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Ask an Astronomer
"An
astronomer is ascientistwho studiescelestial bodiessuch asplanets,
stars andgalaxies.
Historically,astronomywas more concerned with the
classification and description ofphenomena in the sky, whileastrophysicsattempted to explain these
phenomena and the differences between them
using physical laws. Today, that distinction
has mostly disappeared and the terms
"astronomer" and "astrophysicist" are
interchangeable. Professional astronomers
are highly educated individuals who
typically have aPhDinphysicsor astronomy and are employed by
research institutions oruniversities.
They spend the majority of
their time working on research, although
they quite often have other duties such as
teaching, building instruments, or aiding in
the operation of an observatory. The number
of professional astronomers in the United
States is actually quite small. TheAmerican 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,
andengineering,
whose research interests
are closely related to astronomy. TheInternational Astronomical Unioncomprises almost 10,145 members
from 70 different countries who are involved in
astronomical research at the PhD level and beyond"
Source:Wikipedia
