What is an Astronomer?
An astronomer is a person who studies, classifies, and describes the phenomena of the heavens. The astronomer has been one of the most important roles in the modern scientific world, with some of the great leaps in methodology coming from the realm of astronomy. In the modern day, there are not many who identify as an astronomer, with the American Astronomical Society having less than 7,000 members, for example. Nonetheless, the concept of astronomer continues to fascinate the public as a romantic figure gazing skyward. One of the most well-known people to bear the name astronomer was the 16th century astronomer, Nicolaus Copernicus. Copernicus developed a heliocentric model of our solar system, placing the sun at the center and the Earth orbiting it, and in doing so turned most of the predominant world views of the time on their heads. Although a heliocentric model had been put forth by various brilliant minds from the world of Islam, India, and Greece, Copernicus laid his out in the
What makes a great astronomer? A strong curiosity about nature is a prime characteristic of an astronomer, along with the ability to imagine and visualize conditions much different than those of everyday experience. The universe presents us with examples of phenomena occurring at the extremes (both high and low) of pressure, temperature, density, and gravity that we cannot reproduce (at least not easily!) in laboratories on Earth. Since technology is progressing so rapidly, it is important for you to be versatile. You must be willing to learn quickly and explore new ways of doing your work. Since your discoveries are much more useful to others when they are communicated, good writing and speaking skills are essential. It also helps immensely to be patient and persistent and to be organized enough to work on several projects at once, as many projects will take years to complete. You should also enjoy working with others; many projects are done in teams. What is life as an astronomer lik
