I want to pursue a career in astronomy, but do I have to choose a specific part to study (like get a PH.D)?

Question

I have heard of people that are PH.D's in astronomy and say they specialize in variable stars or planets. But I love ALL of astronomy, do I have to specialize in one area? Like in College?

Answer 1

If you want a career in astronomy - then yes - you need to do a PhD.

But even if you specialize, you can keep studying other stuff.

And you will need to if you end up as a professor.

I have to teach subjects well outside of my research area - so I keep up with what is going on in other fields of astronomy.

My research is on stardust - which means I need to understand stars in all their gory detail (how they make elements, how those elements get out etc, how the light gets out and a lot more) and I have to understand chemistry and geology (mineralogy anyway). I have to understand how light interacts with matter. There's a lot more...

In addition, you never know when something in what appears to be a disparate field might actually be useful to your own research - so it pays to stay in touch with the whole field...

Hope this helps

Answer 2

you should think about what you like about astronomy, do you like it in theory or in practice best? if you are more into reading about it than doing it you could consider being something else such as writing science books or working in science journalism. you could also work as a technician in a university without a phD. this would mean looking after the telescope and using it with students, that way you would probably get to use the telescope a lot but see a wide range of objects. I'm sure there are other options. but if you want to get a phD you will have to specialize (but you can do a degree in astronomy as a whole). after a degree you may find that you like certain areas more than others. until your about to finish your degree i wouldn't worry to much. that said i live in england so american universities may be different.

anyway check out my website on science:

http://www.thestargarden.co.uk/

Answer 3

short of something like teaching you will need a specialization just because the field is so large.  think of what the need might be for an astronomer, they are specialized needs that require specialized experts

Answer 4

exactly what the professor said