How smart do you have to be to become an astronomer? How much does the job pay?
I feel the need to point out that astronomer and astronaut are not the same career. Now that that's over with, you'll need a PhD in astronomy or physics to do much of anything in astronomy. There are very few jobs even if you have a PhD and it really doesn't pay too well considering how long it took you to get the degree (60k - 150k by the end of your career, if you're lucky). A physics major would be a good place to start, along with classes in astronomy, math, and computer science. Yes, you need to be good at physics and math.
What Do You Need To Become An Astronomer?
There are very few jobs in astronomy if you don't have a PhD, and if you want to be an astronomer (someone who researches space) then you'll need a PhD in astronomy, astrophysics, or physics. Start with a physics major in college, and take courses in astronomy, math, and computer science. Spend your summers doing research with professors at your university or others (look up REU programs) to make sure this is really what you want to do with your life and to get experience for grad school. Then you can apply for a PhD program with a bachelors and earn the masters en route to the PhD. It's about 10 years of college total on average. Astronomers aren't rich; with a PhD you'd make between about 40k and 150k a year depending on the job you took, where you're working, and how long you've worked there. Astronomers work for colleges and universities, national labs and observatories, and NASA.
How can I become an astronomer in India?
Firstly... have real passion in it. It isn't an easy job to become a scientist in this very vast and deep field. And second most important thing, have patience. If you are doing research, you should know how to keep it cool. Try to avoid negative people saying that 'research has no future'. It has a lot of scope even in INDIA and abroad. If you have the real passion, you will see your job to be a very interesting life! It won't just be a 9-5 messy job...Coming to the path: I am assuming that you have completed your 10th grade board exams. Getting into science stream is a very obvious answer. You can appear for good exams like KVPY in 11th and 12th. Cracking this exam will let you apply for IISc, best research institute in the country. I highly recommend you to target it. Also you can appear for JEE and NEST and even BIT-SAT. Your prime motto should be to get into the institutes like IITs, IISERs, BITS Pilani and NISER for integrated BS-MS course. If you don't get it... no worries. You can still pursue B.sc from other good colleges. For this field, it's very important how well focused you are on research. You can then appear for IIT-JAM to get selected into IISc or IITs for Masters degree.Co-curricular : Stay focused on your career, that's it. You can watch online lectures of many professors from awesome Universities in the world. Keep updating yourself. Try to go through as many research papers as possible in your undergraduate studies. Always try to be curious. Have your social existence as well; by this I mean try attending seminars and lectures of famous scientists, participate in Science talks, etc. In the end two things matters: Your knowledge and your ability to deliver that knowledge. All the best!
What should be the next step to become an astronomer after 10th?
For now you must concentrate on your 11 and 12 class studies. And along with that you can read popular physics books for general readers related to astronomy and astrophysics etc.Some areThe Elegant UniverseThe Grand DesignAll about Big Bang TheoryWhat we can not knowWe have no idea — ( great for general readers with lot of bad puns :) recommended)Michio Kaku and Brian Greene books ( both are independent)The Universe in a nutshellA brief history of timeA briefer history of timeWonders of the solar systemWonders of the Universe ( both are excellent, by Brian Cox)The Unknown UniverseThe particle zooAnd tons more I couldn't remember right nowAll the above mentioned books are written in a lucid way and no rigorous mathematics is required to praise their beauty.All the above mentioned books have been read by me during my class 11 . Now I am in 12.Please only read them in your free time and also emphasize on your class 11 and 12 syllabus. You must have a computer subject as an elective like C++ as C.S. is much needed in today's astronomy. And try after your 12th to get admission in IISc or IISERs or IIST colleges which are research oriented and have physics as major and you can have elective courses in astronomy. Then you may specialise in astronomy and astrophysics later. But first tour foundation is important. Also you may appear for NSEA ( an astronomy Olympiad) generally held in November and is for class 11 and 12 students only and you can apply through your school only.Also try to get a good binocular or a good telescope( is costly) and get amazed . Watch out for the astronomy events like meteor showers and some transits of planets etc. Also you should join an astronomy club if it is in your proximity.Thanks.
Astronomy.....my major?
I love astronomy and cosmology and just about everything that comes with outer space and the universe. I'm a sophomore in high school and I'm thinking about my career options and what path I want to go down. There are two main careers that I have kind of narrowed myself down to: astronomy and computer science. I'm having trouble deciding which is the best for my career. I love astronomy and I really want to be one of those people who makes new discoveries about the universe and contributes to advances in space exploration and things like that. But the problem is, becoming an astronomer takes a lot of years of studying and jobs are hard to find, and most of the astronomy jobs (university, NASA) I hear are only worth an average of $40,000 to $60,000 a year. That's not terrible, but I would prefer to be making more than that. Computer science, specifically web page design, also interests me. There are tons of people needed out there to design websites and the pay is an average of $70,000 a year, and if you make big and popular websites, you can exceed $100,000 per year. But I just love astronomy too much not to make it part of my life. I would love to spend my life doing that, but I'm worried that it will be too hard and that I won't be able to find a good-paying job. Could I make computer science my major, and then also do a little astronomy on the side?
Is Astronomy a bad major?
Most jobs for physicists and astronomers are not available for someone with a four year college degree, the bachelor's degree. Bachelor's degree holders often qualify as technicians, research assistants, or other entry level jobs. Competition for those jobs is to be expected and the field is growing more slowly than average. However, with a physics or astronomy degree at any level, you would have enough knowledge of math and science to find entry into many other occupations. Yes, math is an excellent choice as a major because there are many related occupations such as actuaries, statisticians, computer programmers, engineers, teachers, economists, survey researchers, financial analysts and advisors, and, of course physicists and astronomers. The salaries range from about $60,000 to $100,000.
What jobs could i get with an astronomy major?
If you want to be an astronomer, you'll need a PhD in astronomy, physics, or astrophysics - a bachelors degree isn't enough to do research in the field, and that's what astronomer do. And if you are going to go on to become an astronomer, you should be majoring in physics, not astronomy - while classes in math, astronomy, and computer science are useful/necessary, a physics major is essential to get into a grad program in astronomy or astrophysics. An astronomy bachelors degree with no more advanced degrees could get you a job teaching high school physics, working at a museum or planetarium (not many of those jobs out there), or working as an assistant at an observatory or national lab/NASA (again, not too many of those jobs out there).
Why should I major in astronomy?
Because you love astronomy. I agree with Hudon that you definitely want to broaden your skillset by picking up a major in physics, computer science, or statistics (because you need to be fluent in all of these anyway to do astronomy, and they are all highly marketable skills). I'll add that if your goal is to become an astronomer, you should find a way to do research in undergrad. This is usually accomplished by some combination of sitting in the front of your classes, being a good student, asking your professors questions during office hours, and showing up to everything. I took a few (< 300 level) astronomy courses, and it's not an understatement to say that they changed my life.
I want to become and astronomer and hopefully become an astronaut.?
I've always wanted to be an astronomer and my biggest wish is to be able to work in the space station sometime in my life. I've always found space interesting; the stars, planets, and moons have always caught my eye. I'm going to be starting my junior year of high school and I really need to know what are some classes I should take to be able to achieve my goals. I know physics is a must. I'll be taking an astronomy elective, but I wasn't sure if there is anything you would suggest. Also after high school what would be some things that could help me get to where I'm at. Like what are some classes in college. Would I take engineering course? Should I go into pilot school? I just need to know what I have to do in order to become a astronomer and astronaut. Soon I'm going to be going and buying books to learn a little more. Thank you (:
How do I become an astronomer? What subjects should I choose for IB?
You definately want to take HL math and HL physics, but HL computer science may also benefit you because astronomy requires use of highly specific technology. Typically astronomers get a B.S. in Astrophysics. My son, who has a masters in computer science, took astronomy classes and the professor wanted to know if he was interested in it as a minor. There are not a lot of positions open in astronomy, so few people major in it.