Astrophysicists seek to understand the universe and our place in it. At NASA, the aims of its astrophysics work are "to discover how the universe works, explore how it began and evolved, and search for life on planets around other stars," according to NASA's website. NASA states that its astrophysics work grapples with three main questions:
Milestones in Astrophysics
We can't directly interact with distant cosmic objects, but we can observe the radiation they emit, and much of astrophysics has to do with studying this radiation and working to explain the mechanisms behind it. The first ideas about the nature of stars emerged in the mid-19th century from the blossoming science of spectral analysis, an essential .
Astrophysics is a science that uses the laws of physics, chemistry, and math to explain how the universe works. Astronomy is the study of things in outer space, like galaxies, planets, stars, asteroids, comets, nebulae, and different phenomena occurring in outer space.Image via Dana Berry/ NASA/ Wikimedia Commons. Astrophysics is the science of physical processes in the cosmos. It uses data gathered by astronomers using telescopes on Earth and in space – combined with the laws and theories of physics – in order to interpret the universe around us. If astronomy asks what and where, astrophysics asks how and why.Astrophysics is a branch of space science that applies the laws of physics and chemistry to seek to understand the universe and our place in it. The field explores topics such as the birth, life and death of stars, planets, galaxies, nebulae and other objects in the universe.
Astrophysics is science
Series of NASA missions to explore the Solar System
NASA's large strategic science missions or large strategic missions
Formerly known as Flagship missions or Flagship-class missions
Are the costliest and most capable NASA science spacecraft.Flagship missions exist within all four divisions of NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD):
The astrophysics
Earth science
Heliophysics and planetary science divisions.
The Planetary Science Decadal Survey is a serial publication of
Publication of the United States National Research Council
The Planetary Science Decadal Survey is a serial publication of the United States National Research Council produced for NASA and other United States Government Agencies such as :
The National Science Foundation.The documents identify key questions facing planetary science and outlines recommendations for space and ground-based exploration ten years into the future.Missions to gather data to answer these big questions are described and prioritized
Where appropriate.Similar decadal surveys cover astronomy and astrophysics
