Careers in Astronomy in Canada
Careers in Astronomy in Canada
Types of research in Canada
While studying, you may have to select 1 out of a few main areas:
- Optical (near InfraRed to hard UltraViolet) astronomy,
- Radio (Decameter to far InfraRed) astronomy,
- Theoretical astronomy,
- Particle astronomy (SNO in Sudbury; mostly done in other countries).
A typical day does not include observing with a telescope; observing
is reserved for a few days only each year. A typical day at his/her city
office includes an analysis of the data observed months ago (research),
do some teaching or some improvement to existing observational facilities, public relations and attending astronomy/logistical meetings to help other astronomers/goals.
Approx. Choices made so far by Canadian students:
-
50% in Optical astronomy; since Galileo in 1608 (stars, star clusters, dust, galaxies of stars, search for extrasolar planets, etc).
- 25% in Radio Astronomy: since Jansky in 1932 (pulsars, atomic hydrogen clouds, magnetic fields between stars, star nurseries, jets from stars, galaxies, quasars,
Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence, radio trails from moving galaxies, etc).
- 25% in Theoretical Astronomy: since Greek Antiquity (nowadays you need computer modeling,
and comparisons with observations). Theorists use computer models to understand the innards of objects.
Updated: June 2003