Professional astronomy is split intoobservational andtheoretical branches. Observational astronomy is focused on acquiring data from observations of astronomical objects. This data is then analyzed using basic principles of physics. Theoretical astronomy is oriented toward the development of computer or analytical models to describe astronomical objects and phenomena. These two fields complement each other. Theoretical astronomy seeks to explain observational results and observations are used to confirm theoretical results.
Astronomy is one of the few sciences in which amateurs play anactive role. This is especially true for the discovery and observation oftransient events.Amateur astronomers have helped with many important discoveries, such as finding new comets. (Full article...)
The following are images from various astronomy-related articles on Wikipedia.
Image 1Places likeParanal Observatory offer crystal clear skies for observing astronomical objects with or without instruments. (fromAmateur astronomy)
Image 2An image of theCat's Paw Nebula created combining the work of professional and amateur astronomers. The image is the combination of the 2.2-metre MPG/ESO telescope of the La Silla Observatory in Chile and a 0.4-meter amateur telescope. (fromAmateur astronomy)
Image 5Comparison ofCMB (Cosmic microwave background) results from satellitesCOBE,WMAP andPlanck documenting a progress in 1989–2013 (fromHistory of astronomy)
Image 7Segment of theastronomical ceiling of Senenmut's Tomb (circa 1479–1458 BC), depicting constellations, protective deities, and twenty-four segmented wheels for the hours of the day and the months of the year (fromHistory of astronomy)
Image 9ALMA is the world's most powerful telescope for studying the Universe at submillimeter and millimeter wavelengths. (fromObservational astronomy)
Image 16Amateur astronomy groups are often involved in outreach to introduce astronomy to the general public (fromAmateur astronomy)
Image 17Portrait of the Flemish astronomerFerdinand Verbiest who became head of the Mathematical Board and director of the Observatory of the Chinese emperor in 1669 (fromAstronomer)
Image 24The inflationary theory as an augmentation to the Big Bang theory was first proposed by Alan Guth of MIT. Inflation solves the 'horizon problem' by making the early universe much more compact than was assumed in the standard model. Given such smaller size, causal contact (i.e., thermal communication) would have been possible among all regions of the early universe. The image was an adaptation from various generic charts depicting the growth of the size of the observable universe, for both the standard model and inflationary model respectively, of the Big Bang theory. (fromPhysical cosmology)
Image 26An example of a gravitational lens found in the DESI Legacy Surveys data. There are four sets of lensed images in DESI-090.9854-35.9683, corresponding to four distinct background galaxies—from the outermost giant red arc to the innermost bright blue arc, arranged in four concentric circles. All of them are gravitationally warped—or lensed—by the orange galaxy at the very center. Dark matter is expected to produce gravitational lensing also. (fromPhysical cosmology)
Image 27The main platform atLa Silla hosts a huge range of telescopes with which astronomers can explore the Universe. (fromObservational astronomy)
Image 29Artist conception of theBig Bang cosmological model, the most widely accepted out of all in physical cosmology (neither time nor size to scale) (fromPhysical cosmology)
The atmosphere ofJupiter lacks a clear lower boundary and gradually transitions into the liquid interior of the planet. From lowest to highest, the atmospheric layers are thetroposphere,stratosphere,thermosphere andexosphere. Each layer has characteristictemperature gradients. The lowest layer, the troposphere, has a complicated system of clouds and hazes composed of layers of ammonia,ammonium hydrosulfide, and water. The upper ammonia clouds visible at Jupiter's surface are organized in a dozenzonal bands parallel to theequator and are bounded by powerful zonal atmospheric flows (winds) known asjets, exhibiting a phenomenon known asatmospheric super-rotation. The bands alternate in color: the dark bands are calledbelts, while light ones are calledzones. Zones, which are colder than belts, correspond to upwellings, while belts mark descending gas. The zones' lighter color is believed to result from ammonia ice; what gives the belts their darker colors is uncertain. The origins of the banded structure and jets are not well understood, though a "shallow model" and a "deep model" exist. (Full article...)
Credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
Messier 82, also known as NGC 3034, Cigar Galaxy, and M82, is the prototypestarburst galaxy about 12 millionlight-years away in theconstellationUrsa Major. The starburst galaxy is five timesmore luminous than the wholeMilky Way, and one hundred times more luminous than our galaxy's center. This mosaic image, taken by theHubble Space Telescope, is the sharpest wide-angle view ever obtained of Messier 82.
_(cropped).jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
_(cropped).jpg)
.jpg)
