what is two things astronomers do?
489848
They study the science of objects and matter beyond the earth's atmosphere and their interactions in space.
1062047
Astronomy is mostly an observational and descriptive field focusing on sky objects. \nCosmology, is physics applied to the mechanics and functioning of the cosmos. \n\nSo cosmology provides a theoretical background to explain what astronomy sees. \nRoughly, a cartoon would depict an astronomer looking through a telescope, while a cosmologist would be a guy scratching notes on a notepad while using a calculator. Of course, this would be only an approximation. Both use calculators and take notes... \n\n"Astros" derive from "astra", meaning stars. "Cosmos" (the same in greek), means "order, arrangement". And refers to the universe or existence as a whole (including stars, of course).  ;o)\n\nAstronauts and cosmonauts are exactly the same thing. \n\nHope I could clarify it a bit.
1028969
The scientific method is to:\n\nObserve\nHypothesise\nTest\nAssess\nRepeat the process\nRepeat again... and again... and again... etc.\n\n>If you observe something occurring\n(eg. A shooting star falls towards the earth)\n>You Hypothesise for something to have happened \n(eg. that the star landed just over the horizon)\n>You test your hypothesis\n(eg. you travel to where the star appeared to fall)\n> You assesss whether the hypothesis was correct\n(eg. you could not evidence of something falling there)\n\nFrom this you can repeat the excersize until you get a correct answer.\n>observe: the star moved towards the horizon\n>hypothesise: the earth is round and so the star moved along a tangent to the earth, passing out of the atmosphere\n>test: ask someone further along the path of the star\n>Assess: the star dissapeared at a point over the horizon and did not land on earth. Therefore my hypothesis could be correct.\n\nAfter a valid hypothesis is concluded then it becomes theory... you would then go out and try to prove your theory... such as proving the world is round, or is there another reason the star dissapeared (it may have burnt up in atmosphere).\n\nAs you see... science is a lot of work.
492923
The eye it not limited by distance;\n\nit responds to photons hitting the retina, it does not care how far the photons have travelled.\neg you can see a bright star further away than a dim one because it emits more photons. A telescope serves to collect more photons.\nIn a dark room you cannot see even close objects.
394821
what is this?  this is not a question about astronomy.\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astronomy
807870
Is this a standard question in astronomy homework?  It gets asked a little too often to be a coincidental thirst for knowledge.\n\nhttp://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Agu1toeosu1MirtrYkXZQVsjzKIX?qid=20061013023802AATDt5Y\n\nhttp://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AprgZ3ICmyvSAZ.cK9LN5rgjzKIX?qid=20060924211116AASEnwp\n\nhttp://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AmA29TqByz33O8pSGQUeJLcjzKIX?qid=20060822235325AAARfzh\n\nhttp://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AgQ7pQ3Bm4bBZnfRUgHejhUjzKIX?qid=20061015210030AAe3uvt\n\nhttp://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AoF_RSBfWG0bstRwzDIborMjzKIX?qid=20061015070654AACFesk\n\nhttp://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AsTNN2VQaDQmMZBch54BvIwjzKIX?qid=20060704225358AAY06Hm\n\nhttp://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=ArosjdOUmz7RNlAJ7JzHPQ4jzKIX?qid=20061118050030AAc3AHz\n\nhttp://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AlqUAlScbWChPZASbYViesEjzKIX?qid=20061002214042AAbR915\n\nhttp://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Av40M7VHPdYPDKbGYwh0UPAjzKIX?qid=20061018230921AAOnp6k
772178
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astronomers
360176
Just singular? Sceintist or professor? Maybe you meant scientists or professors. Not that the professors are the leading authority on celestial discoveries. They more of just train others to go outside and look straight up in the air. Usually they use a telescope. In some cases, they consult the spheres. In your case, I'm surprised you even know what the word discover means.
246014
astronomy and astrology
321084
math, physics, astronomy
47579
Steady state theory has no answers for two major astronomical observations.\n\n1. Cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB)\n2. Hubble expansion.\n\nAs a result the theory has been discarded by the majority of professional astronomers.  The Big Bang theory does provide answers for those two bits of observation.  It may not be perfect but it is the best we got.  That's what theories are...the best explanation until something better comes along.
152344
Science is simply the act of observing nature and explaining it.  The telescope allows us to make better and more accurate observations, so our science has better facts to work on, and allows our understanding of nature to be more complete.
75743
Twertyto's answer is the best! When I was just learning about astronomy I asked the same question. Someone told me a very simple answer that just might work for you:  A planet reflects light and a star creates it. That sounds simple enough for simpler times! But now welcome to the 21st century!!!\nBrown dwarfs are kind of the "animal" that bridges these two seemingly different objects. Astronomy is having a hard (but fun) time right now trying to decide exactly what a planet is- from the very large to the very small. Is an object 75 times the size of Jupiter a planet? 79 times? 81 times? No one seems to know. Do we call them planets or officially name them Brown Dwarfs. On the other side of the issue, is Pluto a planet? They just discovered a larger than Pluto object and several almost-the-size-of-Pluto objects out past Pluto's orbit. Are all of these planets? If Pluto's not a planet, but now has been discovered to have at least 3 moons (two new one's were just discovered recently), then what do we call it? \nThis has been a surprisingly tough answer for Astronomers as well, so not only is it a great question, but you- and everyone else- might have to stick around for a while for the difinitive answer!!!
1159295
Astronomy is generally considered a subfield of physics, although it is distinct from the related field of astrophysics.  (One way of differentiating between astronomy and astrophysics is that astronomy deals with what stars do and astrophysics deals with how/why they do it.)  \n\nAlthough there are a number of universities which grant bachelor's degrees both in physics and in astronomy, the curricula typically overlap and a basic physics degree will prepare one for graduate school.  The basic physics curriculum includes a heavy dose of mathematics as well as classes within the field of physics--classical mechanics, quantum mechanics, electromagnetism, electronics, atomic & nuclear physics, thermodynamics, optics.  A concentration in astronomy would also include an observational astronomy class, celestial mechanics, and more optics.\n\nA Ph.D. is typically required to work in the field of astronomy, although there are some "low-level" jobs available with a master's degree.  Advanced degrees in physics, including astronomy, can take anywhere from three to ten years to earn.  The main reason for the variation in the time to complete a degree is because of the research required for a doctoral thesis.  Getting time on a major telescope or array to collect data can be difficult and there's always the possibility of being bumped by someone with more pull.  The nature of research generally can mean several months of work can be wrecked or rendered useless in a heartbeat.  There are a number of excellent schools for astronomy--Arizona, Cornell, Chicago, Maryland, Iowa State, North Carolina State, New Mexico, just to name a few. \n\nAs to whether meteorology or astronomy is better for society, well, that depends on your criteria.  Meteorology probably has many more direct and practical applications and impact on individuals.  Space science generally has brought a number of advances in technology/convenience.  Learning more about the natural world around us, specifically the lights in the night sky, however tends to inspire the poet and dreamer in folks, reminding us of the things that are greater than we ourselves.\n\nOh, and I can't speak to preparation for meteorology, so I won't. \n\n******\nI have a B.S. in physics with minors in mathematics and philosophy, spent a year in graduate school for physics (Ph.D-track) and studied the history of science before pursuing other things.
1181721
What does this have to do with astronomy?
318295
At the nearest celestial observatory.  Y'may have to drive a few hours and walk a ways, but many of them do allow public tours.  Call ahead and ask.  Those connected with Cal Tech used to be particularly happy to have visitors.\n\nWhat'll happen is, they'll show you around the observatory, tell you what projects they're working on and give you an idea of why it's important.  They'll allow you to view whatever their telescopes are looking at during your visit.  Those images will in most cases be displayed on a computer screen.  Some observatories, but not all, will have one or more optical telescopes that they'll let you look through to get a direct look at whatever they're focussed on during your visit.  \n\nAlternatively, some amateur astronomers will let you take a peek through their own telescopes.  A favorite way of getting the public involved is to host a "star party".  That's usually where an astronomy club invites the public to come to a park or the beach where club members bring their instruments to show off to the public.  Some of them will have dozens of instruments you can get a good look at.\n\nThe reason for this is, no matter where on earth you go, you cannot see much more than about ten thousand stars from any vantage point, whereas even a modest telescope can show you many times that number by allowing you to view celestial objects that are too dim or too close together to be seen by the unaided human eye.\n\nGo for it!  It's fun!
314707
You can become an astronomer.  This is one of the hot topics in astronomy right now, and quite a bit of effort is being put into it by professional astronomers.  In the meantime you can use your spare CPU cycles to help check radio signals from other stars for signs that they may have been produced with the inetent of contacting us through the SETI@home project.  The rpgram runs as a screen saver, and has been around for a number of years now.\n\nAs far as Voyager 2, it is just under 80AU away (80 times the distance from the earth to the sun), in the direction of the constellation Telescopium.