (IUCAA),
- Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad (PRL),
- Raman Research Institute, Bangalore (RRI) and.
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), US
- Harvard University, US
- Stanford University, US
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