Astrophysics (from Greek astron, "star", and physis, "nat!

re"" is
the #ranch of astronomy that dea$s %ith the physics of the !ni&erse,
especia$$y %ith "the nat!re of the hea&en$y #odies, rather than their positions
or motions in space'"()*(+* Amon, the o#-ects st!died are ,a$a.ies, stars,
p$anets, e.traso$ar p$anets, the interste$$ar medi!m and the cosmic
micro%a&e #ack,ro!nd'(/*(0* 1heir emissions are e.amined across a$$ parts
of the e$ectroma,netic spectr!m, and the properties e.amined inc$!de
$!minosity, density, temperat!re, and chemica$ composition' 2eca!se
astrophysics is a &ery #road s!#-ect, astrophysicists typica$$y app$y many
discip$ines of physics, inc$!din, mechanics, e$ectroma,netism, statistica$
mechanics, thermodynamics, 3!ant!m mechanics, re$ati&ity, n!c$ear and
partic$e physics, and atomic and mo$ec!$ar physics'
4n practice, modern astronomica$ research often in&o$&es a s!#stantia$
amo!nt of %ork in the rea$m(s" of theoretica$ and5or o#ser&ationa$ physics'
6i,h$y e$!si&e areas of st!dy for astrophysicists, %hich are of immense
interest to the p!#$ic, inc$!de their attempts to determine7 the properties of
dark matter, dark ener,y, and #$ack ho$es8 %hether or not time tra&e$ is
possi#$e, %ormho$es can form, or the m!$ti&erse e.ists8 and the ori,in and
!$timate fate of the !ni&erse'(9* 1opics a$so st!died #y theoretica$
astrophysicists inc$!de7 so$ar system formation and e&o$!tion8 ste$$ar
dynamics and e&o$!tion8 ,a$a.y formation and e&o$!tion8
ma,netohydrodynamics8 $ar,e:sca$e str!ct!re of matter in the !ni&erse8
ori,in of cosmic rays8 ,enera$ re$ati&ity and physica$ cosmo$o,y, inc$!din,
strin, cosmo$o,y and astropartic$e physics'
Astrophysics can #e st!died at the #ache$ors, masters, and ;h'<' $e&e$s in
physics or astronomy departments at many !ni&ersities'A$tho!,h astronomy
is as ancient as recorded history itse$f, it %as $on, separated from the st!dy
of terrestria$ physics' 4n the Aristote$ian %or$d&ie%, #odies in the sky
appeared to #e !nchan,in, spheres %hose on$y motion %as !niform motion
in a circ$e, %hi$e the earth$y %or$d %as the rea$m %hich !nder%ent ,ro%th
and decay and in %hich nat!ra$ motion %as in a strai,ht $ine and ended %hen
the mo&in, o#-ect reached its ,oa$' =onse3!ent$y, it %as he$d that the
ce$estia$ re,ion %as made of a f!ndamenta$$y di>erent kind of matter from
that fo!nd in the terrestria$ sphere8 either ?ire as maintained #y ;$ato, or
Aether as maintained #y Aristot$e'(@*(A*
4n the )Ath cent!ry, nat!ra$ phi$osophers s!ch as Ga$i$eo, <escartes, and
Be%ton #e,an to maintain that the ce$estia$ and terrestria$ re,ions %ere
made of simi$ar kinds of materia$ and %ere s!#-ect to the same nat!ra$ $a%s'
At the end of the )Cth cent!ry, it %as disco&ered that, %hen decomposin, the
$i,ht from the D!n, a m!$tit!de of spectra$ $ines %ere o#ser&ed (re,ions %here
there %as $ess or no $i,ht"' Ea#oratory e.periments %ith hot ,ases sho%ed
that the same $ines co!$d #e o#ser&ed in the spectra of kno%n ,ases, speciFc
$ines correspondin, to !ni3!e chemica$ e$ements' 4n this %ay it %as pro&ed
that the chemica$ e$ements fo!nd in the D!n and stars (chieGy hydro,en"
%ere a$so fo!nd on Harth' 4ndeed, the e$ement he$i!m %as Frst disco&ered in
the spectr!m of the D!n and on$y $ater fo!nd on Harth, hence its name'
<!rin, the +Ith cent!ry, spectroscopy (the st!dy of these spectra$ $ines"
ad&anced, partic!$ar$y as a res!$t of the ad&ent of 3!ant!m physics that %as
necessary to !nderstand the astronomica$ and e.perimenta$ o#ser&ations'(J*
Dee a$so7
1ime$ine of kno%$ed,e a#o!t ,a$a.ies, c$!sters of ,a$a.ies, and $ar,e:sca$e
str!ct!re
1ime$ine of %hite d%arfs, ne!tron stars, and s!perno&ae
1ime$ine of #$ack ho$e physics
1ime$ine of ,ra&itationa$ physics and re$ati&ity
K#ser&ationa$ astrophysics(edit*
Har$y +Ith:cent!ry comparison of e$ementa$, so$ar, and ste$$ar spectra
K#ser&ationa$ astronomy is a di&ision of the astronomica$ science that is
concerned %ith recordin, data, in contrast %ith theoretica$ astrophysics,
%hich is main$y concerned %ith Fndin, o!t the meas!ra#$e imp$ications of
physica$ mode$s' 4t is the practice of o#ser&in, ce$estia$ o#-ects #y !sin,
te$escopes and other astronomica$ apparat!s'
1he ma-ority of astrophysica$ o#ser&ations are made !sin, the
e$ectroma,netic spectr!m'
Ladio astronomy st!dies radiation %ith a %a&e$en,th ,reater than a fe%
mi$$imeters' H.amp$e areas of st!dy are radio %a&es, !s!a$$y emitted #y co$d
o#-ects s!ch as interste$$ar ,as and d!st c$o!ds8 the cosmic micro%a&e
#ack,ro!nd radiation %hich is the redshifted $i,ht from the 2i, 2an,8 p!$sars,
%hich %ere Frst detected at micro%a&e fre3!encies' 1he st!dy of these
%a&es re3!ires &ery $ar,e radio te$escopes'
4nfrared astronomy st!dies radiation %ith a %a&e$en,th that is too $on, to #e
&isi#$e to the naked eye #!t is shorter than radio %a&es' 4nfrared o#ser&ations
are !s!a$$y made %ith te$escopes simi$ar to the fami$iar optica$ te$escopes'
K#-ects co$der than stars (s!ch as p$anets" are norma$$y st!died at infrared
fre3!encies'
Kptica$ astronomy is the o$dest kind of astronomy' 1e$escopes paired %ith a
char,e:co!p$ed de&ice or spectroscopes are the most common instr!ments
!sed' 1he HarthMs atmosphere interferes some%hat %ith optica$ o#ser&ations,
so adapti&e optics and space te$escopes are !sed to o#tain the hi,hest
possi#$e ima,e 3!a$ity' 4n this %a&e$en,th ran,e, stars are hi,h$y &isi#$e, and
many chemica$ spectra can #e o#ser&ed to st!dy the chemica$ composition of
stars, ,a$a.ies and ne#!$ae'
N$tra&io$et, O:ray and ,amma ray astronomy st!dy &ery ener,etic processes
s!ch as #inary p!$sars, #$ack ho$es, ma,netars, and many others' 1hese kinds
of radiation do not penetrate the HarthMs atmosphere %e$$' 1here are t%o
methods in !se to o#ser&e this part of the e$ectroma,netic spectr!mPspace:
#ased te$escopes and ,ro!nd:#ased ima,in, air =herenko& te$escopes (4A=1"'
H.amp$es of K#ser&atories of the Frst type are LO1H, the =handra O:ray
K#ser&atory and the =ompton Gamma Lay K#ser&atory' H.amp$es of 4A=1s
are the 6i,h Hner,y Dtereoscopic Dystem (6'H'D'D'" and the QAG4= te$escope'
Kther than e$ectroma,netic radiation, fe% thin,s may #e o#ser&ed from the
Harth that ori,inate from ,reat distances' A fe% ,ra&itationa$ %a&e
o#ser&atories ha&e #een constr!cted, #!t ,ra&itationa$ %a&es are e.treme$y
diRc!$t to detect' Be!trino o#ser&atories ha&e a$so #een #!i$t, primari$y to
st!dy o!r D!n' =osmic rays consistin, of &ery hi,h ener,y partic$es can #e
o#ser&ed hittin, the HarthMs atmosphere'
K#ser&ations can a$so &ary in their time sca$e' Qost optica$ o#ser&ations take
min!tes to ho!rs, so phenomena that chan,e faster than this cannot readi$y
#e o#ser&ed' 6o%e&er, historica$ data on some o#-ects is a&ai$a#$e, spannin,
cent!ries or mi$$ennia' Kn the other hand, radio o#ser&ations may $ook at
e&ents on a mi$$isecond timesca$e (mi$$isecond p!$sars" or com#ine years of
data (p!$sar dece$eration st!dies"' 1he information o#tained from these
di>erent timesca$es is &ery di>erent'
1he st!dy of o!r &ery o%n D!n has a specia$ p$ace in o#ser&ationa$
astrophysics' <!e to the tremendo!s distance of a$$ other stars, the D!n can
#e o#ser&ed in a kind of detai$ !npara$$e$ed #y any other star' K!r
!nderstandin, of o!r o%n s!n ser&es as a ,!ide to o!r !nderstandin, of other
stars'
1he topic of ho% stars chan,e, or ste$$ar e&o$!tion, is often mode$ed #y
p$acin, the &arieties of star types in their respecti&e positions on the
6ertSspr!n,TL!sse$$ dia,ram, %hich can #e &ie%ed as representin, the state
of a ste$$ar o#-ect, from #irth to destr!ction' 1he materia$ composition of the
astronomica$ o#-ects can often #e e.amined !sin,7
Dpectroscopy
Ladio astronomy
Be!trino astronomy (f!t!re prospects"
1heoretica$ astrophysics(edit*
1he stream $ines on this sim!$ation of a s!perno&a sho% the Go% of matter
#ehind the shock %a&e ,i&in, c$!es as to the ori,in of p!$sars
1heoretica$ astrophysicists !se a %ide &ariety of too$s %hich inc$!de ana$ytica$
mode$s (for e.amp$e, po$ytropes to appro.imate the #eha&iors of a star" and
comp!tationa$ n!merica$ sim!$ations' Hach has some ad&anta,es' Ana$ytica$
mode$s of a process are ,enera$$y #etter for ,i&in, insi,ht into the heart of
%hat is ,oin, on' B!merica$ mode$s can re&ea$ the e.istence of phenomena
and e>ects that %o!$d other%ise not #e seen'(C*()I*
1heorists in astrophysics endea&or to create theoretica$ mode$s and F,!re
o!t the o#ser&ationa$ conse3!ences of those mode$s' 1his he$ps a$$o%
o#ser&ers to $ook for data that can ref!te a mode$ or he$p in choosin,
#et%een se&era$ a$ternate or conGictin, mode$s'
1heorists a$so try to ,enerate or modify mode$s to take into acco!nt ne%
data' 4n the case of an inconsistency, the ,enera$ tendency is to try to make
minima$ modiFcations to the mode$ to Ft the data' 4n some cases, a $ar,e
amo!nt of inconsistent data o&er time may $ead to tota$ a#andonment of a
mode$'
1opics st!died #y theoretica$ astrophysicists inc$!de7 ste$$ar dynamics and
e&o$!tion8 ,a$a.y formation and e&o$!tion8 ma,netohydrodynamics8 $ar,e:
sca$e str!ct!re of matter in the !ni&erse8 ori,in of cosmic rays8 ,enera$
re$ati&ity and physica$ cosmo$o,y, inc$!din, strin, cosmo$o,y and
astropartic$e physics' Astrophysica$ re$ati&ity ser&es as a too$ to ,a!,e the
properties of $ar,e sca$e str!ct!res for %hich ,ra&itation p$ays a si,niFcant
ro$e in physica$ phenomena in&esti,ated and as the #asis for #$ack ho$e
(astro"physics and the st!dy of ,ra&itationa$ %a&es'
Dome %ide$y accepted and st!died theories and mode$s in astrophysics, no%
inc$!ded in the Eam#da:=<Q mode$ are the 2i, 2an,, =osmic inGation, dark
matter, dark ener,y and f!ndamenta$ theories of physics' Uormho$es are
e.amp$es of hypotheses %hich are yet to #e pro&en (or dispro&en"'