Outline of astronomy

Astronomy & Space ScienceQ2740993

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to astronomy:
Astronomy – studies the universe beyond Earth, including its formation and development, and the evolution, physics, chemistry, meteorology, and motion of celestial objects (such as galaxies, planets, etc.) and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth (such as the cosmic background radiation). Astronomy also intersects with biology, as astrobiology, studying potential life throughout the universe.

Nature of astronomy
Astronomy can be described as all the following:

An academic discipline: one with academic departments, curricula and degrees; national and international societies; and specialized journals.
A scientific field (a branch of science) – widely recognized category of specialized expertise within science, and typically embodies it
A natural science – one that seeks to elucidate the rules that govern the natural world using empirical and scientific methods.
A branch or field of space science
A hobby or part-time pursuit for the satisfaction of personal curiosity or appreciation of beauty, the latter especially including astrophotography.

Branches
Astrobiology – studies the advent and evolution of biological systems in the universe.
Astrophysics (outline) – branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties of celestial objects, as well as their interactions and behavior. Among the objects studied are galaxies, stars, planets, exoplanets, the interstellar medium and the cosmic microwave background; and the properties examined include luminosity, density, temperature, and chemical composition. The subdisciplines of theoretical astrophysics are:
Compact objects – this subdiscipline studies very dense matter in white dwarfs and neutron stars and their effects on environments including accretion.
Physical cosmology – origin and evolution of the universe as a whole. The study of cosmology is theoretical astrophysics at its largest scale.
Quantum cosmology - the study of cosmology through the use of quantum field theory to explain phenomena general relativity cannot due to limitations in its framework.
Computational astrophysics – The study of astrophysics using computational methods and tools to develop computational models.
Galactic astronomy – deals with the structure and components of our Galaxy and of other galaxies.
High energy astrophysics – studies phenomena occurring at high energies including active galactic nuclei, supernovae, gamma-ray bursts, quasars, and shocks.
Interstellar astrophysics – study of the interstellar medium, intergalactic medium and dust.
Extragalactic astronomy – study of objects (mainly galaxies) outside our Galaxy, including galaxy formation and evolution.
Stellar astronomy – concerned with Star formation, physical properties, main sequence life span, variability, stellar evolution and extinction.
Plasma astrophysics – studies properties of plasma in outer space.
Relativistic astrophysics – studies effects of special relativity and general relativity in astrophysical contexts including gravitational waves, gravitational lensing and black holes.
Solar physics – Sun and its interaction with the remainder of the Solar System and interstellar space.
Planetary Science – study of planets, moons, and planetary systems.
Atmospheric science – study of atmospheres and weather.
Exoplanetology – various planets outside of the Solar System
Planetary formation – formation of planets and moons in the context of the formation and evolution of the Solar System.
Planetary rings – dynamics, stability, and composition of planetary rings
Magnetospheres – magnetic fields of planets and moons
Planetary surfaces – surface geology of planets and moons
Planetary interiors – interior composition of planets and moons
Small Solar System bodies – smallest bodies, including asteroids, comets, Kuiper belt objects, and dust.
Astronomy divided by general technique used for astronomical research:
Astrometry – study of the position of objects in the sky and their changes of position. Defines the system of coordinates used and the kinematics of objects in our Galaxy.
Observational astronomy – practice of observing celestial objects by using telescopes and other astronomical apparatus. It is concerned with recording data. The subdisciplines of observational astronomy are generally made by the specifications of the detectors, specifically the ranges of wavelengths observed:
Radio astronomy – Above 300 μm
Submillimetre astronomy – 200 μm to 1 mm
Infrared astronomy – 0.7–350 μm
Optical astronomy – 380–750 nm
Ultraviolet astronomy – 10–320 nm
X-ray astronomy – 0.01–10 nm
Gamma-ray astronomy – Below 0.01 nm
Cosmic ray astronomy – Cosmic rays, including plasma
Neutrino astronomy – Neutrinos
Dust astronomy – Cosmic dust
Gravitational wave astronomy – Gravitons
Photometry – study of how bright celestial objects are when passed through different filters
Spectroscopy – study of the spectra of astronomical objects
Other disciplines that may be considered part of astronomy:
Archaeoastronomy
Astrochemistry

History

Basic astronomical phenomena

Astronomical objects
Astronomical object

Solar System

Solar System
Geology of solar terrestrial planets
List of Solar System objects
List of Solar System objects by size
Galilean satellites
Halley's Comet

Sun

Planets

Small Solar System bodies

Exoplanets
Exoplanet (also known as extrasolar planets) – planet outside the Solar System. A total of 4,341 such planets have been identified as of 28 Jan 2021.
Super-Earth – exoplanet with a mass higher than Earth's, but substantially below those of the Solar System's ice giants.
Mini-Neptune – also known as a gas dwarf or transitional planet. A planet up to 10 Earth masses, but less massive than Uranus and Neptune.
Super-Jupiter – an exoplanet more massive than Jupiter.
Sub-Earth – an exoplanet "substantially less massive" than Earth and Venus.
Circumbinary planet – an exoplanet that orbits two stars.
Hot Jupiter – an exoplanet whose characteristics are similar to Jupiter, but that have high surface temperatures because they orbit very close to their parent stars, whereas Jupiter orbits its parent star (the Sun) at 5.2 AU (780×106 km), causing low surface temperatures.
Hot Neptune – an exoplanet in an orbit close to its star (normally less than one astronomical unit away), with a mass similar to that of Uranus or Neptune.
Pulsar planet – a planet that orbits a pulsar or a rapidly rotating neutron star.
Rogue planet (also known as an interstellar planet) – a planetary-mass object that orbits the galaxy directly.

Stars and stellar objects

Compact object
Fixed stars

Stars

Variable stars

Supernovae

Black holes

Constellations
Constellation
Constellation family

The 88 modern constellations

Constellation history

The 48 constellations listed by Ptolemy after 150 AD

The 41 additional constellations added in the 16th and 17th centuries

Obsolete constellations including Ptolemy's Argo Navis

Clusters and nebulae

Galaxies
Galaxy
Andromeda Galaxy
Magellanic Clouds
Quasar

Cosmology

Space exploration
See: Outline of space exploration

Organizations

Public sector space agencies
Space agencies

Africa

North Africa
Algerian Space Agency
National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences
Egypt Remote Sensing Center
Royal Centre for Remote Sensing
National Remote Sensing Center

Sub-Saharan
National Space Research and Development Agency
South African National Space Agency

North America
Agencia Espacial Mexicana
Canadian Space Agency
NASA
United States Department of Defense
National Reconnaissance Office
United States Army Space and Missile Defense Command
United States Space Command
United States Space Force

South America
Agencia Bolivariana para Actividades Espaciales
Brazilian Space Agency
Brazilian General Command for Aerospace Technology
Colombian Space Commission
Comisión Nacional de Actividades Espaciales
Comisión Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo Aeroespacial
Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica
Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas
National Institute for Space Research

Asia

East Asia
China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology
China Academy of Space Technology
China Chang Feng
China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation
Commission for Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense)
China National Space Administration
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Institute of Space and Astronautical Science
National Aerospace Laboratory of Japan
National Space Development Agency of Japan)
National Institute of Information and Communications Technology
Institute for Unmanned Space Experiment Free Flyer
National Remote Sensing Center
Korean Committee of Space Technology
Korea Aerospace Research Institute
National Space Organization

Southeast Asia
National Institute of Aeronautics and Space
Malaysian Space Agency
Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration
Thai Ministry of Science and Technology's Space Agency
Space Technology Institute
Vietnam Space Commission

South Asia
Space Research and Remote Sensing Organization
Department of Space
Antrix Corporation
Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology
Indian Space Research Organisation
National Atmospheric Research Laboratory
New Space India Limited
North-Eastern Space Applications Centre
Physical Research Laboratory
Semi-Conductor Laboratory
Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission

Southwest Asia
Azerbaijan National Aerospace Agency1
Iran Aviation Industries Organization
Iranian Space Agency
Israel Space Agency
National Committee for Space Research
TÜBİTAK UZAY

Central Asia
KazCosmos
Kazakh Space Research Institute1
Turkmenistan National Space Agency1
Uzcosmos

Europe
Austrian Space Agency
Belarus Space Agency1
Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy
Bulgarian Space Agency
Czech Space Office
Danish National Space Center
esa European Cooperation for Space Standardization
European Space Agency
EUMETSAT
European Union Satellite Centre
CNES
German Aerospace Center
Institute for Space Applications and Remote Sensing
Hungarian Space Office
Space Ireland
Italian Space Agency
Space Science and Technology Institute1
Luxinnovation
Netherlands Institute for Space Research
Norwegian Space Centre
Space Research Centre
Portuguese Space Company
Romanian Space Agency
Russian Federal Space Agency1
Russian Space Research Institute1
Russian Space Forces
Soviet space program
Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial
Swedish National Space Board
Swiss Space Office
UK Space Agency
State Space Agency of Ukraine1

Oceania
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation

World
Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization
Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems
Committee on Space Research
International Academy of Astronautics
International Telecommunications Satellite Organization
Intercosmos
Intersputnik
Pan-Arab Space Agency
United Nations
United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space
United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs

1 Preceded by the Soviet space program

Books and publications

Astronomers

Outline of astronomy

Related images