how much does a phd in astronomy cost

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Graduate Program

Astronomy Department graduate students (September 2022)

The Department of Astronomy offers a rich and varied program in theoretical, observational and experimental graduate work leading to the PhD in Astronomy and Astrophysics. Students are not accepted for a separate master's degree program. Research is carried out at the  Harvard College Observatory , which shares buildings and general facilities with the  Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory . Together the two observatories constitute the  Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics —a large and diverse research setting which provides opportunities in nearly every branch of astrophysical work, from atomic physics to cosmology, using the full range of techniques from gamma ray detectors through radio antennas. Follow these links to learn more about  facilities  and  research areas .

Over 360 PhD scientists are engaged in work at the Center for Astrophysics (CfA), providing students with an unusually wide choice of thesis topics and stimulating opportunities for both formal and informal learning through courses and seminars. Graduate students at Harvard benefit from this diverse environment, have access to extensive facilities, and pursue their work in a supportive and stimulating setting.  We hold ourselves accountable to fostering a respectful and inclusive work environment for all students, as outlined in our Graduate Student Community Values.

The program of graduate study is designed to make Harvard PhD students first-rate researchers with a broad knowledge of astrophysics and competence in teaching. To do this, we have constructed an advising program and a set of requirements to help students develop their astrophysical understanding, and to carry through a successful thesis in a timely way.

The  Director of Graduate Studies and the Committee on Academic Studies  are in charge of the graduate program.

See pictures from the grad student Astro 214 class trip to Arizona to learn how to use the Whipple Observatory.

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Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics

Phd program in astronomy and astrophysics.

Our faculty have been at the forefront of astronomy for over a century, shaping its course since the founding of our department by George Ellery Hale in 1892. Hale pioneered the big glass in telescopes that ushered in a new age in astronomy; Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar defined the agenda of theoretical astrophysics for fifty years; Eugene Parker revolutionized our view of the sun and the role of magnetic fields in the cosmos; and David Schramm brought together particle physics and cosmology.  Our students have been just as influential.  Edwin Hubble solved the puzzle of the nebulae and discovered the expansion of the Universe; Nancy Grace Roman made the Hubble Space Telescope a reality; Carl Sagan advanced our understanding of the solar system and how to share the excitement of what we do with the public; and Jeremiah P. Ostriker’s manifold contributions have made him the leading theorist of his generation.

Today graduate students in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics have multiple opportunities to engage with our pre-eminent faculty and their research groups on short- or long-term projects to complete pre-candidacy requirements and doctoral theses. Research fields span a wide range, with close integration between theory and experiment, and are enhanced by our connections to the Enrico Fermi Institute , the Departments of Physics and the  Geophysical Sciences , and the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics at the University of Chicago. We have strong partnerships with premiere facilities including  Argonne National Laboratory and  Fermilab , and we are a founding member of the 25-meter  Giant Magellan Telescope , the world's largest optical telescope now under construction in the Chilean Andes. 

The PhD in Astrophysics is a year-round, full-time doctoral program on the academic quarter system, which encourages students to explore a range of courses, engage with more faculty, and challenge themselves in a fast-paced and academically rigorous environment. 

Summary of Requirements

• full-time scholastic residence of at least 300 units of coursework per quarter, including summer
• completion of required core graduate courses
• completion of one to three pre-candidacy research projects
• successful completion of a two-part candidacy exam
• completion of the teaching practicum
• identification of a thesis advisor
• formation of a thesis committee
• thesis research and preparation
• final examination

Each admitted student is assigned a mentor who will help the student navigate graduate school by guiding them to achieve academic and professional goals and supporting their well-being and personal development. The mentor can guide students in course selection, assist in navigating difficult situations when they arise, provide coaching when preparing for oral exams, and counsel regarding postdoc placement or other career options. 

Financial Support

Graduate students in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics receive full financial support from a combination of University and departmental fellowships, teaching assistantships, and research assistantships. Students are also encouraged to seek out external fellowships, as these provide students with both financial support and the flexibility to focus on research goals of individual interest. A two-quarter practicum as a teaching assistant is required of all graduate students, typically in the first year of study. Teaching assignments include instructing lab sections for non-science majors, and collaborative teaching with the faculty instructor of lecture courses in the Major in Astrophysics program.

Students with questions may contact

• Fausto Cattaneo (Deputy Chair for Academic Affairs),
• Laticia Rebeles (Graduate Student Affairs Administrator),
• Bahareh Lampert (Dean of Students in the Physical Sciences Division),
• Amanda Young (Associate Director, Graduate Student Affairs) in UChicagoGRAD.

Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics

A virtual tour of the University of Chicago Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics

Related Links

• Online Application
• Information for International Students
• Graduate Course Catalog
• For Current Students

PhD in Astronomy

The PhD program in Astronomy prepares students to engage in research at the forefront of their field and to begin a position in academia or research. The program mainly consists of courses in astronomy and original research conducted under the guidance of a faculty advisor.

Students normally enter this program with an undergraduate degree in astronomy, physics, or another physical science. During the first academic year, students generally concentrate on coursework ; a research area is usually chosen during the first or second year. Research , the most important part of the graduate program, occupies much of the student’s time after the first year. Students must pass a qualifying examination by the end of their third academic year. The purpose of this examination, based mostly on a directed research project, is to ensure that the student has the preparation and the ability to conduct the original research required for the PhD dissertation. Students submit a dissertation prospectus under the guidance of a faculty advisory committee and continue performing original research.  Once they have written their dissertation , students undergo a dissertation defense .  

Degree Learning Outcomes

• Demonstrate graduate-level knowledge of astronomy and physics, including the following topics: fundamental physics and astrophysics; gravitation, electromagnetism, and quantum mechanics appropriate to astronomy; and the dynamical behavior of space and astrophysical plasmas.
• Demonstrate graduate-level knowledge of observational techniques used to study astronomical and space phenomena.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the forefront of the field through PhD-level research.
• Ability to communicate astronomical information orally (or signed) to a graduate- and faculty-level audience.
• Ability to communicate astronomical information in written form.
• Demonstrate critical thinking about astronomical topics as well as other technical and general scientific topics.
• Perform original scientific research at a high level.
• Publish original research in a dissertation and (typically peer-reviewed) journals.
• Appropriately use and acknowledge work of others.
• Disseminate and handle data and other research products in an appropriate manner.

Program Requirements

The Graduate School of Arts & Sciences Bulletin outlines the requirements for the PhD in Astronomy, including:

• 64 credits of Coursework (including directed and independent research credits) at the 700-level or above
• Seminar series participation
• Qualifying Examination
• Dissertation and Final Oral Examination
• Satisfactory Academic Progress for PhD degree

Graduate Student Funding

The Graduate School of Arts & Science guarantees five years of full funding for PhD students who maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress . Graduate students are supported through University Fellowships, Teaching Fellowships, and/or Research Fellowships. The normal pathway is for students to receive Teaching or University Fellowships during their first year or two and to be supported with Research Fellowships after that, while working closely with individual faculty members on research.

Funding beyond five years is generally provided (but not guaranteed) to students who are working productively toward the PhD degree. Visit GRS Financial Aid – Aid for PhD Students for more information.

PhD Profile

A profile of the BU Astronomy PhD program is available , as coordinated through Boston University’s Office of Graduate Affairs.

Additional Program Details

Academic progress timeline, year 1 —, by end of first year.

• Completion of AS 701, AS 703, and AS720
• Completion of up to 2 of the additional courses numbered AS 704-749 offered that year

YEAR 2 —

No later than end of second year.

• Completion of the remaining 2 courses numbered AS 705-749

YEAR 3 —

No later than end of third year.

• Completion of 4 credits for the astronomy seminar courses: GRS AS 850, 851, 865, or 866

YEAR 4 —

No later than end of first semester of the fourth year.

• Passing grade on the Oral Qualifying Examination

No Later than End of Fourth Year

• Selection of the members of the student’s PhD Dissertation Steering Committee , including the First and Second Readers of the dissertation
• Interim Progress Report submitted to the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) by the end of the Spring semester, to be prepared in consultation with, and approved by the members of the PhD Dissertation Steering Committee.

YEAR 5 —

No later than end of fifth year.

• Interim Progress Report submitted to the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) by the end of the Spring semester, to be prepared in consultation with, and approved by the members of the PhD Committee.

YEAR 6 —

No later than the end of sixth year.

• Dissertation Prospectus submitted to the DGS and GRS no later than 6 months before the Final Oral Exam. Review the Graduate School’s PhD Graduation Checklists for year-specific deadlines.

YEAR 7 —

No later than the end of seventh year.

• Coursework: complete all required courses.

***Registration Requirement*** : A student must be registered in the preceding semester and in the semester during which the degree requirements are completed.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

The Graduate School of Arts & Sciences requires graduate students to maintain Good Academic Standing in order to remain enrolled in their graduate program and/or to retain GRS scholarship and/or fellowship support. The GRS criteria for Good Academic Standing are as follows:

• Have no more than two failing or W grades.
• Meet all milestones of the degree, such as comprehensive exams, qualifying exams, and dissertation prospectus, on the schedule specified by the program.
• Meet all milestones of the degree with sufficient quality of work as specified by the program.
• Satisfactorily fulfill all service fellowship obligations, as specified by the program.

Graduate Advising

“A student in a Graduate School of Arts & Sciences (GRS) PhD degree program is required to have an advisor who is a member of the faculty in the student’s department or program. If an advisor is not assigned in advance of registration, the student should consult the Department Chair/Program Director or Director of Graduate Studies about assignment procedures. The First Reader of the candidate’s dissertation committee will normally be the student’s advisor once he/she has begun the dissertation stage of their degree.” — GRS Bulletin

Academic Advisors

An Astronomy graduate student traditionally has two faculty advisors: the Director of Graduate Studies and a research advisor. The Director of Graduate Studies serves as the academic advisor for all students in the program; a student’s research supervisor serves as their advisor for research activities and dissertation work.

Department Program Petition

Students seeking approval of changes to Astronomy Department rules and procedures related to the PhD program should complete the Department of Astronomy General Petition for Changes in Graduate Studies to request such changes (*). The completed petition form is reviewed by the student’s Faculty Advisor as well as the Director of Graduate Studies.

*Note: Requirements for petitioning changes to Graduate School rules can be found on the GRS Bulletin Policies website , and are not covered by the Astronomy Department petition form.

Qualifying Exam

Dissertation

PhD Degree Requirements - Graduate Bulletin

Assistant Professor; Director of Graduate Admissions

• Doctor of Philosophy in Astronomy (PhD)
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Canadian Immigration Updates

Applicants to Master’s and Doctoral degrees are not affected by the recently announced cap on study permits. Review more details

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UBC research in astronomy and astrophysics covers most areas of current interest in this broad field, including a wide range of theoretical and observational studies in astronomy, and also experimental and theoretical studies in cosmology. Research at optical wavelengths includes searches and orbital determination for asteroids and comets, photometric studies of stellar populations, particularly globular clusters, studies of distant galaxies and active galactic nuclei, and time-resolved spectroscopy of variable stars and active binary star systems. Studies at microwave and radio frequencies include research on variable radio sources, searches for pulsars, the early stages of star formation, relativistic jets, and balloon-borne measurements of the cosmic microwave background radiation. A variety of theoretical work complements this research, with topics that range from planetary dynamics and the structure of neutron stars, to theoretical studies of structure formation in the early universe. Development of astronomical instrumentation is also supported.

For specific program requirements, please refer to the departmental program website

What makes the program unique?

The Department of Physics & Astronomy at UBC is noted for the excellence of its research and its high academic standards and integrity. With approximately 100 regular faculty members, adjuncts, research staff and post-doctoral fellows, and almost 200 graduate students, we are one of the largest departments, and can offer a wide range of pure and applied research opportunities for students. Each year, our faculty bring over $20 million in research grants. This enables us to maintain world-class research laboratories and computational facilities, attract distinguished post-doctorate researchers, and support highly skilled engineers and technicians whose expertise is critical to our research.

What puts UBC above other institutions is both the amazing area, and the people. As a graduate student, you want to be able to gain as much experience in various areas as possible, and UBC is perfectly suited for just that.

Raelyn Sullivan

Program Structure

The Ph.D. in Astronomy requires a thesis and 12 credits of coursework, all at the 500 level. Courses taken for an M.Sc. or M.A.Sc. degree may be counted towards this, but students entering the program with a masters degree are required to take additional 6 credits of 500-level courses in the Ph.D. program. The course selection is determined in consultation with the student's supervisory committee. Students entering the Ph.D. program must have the equivalent of the required courses for the M.Sc. program, or will be required to take those courses during the program.

Quick Facts

Program enquiries, admission information & requirements, program instructions.

We have high admission standards, and cannot admit all qualified applicants. But we do offer full financial support to all students whom we accept.

1) Check Eligibility

Minimum academic requirements.

The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies establishes the minimum admission requirements common to all applicants, usually a minimum overall average in the B+ range (76% at UBC). The graduate program that you are applying to may have additional requirements. Please review the specific requirements for applicants with credentials from institutions in:

• Canada or the United States
• International countries other than the United States

Each program may set higher academic minimum requirements. Please review the program website carefully to understand the program requirements. Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission as it is a competitive process.

English Language Test

Applicants from a university outside Canada in which English is not the primary language of instruction must provide results of an English language proficiency examination as part of their application. Tests must have been taken within the last 24 months at the time of submission of your application.

Minimum requirements for the two most common English language proficiency tests to apply to this program are listed below:

TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language - internet-based

Overall score requirement : 90

IELTS: International English Language Testing System

Overall score requirement : 6.5

Other Test Scores

Some programs require additional test scores such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Graduate Management Test (GMAT). The requirements for this program are:

The GRE is not required.

Prior degree, course and other requirements

Prior degree requirements.

Students are normally admitted to the Ph.D. program after obtaining an M.Sc. and meeting the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies admission requirements. Alternatively, well-qualified students admitted to the M.Sc. program may transfer to the Ph.D. program after a year's residence at UBC, if they have at least 12 credits in M.Sc. coursework with an overall average of at least 85%, clear evidence of research ability, approval of the dissertation supervisor, and meet all other Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies requirements.

2) Meet Deadlines

3) prepare application, transcripts.

All applicants have to submit transcripts from all past post-secondary study. Document submission requirements depend on whether your institution of study is within Canada or outside of Canada.

Letters of Reference

A minimum of three references are required for application to graduate programs at UBC. References should be requested from individuals who are prepared to provide a report on your academic ability and qualifications.

Statement of Interest

Many programs require a statement of interest , sometimes called a "statement of intent", "description of research interests" or something similar.

Supervision

Students in research-based programs usually require a faculty member to function as their thesis supervisor. Please follow the instructions provided by each program whether applicants should contact faculty members.

Instructions regarding thesis supervisor contact for Doctor of Philosophy in Astronomy (PhD)

Please contact potential PhD adviser in the fall before you have submitted your application. If you have not yet secured a commitment by the time you submit your application, you can send friendly reminders to your potential advisers, alerting them that your complete application including recommendations is now available, and asking them to take a look.

Citizenship Verification

Permanent Residents of Canada must provide a clear photocopy of both sides of the Permanent Resident card.

4) Apply Online

All applicants must complete an online application form and pay the application fee to be considered for admission to UBC.

Tuition & Financial Support

Financial support.

Applicants to UBC have access to a variety of funding options, including merit-based (i.e. based on your academic performance) and need-based (i.e. based on your financial situation) opportunities.

Program Funding Packages

From September 2024 all full-time students in UBC-Vancouver PhD programs will be provided with a funding package of at least $24,000 for each of the first four years of their PhD. The funding package may consist of any combination of internal or external awards, teaching-related work, research assistantships, and graduate academic assistantships. Please note that many graduate programs provide funding packages that are substantially greater than $24,000 per year. Please check with your prospective graduate program for specific details of the funding provided to its PhD students.

Average Funding

• 7 students received Teaching Assistantships. Average TA funding based on 7 students was $10,197.
• 9 students received Research Assistantships. Average RA funding based on 9 students was $11,284.
• 1 student received Academic Assistantships valued at $1,464.
• 9 students received internal awards. Average internal award funding based on 9 students was $14,642.
• 1 student received external awards valued at $21,000.

Scholarships & awards (merit-based funding)

All applicants are encouraged to review the awards listing to identify potential opportunities to fund their graduate education. The database lists merit-based scholarships and awards and allows for filtering by various criteria, such as domestic vs. international or degree level.

Graduate Research Assistantships (GRA)

Many professors are able to provide Research Assistantships (GRA) from their research grants to support full-time graduate students studying under their supervision. The duties constitute part of the student's graduate degree requirements. A Graduate Research Assistantship is considered a form of fellowship for a period of graduate study and is therefore not covered by a collective agreement. Stipends vary widely, and are dependent on the field of study and the type of research grant from which the assistantship is being funded.

Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTA)

Graduate programs may have Teaching Assistantships available for registered full-time graduate students. Full teaching assistantships involve 12 hours work per week in preparation, lecturing, or laboratory instruction although many graduate programs offer partial TA appointments at less than 12 hours per week. Teaching assistantship rates are set by collective bargaining between the University and the Teaching Assistants' Union .

Graduate Academic Assistantships (GAA)

Academic Assistantships are employment opportunities to perform work that is relevant to the university or to an individual faculty member, but not to support the student’s graduate research and thesis. Wages are considered regular earnings and when paid monthly, include vacation pay.

Financial aid (need-based funding)

Canadian and US applicants may qualify for governmental loans to finance their studies. Please review eligibility and types of loans .

All students may be able to access private sector or bank loans.

Foreign government scholarships

Many foreign governments provide support to their citizens in pursuing education abroad. International applicants should check the various governmental resources in their home country, such as the Department of Education, for available scholarships.

Working while studying

The possibility to pursue work to supplement income may depend on the demands the program has on students. It should be carefully weighed if work leads to prolonged program durations or whether work placements can be meaningfully embedded into a program.

International students enrolled as full-time students with a valid study permit can work on campus for unlimited hours and work off-campus for no more than 20 hours a week.

A good starting point to explore student jobs is the UBC Work Learn program or a Co-Op placement .

Tax credits and RRSP withdrawals

Students with taxable income in Canada may be able to claim federal or provincial tax credits.

Canadian residents with RRSP accounts may be able to use the Lifelong Learning Plan (LLP) which allows students to withdraw amounts from their registered retirement savings plan (RRSPs) to finance full-time training or education for themselves or their partner.

Please review Filing taxes in Canada on the student services website for more information.

Cost Estimator

Applicants have access to the cost estimator to develop a financial plan that takes into account various income sources and expenses.

Career Outcomes

18 students graduated between 2005 and 2013. Of these, career information was obtained for 15 alumni (based on research conducted between Feb-May 2016):

Sample Employers in Higher Education

Sample employers outside higher education, sample job titles outside higher education, phd career outcome survey, enrolment, duration & other stats.

These statistics show data for the Doctor of Philosophy in Astronomy (PhD). Data are separated for each degree program combination. You may view data for other degree options in the respective program profile.

ENROLMENT DATA

Completion rates & times.

• Research Supervisors

Advice and insights from UBC Faculty on reaching out to supervisors

These videos contain some general advice from faculty across UBC on finding and reaching out to a supervisor. They are not program specific.

This list shows faculty members with full supervisory privileges who are affiliated with this program. It is not a comprehensive list of all potential supervisors as faculty from other programs or faculty members without full supervisory privileges can request approvals to supervise graduate students in this program.

• Boley, Aaron (Astronomy and Astrophysics; Planet formation, protoplanetary disk evolution, formation of meteorite parent bodies)
• Gladman, Brett (Astronomy, Planetary Science, meteorites, astrobiology, Solar system formation and evolution)
• Halpern, Mark (Cosmology, Cosmic background radiation, history of star formation, measuring the geometry and contents of the Universe, satellites, balloon-borne telescopes, the physics of music, Physics of music, Cosmic Microwave Background, Physical Cosmology, Star formation history)
• Heyl, Jeremy (Astronomical and space sciences; Physical sciences; Astrophysics; Black Holes; Neutron Stars; quantum phenomena; Quantum-Field Theory; Stellar; Stellar Physics)
• Hickson, Paul (cosmology, galaxies, telescopes, adaptive optics., Astronomy, astrophysics, Galaxies, clusters, instrumentation, adaptive optics)
• Hinshaw, Gary (cosmology, cosmic background radiation, Cosmology, Measuring diffuse background radiations)
• Man, Allison (Cosmology and extragalactic astronomy; galaxy formation and evolution)
• McIver, Jess (General relativity and gravitational waves in astronomical and space sciences; Gravitational wave astrophysics; Multi-messenger astronomy; Characterization of large-scale physics instrumentation; data science)
• Scott, Douglas (Astronomical and space sciences; Physical sciences; Cosmology; Science and Knowledge)
• Sigurdson, Kris (The Universe, Cosmology, Dark Matter, Dark Energy, Particle Physics, Astrophysics, Cosmic Microwave Background, Cosmic 21-cm Fluctuations, Radio Astronomy, CHIME )
• Stairs, Ingrid (pulsars, gravity, general relativity, radio astronomy, radio pulsars, pulsar searches and long-term timing, Radio astronomy)
• Van Waerbeke, Ludovic (astrophysics, cosmology, dark energy, universe, gravitational lensing, galaxy, galaxies, Cosmology, dark matter, galaxy formation, structure formation)

Doctoral Citations

Sample thesis submissions.

• Dynamics of transneptunian objects under the influence of a rogue planet
• Red giant stars as standard candles

Related Programs

Same specialization.

• Master of Science in Astronomy (MSc)

Same Academic Unit

• Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Physics (PhD)
• Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)
• Master of Applied Science in Engineering Physics (MASc)
• Master of Science in Medical Physics (MSc)
• Master of Science in Physics (MSc)

Further Information

Specialization, ubc calendar, program website, faculty overview, academic unit, program identifier, classification, social media channels, supervisor search.

Departments/Programs may update graduate degree program details through the Faculty & Staff portal. To update contact details for application inquiries, please use this form .

UBC engages in a very wide range of research and is home to several incredible facilities and world-renowned researchers, so I knew I'd find something that interested me.

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Department of Physics and Astronomy

Ph.D. in Astrophysics Requirements Guide

Course Requirements | Beyond the For-Credit Curriculum | The Qualifying Examination | The Ph.D. Dissertation

Course Requirements

The Graduate School requires a total of 72 hours of credit (formal coursework plus registered research hours) prior to receiving the Ph.D. Within these 72 credit hours, the Department of Physics and Astronomy requires 28 hours of formal coursework 1 including:

• Five core courses covering the foundations of astrophysics, as detailed below, totaling 16 credit hours
• Additional graduate-level courses to make a total of 12 credit hours in any subject relevant to the student’s overall program of graduate study and research
• A minimum of two semesters of Teaching Practicum (ASTR 8002) to be taken before the Qualifying Examination. This is a zero-credit course
• Four semesters of astrophysics seminars (ASTR 8003) to be taken before the Qualifying Examination. This is a zero-credit course

A student must earn a grade of B or higher in each course counted towards these 28 hours. A student must earn a satisfactory grade (“S”) in ASTR 8002 and 8003.

Core courses provide the basic foundation for research. There are three ways to satisfy each core course requirement:

• Take and pass the course with a grade of B or higher
• Take and pass an alternate written exam on the material covered by that particular course; or
• Transfer the credit from a similar approved course that was taken at a different institution

A student who receives a B- or lower grade in any core course has a second chance to meet the course requirement either by retaking the course a single time or by taking and passing the corresponding alternate written exam. Note that exceptionally well-prepared incoming students may take and pass one or more of the alternate written exams to place out of the corresponding core course(s). A failure to pass the exam before the respective course is taken is not going to count against the two chances to satisfy the course requirement. Students who, due to a repeated low course grade or failure on the alternate written exam, fail to satisfy any one of the core course requirements may be dropped from the Ph.D. program at the discretion of the GPC in astrophysics. Students who receive a B- or lower in more than one core course may also be dropped from the Ph.D. program at the discretion of the GPC in astrophysics.

Transfer Credit  

Students who have taken graduate courses elsewhere may petition the GPC in astrophysics to have those courses evaluated for transfer credit to avoid unnecessary duplication and speed up the student’s entry into research.

Astrophysics Core Course Requirements

  Students must complete these courses in the first two years of graduate study:

• ASTR 8010: Radiative Processes in Astrophysics
• ASTR 8030: Stellar Astrophysics
• ASTR 8040: Structure and Dynamics of Galaxies
• ASTR 8050: Structure Formation in the Universe
• ASTR 8001: Order of Magnitude Astrophysics

The first four of these are three-credit courses. Order of Magnitude Astrophysics is a single-credit class and must be taken every semester before the Qualifying Exam is passed. This adds up to 16 credit hours of astrophysics core courses.

Elective Courses

  The remaining 12 credit hours of formal coursework may be filled from any graduate-level courses that are appropriate for the student’s program. Examples are any 8000-level ASTR or PHYS courses. All elective credits taken must be approved by the student’s adviser or the GPC in astrophysics.

Teaching Experience

Teaching experience is an important component of graduate students’ education and their preparation for future careers. All students must take ASTR 8002: Teaching Practicum for a minimum of two semesters before the Qualifying Exam is passed. Typically, graduate students in astrophysics would teach for four to six semesters during their first few years of study. Teaching assistants are generally assigned about 15 hours per week of work for duties such as grading, leading lab sections, and meeting with students. Teaching assistants are not expected to be “instructors of record”, i.e., to have the responsibility for preparing an entire course, syllabus, lectures, course materials, etc. However, in exceptional circumstances, students in advanced standing may request this opportunity by petitioning the GPC.

Astrophysics Seminars

Attending colloquia, seminars, journal clubs, and other research-focused community events are a vital component of graduate education. All students must take ASTR 8003: astrophysics seminars four semesters before the Qualifying Exam is passed. To successfully complete this class, students must attend a minimum number of Physics Colloquia, Astronomy Journal Clubs, and Astronomy Lunches. Moreover, students must give a formal presentation in Astronomy Journal Club. These events are described in more detail in Beyond the For-Credit Curriculum section.

Research Hours  

In addition to taking formal courses, students in their first two years of study are expected to be making progress in research projects under the supervision of a research adviser. In consultation with their adviser, students should normally enroll in ASTR 8999: Non-candidate Research for as many credit hours as they need up to the maximum of 13 credit hours per semester.

After passing the Qualifying Examination, students should enroll in up to 13 credit hours of ASTR 9999: Dissertation Research each semester, until they have completed the 72 credit hours required by the Graduate School. After completing 72 credit hours, students should continue enrolling in ASTR 9999 each semester for zero credit hours.

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Beyond the For-Credit Curriculum

The training of Ph.D. candidates in astrophysics goes beyond formal coursework and the doctoral research project. The astrophysics program runs several informal activities that are aimed at giving students experience with giving professional talks and reading the scientific literature. All students are expected to attend these events regularly (required in the first two years as part of ASTR 8003). These events are:

• Journal Club: All graduate students in this program are expected to attend a weekly, one-hour journal club. At each Journal Club meeting, one or two students make a presentation, explaining a recently published paper in the astrophysical literature. Each student is expected to make at least one presentation at Journal Club each semester. In this forum, students gain experience in presenting research to an audience and receive feedback from faculty and their peers on their presentation.
• Astro Lunch: All graduate students in this program are expected to attend a weekly one-hour lunch meeting at which the group informally discusses recently published or submitted papers.
• Department Colloquium: The Department of Physics and Astronomy holds weekly, late afternoon colloquia during the academic year. All graduate students in this program are expected to attend all colloquia with an astrophysics orientation and at least a selection of other colloquia.
• National and International Meetings: All graduate students in this program are expected to attend national and/or international astrophysics conferences during their tenure as graduate students. Students are especially expected to attend conferences at which they will make research presentations.

The Qualifying Examination

To be awarded the Doctoral Degree in Astrophysics a student must write and defend a dissertation that presents the results of independent research. To progress to that point, each student must first pass the Qualifying Examination to become a doctoral candidate. According to the Graduate School Catalog , “the purpose of the Qualifying Examination is to test the student’s knowledge of the field of specialization, to assess familiarity with the published research in the field, and to determine whether the student possesses those critical and analytical skills needed for a scholarly career.”

In the astrophysics program, the Qualifying Examination requires each student to independently write and orally defend a research proposal. The topic is of the student’s choosing, and may be the same as her/his current research. The Qualifying Examination is administered by the student’s Ph.D. Committee and only the committee members and the student are present. Passing the Qualifying Examination marks the student’s formal entry into dissertation research under the supervision of her/his dissertation adviser and the Ph.D. Committee. 2 The Qualifying Exam should not be seen as a hurdle, but as an important part of one’s training to become an independent scientist.

Ph.D. Committee

The Ph.D. Committee administers the Qualifying Examination and subsequently monitors the student’s progress toward the completion of the dissertation. The committee comprises at least four members of the graduate faculty. To ensure consistency among Qualifying Examinations, at least one member of the committee should be a current or recent member of the GPC in astrophysics. In addition, by Graduate School rule, at least one member of the committee must be from outside the astrophysics program. This external committee member may be a member of the physics faculty at Vanderbilt, a faculty member from a different department at Vanderbilt, or it may be a faculty member or equivalent at another university or National Lab. One of the committee members serves as the committee chair. While this is often the student’s research adviser, this does not need to be the case. The composition of the committee is delivered to the DGS in astrophysics by the adviser in consultation with the student for certification of compliance with the above rules.

Preparing For The Qualifying Examination

The Qualifying Examination in the department is taken during the fourth semester (under exceptional circumstances, a student may petition the GPC to delay the Qualifying Exam until as late as the sixth semester 3 ). The Qualifying Examination is offered in just one annual cycle culminating in the oral examination by mid-May. By Graduate School rules, students taking the oral Qualifying Exam must have completed all requirements of the Graduate School for formal coursework (24 credit hours) at the actual time of the oral exam with a GPA of 3.0 or better in all courses taken for credit. However, in order for the student to advance to candidacy, a student must first complete all the course requirements for the astrophysics Ph.D. program.

The steps needed to prepare for the Qualifying Examination are:

• The student should get involved in research as soon as possible – certainly no later than the summer after the first year of study. To begin by summer, the student should interview potential faculty advisers no later than the spring of the first year to identify those with space to take on a summer research assistant. During the first two years of study, a student may explore research opportunities in several groups, but she/he must select a faculty Ph.D. adviser at least one semester before an anticipated Qualifying Exam date.
• The student and the adviser agree on the members of the Ph.D. Committee, including who will serve as chair of the committee. The student then contacts members of the committee to ascertain their willingness to serve. Once the composition of the Ph.D. Committee is decided and all the proposed committee members have agreed to serve, the adviser completes the Request to Appoint Committee form to the DGS for certification and notification of the Graduate School. The committee membership should be finalized and the form submitted by February 1.
• The student prepares a one-page abstract that outlines the proposal’s research topic, hypothesis, and specific aims. The student may discuss potential topics with her/his adviser, but the abstract itself must be the student’s completely independent work; there should be no editing of the abstract by anyone other than the student for any reason. This abstract should be submitted electronically (.pdf preferred) to the DGS in astrophysics. The exact due date will be set by the DGS, but will be approximately February 15.

The abstract will be reviewed by the GPC in astrophysics, focusing on the following questions:

• Is the research topic appropriate?
• Is the hypothesis well-formed and testable?
• Is the scope sufficiently focused (doable during a typical graduate career of three to four years)?

The GPC will provide the student with written feedback on the appropriateness of her/his proposal in approximately one week. The student will then revise the abstract and resubmit it to the DGS and to all members of the student’s Ph.D. Committee. The exact due date will be set by the DGS, but will be approximately March 1.

The student’s Ph.D. Committee will perform a similar review of the abstract and determine whether it provides an adequate basis for a full If so, the committee will provide additional written feedback and inform the student to begin preparing the full proposal. If not, the committee will provide written feedback and require the student to submit a revised abstract within two weeks.

After receiving permission to prepare the full proposal, the student should contact all committee members to set a date for the oral Qualifying Examination. The student is advised that getting a committee of four to five faculty persons to be available simultaneously in time and space is not a trivial task! During the annual exam cycle, the oral exam should be scheduled for the last two weeks of April or the first two weeks of May. Only in extraordinary circumstances should the exam be delayed beyond this point. Once a date is agreed upon, the adviser notifies the DGS and Graduate School no later than three weeks before the proposed date. Note that the Graduate School issues the notice of the examination at least two weeks in advance.

Regardless of when the oral Qualifying Examination is scheduled, the written proposal must be submitted to the DGS and the student’s Ph.D. Committee by a specific date. This date will be set by the DGS, typically April 1, and will be the same for all students taking the exam during a specific cycle. The written proposal must not exceed eight pages (single-spaced, 12-pt font). Within this space, the proposal should have four sections:

• Rationale or Background & Significance: This section provides background information and justification for the proposal. An important part of preparing the proposal is a thorough review of the current literature. This review should be concisely summarized here.
• Hypothesis: This short section (~one paragraph) should describe the specific hypothesis to be tested.
• Specific Aims or Research Objectives:  This section will largely follow the previously approved abstract, but the student can make changes as she/he more fully develops the proposal.
• Research Plan: This section should detail the experimental/theoretical plan to meet the specific aims. The student is advised to number the specific aims and use the same numbering scheme for subsections of the Research Plan. This section should describe the experimental/theoretical strategies and design, but it should not provide the sort of detailed Materials & Methods section one would find in a journal article. This section should sketch anticipated outcomes and some discussion of how the plan might be adjusted with different outcomes.

The student’s Ph.D. Committee will review and evaluate the written proposal. This evaluation will be completed at least two days before the scheduled oral examination. If the written proposal is deemed adequate, then the oral examination will proceed as scheduled; however, if the committee identifies serious deficiencies in the written proposal, then the oral exam will be postponed. If postponed, the scheduled exam time will be used for the committee to provide constructive criticism to the student on how she/he can address the identified deficiencies. The student will then have two weeks to submit a revised proposal and reschedule the oral examination as soon as possible.

During the oral Qualifying Examination, the student defends her/his research proposal. The exam is limited to a maximum of two hours. The student is allotted a maximum of 15 minutes to provide an overview of the proposal. This is a strict limit, so committee members are asked to restrict questions to points of clarification during the student’s presentation. The remainder of the two hours is reserved for the committee to ask questions in which the student should be prepared to discuss the general background of the proposal and its significance; to discuss relevant experimental approaches, including their theoretical bases and limitations; to outline anticipated results; and to interpret the meaning of these results. The student should be particularly prepared to discuss the interpretation of alternative results proposed by the committee. Although the primary focus of the questions will be on the research proposal, the committee may and likely will probe into the student’s core knowledge of astrophysics.

In contrast to the rules for the written proposal, students are strongly encouraged to prepare for the oral examination by gathering student peers for mock oral exams. Copies of the student’s prepared slides must be made available to the committee members at least one working day before the examination. By rule of the Graduate School, attendance at the Qualifying Examination is limited to only the Ph.D. Committee members and the student. The committee will decide within one day whether the student has passed the Qualifying Examination.

Within one week, the adviser will provide a written report to the student and to the GPC describing the student’s performance on the examination. Even if the student was judged to have passed the examination, the report should address any deficiencies in preparation that were evident during the examination. If the student was judged to have failed the examination, the report should note the serious deficiencies that caused this failure; the committee may also offer their judgment on whether retaking the examination would be in the best interest of the student. A second attempt at passing the Qualifying Examination may be made by the student within three months of the date of the failed examination. By Graduate School rule, only two attempts are allowed to pass the Qualifying Examination.

The Ph.D. Dissertation

After passing the Qualifying Examination, the student is officially admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D. He/she will develop a topical focus for the Ph.D. dissertation grounded in the subfield chosen for that examination. The dissertation topic should be an original research proposition that advances the frontiers of science in the field of specialization. While consultation with the adviser will be crucial to this process, it is to be emphasized that the proposal for the dissertation is the responsibility of the student. Within two semesters of passing the Qualifying Examination, the student will present a specific proposal to the Ph.D. Committee.

This proposal can be, and likely should be, based on the proposal that the student successfully defended during her/his Qualifying Examination. At this stage, the proposal should contain at the minimum a chapter-by-chapter outline of the dissertation, a report on the research already carried out, and a specific plan for completing the remainder. As a general rule, students should plan to complete the dissertation within three years of passing the Qualifying Examination, so that the dissertation can be submitted five to six years after entering the Graduate School. By Graduate School rule, all requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy must be completed within four years of passing the Qualifying Examination.

Annual Meetings of the Ph.D. Committee

After the dissertation topic is approved, the student will meet with the Ph.D. Committee at least annually to report on research completed to date, publications planned or in progress, and an estimate of the time, resources and analysis that are required to complete the dissertation project. The committee members may ask questions, critique the work presented by the student, or make suggestions about the project. The Chair of the Ph.D. Committee (usually the Ph.D. adviser) is responsible for preparing a brief written report of the meeting that will be sent to the candidate and to the DGS. This report may also be reviewed by the GPC as it monitors student progress.

Publication Requirements

The research in any dissertation project is expected to contribute measurably to scientific progress in the field of specialization; thus, publication in peer-reviewed journals is an essential component of the Ph.D. research program. While the venue, number, and timing of publications vary according to the subfield, students should expect to play a major role in a first paper no later than the end of the third year of graduate study. By the time the dissertation is completed, the student must present to the Ph.D. Committee at least one paper in which they played the primary role and that has been accepted in a peer-reviewed journal. Most students are expected to have more than one such paper published or accepted for publication at the time of the dissertation defense.

Completion of the Dissertation and the Ph.D. Defense

The Graduate School website gives essential information about the timing and format of the Ph.D. dissertation and the defense. According to Graduate School rules, the defense must take place no later than four years after the student passes the Qualifying Exam and advances to candidacy. Students may petition the Graduate School for an extension; however, financial support from the Graduate School is unlikely past the fourth year of candidacy. The defense is a public examination, and should be characterized by a spirited scientific debate on the strengths and weaknesses of the dissertation presented by the student. In addition, the Department of Physics and Astronomy stipulates the following:

• The Ph.D. adviser will inform the Dean of the Graduate School at least two weeks in advance of the date and place of the defense so that the event can be published in the Vanderbilt University electronic calendar. The department administrative staff will advertise the dissertation title, date, and place of the defense in order to promote attendance by faculty, research staff, and other students.
• The Ph.D. candidate must present a complete copy of the dissertation to the committee members at least two weeks before the defense. This is both a departmental and Graduate School requirement.
• At the defense, the candidate will present the critical points of the dissertation for no more than 45 minutes; during this presentation, questioning will be generally restricted to matters of clarification. After the presentation is finished, questioning by attendees other than the Ph.D. Committee will be permitted for about half an hour.
• After the public questioning is concluded, the Ph.D. Committee will continue the questioning of the candidate in executive session for up to an hour. The Ph.D. Committee will then caucus in private to evaluate the defense and decide the outcome.

The possible outcomes for the defense are:

• Pass conditional upon changes made to the dissertation recommended by members of the committee, or

In case two, the committee may grant discretion to the principal adviser to enforce that the recommended changes are made. The members may sign the paperwork certifying completion of a passing dissertation, but the adviser will submit the committee’s report to the Graduate School only after the changes made are satisfactory in the opinion of the adviser.

 Applying for Fellowships

There are several national fellowships and external awards that provide support for graduate students in their studies.

These fellowships come with many tangible benefits for students:

• they allow students to focus fully on research right from the start;
• they are prestigious and strengthen students’ CVs;
• they provide valuable experience in planning and writing grant proposals. Graduate students are expected to apply for one or more of these opportunities.

Some example programs are the NSF GRFP (deadline: late October), NASA JPFP (deadline: early February), NASA ASTAR (deadline: early May).

Important Milestones and Checklist

This is a list of all the important milestones that students reach while they are in the astrophysics Ph.D. program. All forms that are required may be downloaded from the Graduate School website .

1 The Graduate School requires only 24 credit hours of formal coursework. The departmental requirement is higher because of the number and breadth of core courses required to properly prepare for a career in astronomy. Additional coursework may be recommended by a student’s adviser. Return to text 2 Advancing to candidacy makes one eligible to register for dissertation research credit hours (ASTR 9999). Return to text 3 The Graduate School requirement is that the Qualifying Examination must be passed by the end of the eighth semester. Postponing it beyond this time does not allow for the completion of an acceptable dissertation project in the desired degree time frame of approximately five years. Return to text

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Applying to the PhD Program

Minimum requirements for admission.

Minimum admissions requirements are an earned 4-year baccalaureate or higher degree from an accredited college or university prior to beginning graduate studies, a minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA (4.0 scale) in all prior undergraduate and graduate-level work, and credentials documenting prerequisite academic work that gives evidence of your ability to pursue a graduate program in astrophysics.  For applications received in 2023 for admission in Autumn 2024, the GRE General is not required.

Since Fall 2018, the GRE subject test in Physics is optional. For applicants in 2023 for admission in Autumn 2024, the Physics GRE is not required. All students should include a paragraph in their statement of intent that outlines their undergraduate physics preparation. This could include a description of advanced physics classes taken, including textbooks used, and the grades earned in those courses.

English Proficiency

International applicants whose native language is not English are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Minimum English Proficiency Requirements are at least a 550 on the paper-based (213 on the computer-based) TOEFL, equivalent to a total score of 79 on the internet-based TOEFL (IBT); or (less common) 82 on the MELAB or 7.0 on the IELTS exams.

Applicants who are citizens of or who have received a bachelor's degree (or higher) from one of these English-speaking countries are exempt: Australia, Belize, the British Caribbean, British West Indies, Canada (except Quebec), England, Guyana, Ireland, Liberia, New Zealand, Scotland and Wales, and the United States. If you are in the process of getting a bachelor's degree from one of these countries, you may still receive email reminders about English language proficiency tests. You do not need to respond.  You will stop getting the emails once we receive documentation of your degree.

Online Application Materials

All application materials for the OSU Graduate School are available online at the Graduate Admissions Webpage.

Please be careful to apply under the correct category (Domestic or International).  

Time-Sensitive Limited Opportunity for Fee Waivers

The OSU Graduate School, as part of the Big Ten Academic Alliance, has a fee waiver program for students who bring qualities and experience that will enhance the diversity of graduate students at OSU. Applications for these waivers are made through the OSU Graduate School , not the Astronomy Department. They have their own internal deadline. More information about fee waivers is available from the OSU Graduate School and the Big Ten Academic Alliance . 

Deadlines for Autumn 2024 Admission

These deadlines are for receipt of applications for admission to the Astronomy graduate program starting in Autumn Semester 2024 :

Domestic Students: 2023 December 10  International Students: 2023 December 10

We strongly encourage applicants to get all materials (including reference letters) to OSU at least one week ahead of the nominal deadline.  Applications should be complete by the deadline in order to be considered for the University-wide fellowship competition. The only components of the application that are allowed to be submitted after the nominal deadline are the (optional) General and Physics GRE scores.  These exams should be taken prior to the deadline, and scores should be submitted to OSU as soon as they are available.  As long as the scores arrive before January 4, and as long as the rest of the application is complete by the deadline, the applicant will be considered for the fellowship competition. Those applying after the deadline may be considered for internal financial aid (TA or RA), but cannot be entered in the University fellowship competition.  Finally, applications that arrive after the deadline may or may not be considered.

All successful applicants who are not awarded University Fellowships will be offered financial support as Teaching Assistants or Research Assistants; we fully support all of our graduate students from entry through completion of their PhDs. If you are interested in our program but cannot get everything in by the deadline above, please contact the Astronomy Department Graduate Admissions chair .

Further Information

• Specific Advice on applying to the Astronomy Department
• OSU Graduate Admissions Frequently Asked Questions (look here first!)
• OSU Graduate Admissions Website
• Diversity in Graduate Studies
• Current Graduate Students in Astronomy
• Research Programs and Observing Facilities
• Recent First-Author Papers by Ohio State Astronomy Graduate Students

Please also feel free to send an e-mail to the current Graduate Admissions Chair .

Astrophysics PhD

The Department of Astronomy offers a graduate program aimed at the PhD degree in astrophysics. Entering students need not have majored in astronomy, although some background in astronomy is desirable. A strong background in physics, however, is essential.

Research is a major part of the PhD program, and the department offers opportunities in a wide variety of fields, including theoretical and observational astrophysics; infrared, optical, and radio astronomy; time-domain astronomy; high-energy astrophysics and cosmology; discovery and analysis of exoplanets; star formation and stellar evolution.

The department has established six years as the normative time to degree. Normative time is the elapsed calendar time in years that under normal circumstances will be needed to complete all requirements for the PhD, assuming a student who enters without deficiencies, who is engaged in full-time uninterrupted study, and who is making desirable progress toward the degree.

Contact Info

[email protected]

501 Campbell Hall #3411

Berkeley, CA 94720

At a Glance

Department(s)

Admit Term(s)

Application Deadline

December 4, 2023

Degree Type(s)

Doctoral / PhD

Degree Awarded

GRE Requirements

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The goal of the graduate program is to prepare capable and creative astronomers for careers in research and education. The granting of the Ph.D. degree indicates that the recipient has a mastery of the knowledge and techniques of modern astrophysics. A Ph.D. candidate is expected to be both knowledgeable of problems at the frontiers of astrophysical research and able to carry out independent forefront research in a specialized area. Candidates are required to gain experience as teaching assistants and are encouraged to work with a variety of faculty and research staff members during the first two years of study.

The Department of Astronomy offers the doctor of philosophy in astronomy. Although a master's degree is offered, students generally are not admitted for a terminal master's degree.

The department has a long-standing reputation as one of the finest graduate astronomy and astrophysics programs in the United States. The program provides each student with a broad knowledge of modern observational and theoretical astrophysics, while emphasizing the development of independent research skills. Beginning with the first year in the program, graduate students play an active role in the department's research programs and have access to all research facilities. As teaching assistants, they also acquire experience as astronomy educators.

The faculty are engaged in a broad range of observational and theoretical research. Topics of study include dynamical phenomena of massive stars; binary star evolution; dynamics of star clusters and star forming regions; compact objects; extrasolar planets; the interstellar and intergalactic medium; star formation; plasma astrophysics; computational fluid mechanics; magnetic fields; turbulence; the structure, kinematics, and stellar populations of nearby galaxies; active galactic nuclei; galactic winds and chemical evolution; galaxy clusters; galaxy formation and evolution; the star formation and black hole accretion history of the universe; and the development of innovative astronomical instrumentation. More information is available on the department website.

RESEARCH FACILITIES

Astronomical observations at UW–Madison trace their origin to the 15-inch refractor of Washburn Observatory, founded on the campus in 1878, and still open for public viewing. Wisconsin subsequently pioneered a multi-wavelength approach to astronomical observation. Faculty, research staff, and students are frequent observers on X-ray, ultraviolet, optical, infrared, radio, and submillimeter telescopes around the globe and in space. The department currently participates in the operation of a number of research-class observing facilities and is actively engaged in the development of cutting-edge instrumentation.

The university is a major partner in the WIYN telescope, an advanced technology 3.5m telescope at Kitt Peak, Arizona, optimized for wide-field imaging and spectroscopy, and in the 11m Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), the largest single aperture optical telescope in the Southern Hemisphere. The university is also a partner in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV, a massive spectroscopic survey of the distant Universe, nearby galaxies, and stars in the Milky Way. NOEMA, our newest telescope partner, is the most powerful millimeter radio telescope of the Northern Hemisphere and one of the most advanced facilities existing today for radio astronomy. The department is also actively involved in ASKAP and MEERKAT, precursor experiments for an array of radio telescopes one square kilometer in size.

The department has a long history of developing astronomical instrumentation for both ground and space-based facilities. Current efforts center on the development of a near-infrared spectrograph on SALT. UW–Madison scientists are also continuing to develop and operate an innovative and highly successful Star Tracker for sounding rocket and balloon-borne experiments. Technical support is provided by in-house electronics and machine shops.

The theory group uses a variety of facilities to support numerical modeling. The main workhorse comprises 24 dedicated nodes of the campus High Performance Computing (HPC) cluster, each containing 20 CPU cores and 128 GB of RAM, optimized for tightly coupled problems such as magnetohydrodynamical and N-body simulations. A number of smaller clusters within the Astronomy Department are used for development, analysis and three-dimensional visualization.

Please consult the table below for key information about this degree program’s admissions requirements. The program may have more detailed admissions requirements, which can be found below the table or on the program’s website.

Graduate admissions is a two-step process between academic programs and the Graduate School. Applicants must meet the minimum requirements of the Graduate School as well as the program(s). Once you have researched the graduate program(s) you are interested in, apply online .

To enter as a graduate student, an applicant must have undergraduate preparation that includes at least three years of college physics and mathematics through differential equations. Applicants are judged on the basis of previous academic record, letters of recommendation, personal statement, and research experience. Admission is competitive and is for the fall only.

Applicants for admission must submit the following via the Graduate School online application:

• Transcripts of all undergraduate work
• Statement on reasons for graduate study in astronomy
• Three letters of recommendation from people well acquainted with past academic work
• International students must submit scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS)

Financial support is provided through university fellowships (incoming graduate students only) or department assistantships. To compete for fellowships awarded by the university, students must submit all application materials via the online Graduate School Application by December 3.

Graduate School Resources

Resources to help you afford graduate study might include assistantships, fellowships, traineeships, and financial aid.  Further funding information is available from the Graduate School. Be sure to check with your program for individual policies and restrictions related to funding.

Program Resources

Financial support for phd students in astronomy.

University fellowships or departmental assistantships are offered, contingent on satisfactory progress. The length of guaranteed student support is four continuous years for those with no prior graduate work. Three continuous years of funding are guaranteed for those with one year or more of prior graduate work. It is almost always the case that students remain fully funded through their thesis defense.  

Teaching Assistants (TA) assist faculty members in the introductory Astronomy courses, generally by teaching discussion and laboratory sections. A graduate student is required to TA at least one semester. Research Assistants (RA) work with a major professor on a mutually agreed research program.

Tuition is remitted for TA and RA appointments.  However, all students must still pay university segregated fees and any additional university fees.

Minimum Graduate School Requirements

Major requirements.

Review the Graduate School minimum academic progress and degree requirements , in addition to the program requirements listed below.

MODE OF INSTRUCTION

Mode of instruction definitions.

Accelerated: Accelerated programs are offered at a fast pace that condenses the time to completion. Students typically take enough credits aimed at completing the program in a year or two.

Evening/Weekend: ​Courses meet on the UW–Madison campus only in evenings and/or on weekends to accommodate typical business schedules.  Students have the advantages of face-to-face courses with the flexibility to keep work and other life commitments.

Face-to-Face: Courses typically meet during weekdays on the UW-Madison Campus.

Hybrid: These programs combine face-to-face and online learning formats.  Contact the program for more specific information.

Online: These programs are offered 100% online.  Some programs may require an on-campus orientation or residency experience, but the courses will be facilitated in an online format.

CURRICULAR REQUIREMENTS

Required courses .

Barring course conflicts, students are expected to take this course every semester during their first two years for 1 credit each semester. Once students reach dissertator status, they no longer register for this course.

Beyond the other required courses listed, students typically take ASTRON 990 Research and Thesis credits to reach the total minimum credit requirement.

Graduate School Policies

The  Graduate School’s Academic Policies and Procedures  provide essential information regarding general university policies. Program authority to set degree policies beyond the minimum required by the Graduate School lies with the degree program faculty. Policies set by the academic degree program can be found below.

Major-Specific Policies

Prior coursework, graduate work from other institutions.

This program follows the Graduate School's policy for Satisfying Requirements with Prior Graduate Coursework from Other Institutions.

UW–Madison Undergraduate

Up to 7 credits numbered 700 or above from a UW–Madison undergraduate degree are allow to count toward the degree.

UW–Madison University Special

With program approval, students are allowed to count no more than 15 credits of coursework numbered 400 or above taken as a UW–Madison Special student. Coursework earned ten years or more prior to admission to a doctoral degree is not allowed to satisfy requirements.

A grade of C or lower in a core course will result in the student being placed on academic probation. This is removed after the next grade of B or better in a core course. Grades of C or lower in two or more core courses will result in dismissal.

A semester GPA below 3.0 will result in the student being placed on academic probation. This will be removed if the student attains a GPA of 3.0 or above in the subsequent semester.

ADVISOR / COMMITTEE

All students will be assigned a mentoring committee consisting of the student's advisor and two other faculty members. Students are strongly encouraged (but not required) to meet with their mentoring committees twice a year in the first two years and annually thereafter.

CREDITS PER TERM ALLOWED

Time limits.

A candidate for a doctoral degree who fails to take the final oral examination and deposit the dissertation within five years after passing the preliminary examination may be required to take another preliminary examination and to be admitted to candidacy a second time.

Grievances and Appeals

These resources may be helpful in addressing your concerns:

• Bias or Hate Reporting  
• Graduate Assistantship Policies and Procedures
• Office of the Provost for Faculty and Staff Affairs
• Dean of Students Office (for all students to seek grievance assistance and support)
• Employee Assistance (for personal counseling and workplace consultation around communication and conflict involving graduate assistants and other employees, post-doctoral students, faculty and staff)
• Employee Disability Resource Office (for qualified employees or applicants with disabilities to have equal employment opportunities)
• Graduate School (for informal advice at any level of review and for official appeals of program/departmental or school/college grievance decisions)
• Office of Compliance (for class harassment and discrimination, including sexual harassment and sexual violence)
• Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards (for conflicts involving students)
• Ombuds Office for Faculty and Staff (for employed graduate students and post-docs, as well as faculty and staff)
• Title IX (for concerns about discrimination)

Students should contact the department chair or program director with questions about grievances. They may also contact the L&S Academic Divisional Associate Deans, the L&S Associate Dean for Teaching and Learning Administration, or the L&S Director of Human Resources.

University fellowships or departmental assistantships are offered, contingent on satisfactory progress. The length of guaranteed student support is four continuous years for those with no prior graduate work. Three continuous years of funding are guaranteed for those with one year or more of prior graduate work. It is almost always the case that students remain fully funded through their thesis defense. 

Take advantage of the Graduate School's  professional development resources to build skills, thrive academically, and launch your career. 

The goal of the graduate program is to prepare capable and creative astronomers for careers in research and education. Each student will have both a graduate student mentor and a set of three faculty mentors, called a “Committee of Three” (or Co3 for short). The Co3’s are expected to evolve into a Thesis Committee as the student progress towards their degree. The Committee of Three fosters more departmental collaborations and provides students with a broader advising perspective and regular feedback on their progress.  

• Demonstrate mastery of basic observational techniques and the core astrophysical processes that govern the structures and evolution of major cosmic systems
• Formulate scientific hypotheses and design original research that pushes beyond current boundaries of knowledge
• Create research and scholarship that substantively advances a specific field of study within astronomy
• Communicate complex ideas in a clear and understandable manner to students, research professionals, and lay audiences
• Foster ethical and professional conduct
• Demonstrate breadth within their learning experiences and awareness of the status of contemporary research beyond the student's area of specialization

Faculty: Professors: Richard Townsend (chair), Amy Barger, Thomas Beatty, Matt Bershady, Elena D'Onghia, Catherine Grier, Sebastian Heinz, Alex Lazarian, Bob Mathieu, Michael Maseda, Snezana Stanimirovic, Christy Tremonti, Susanna Widicus Weaver, Eric Wilcots, Ke Zhang, and Ellen Zweibel

Staff: Department Administrator: Steve Anderson Graduate Program Manager: Heather Sauer  

• Requirements
• Professional Development
• Learning Outcomes

Contact Information

Astronomy College of Letters & Science http://www.astro.wisc.edu/

Heather Sauer, Graduate Coordinator [email protected] 608-890-3775 2532 Sterling Hall, 475 North Charter Street, Madison, WI 53706-1582

Amy Barger, Department Chair [email protected]

Graduate Program Handbook View Here

Graduate School grad.wisc.edu

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DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY

• Doctoral Programs

How to Apply

Applications for fall 2024 matriculation are now closed. .

Applications are found at The Graduate School's   application portal .

When is the deadline for applications?

Applications must be received by December 15, 2023

You may begin your application on September 13, 2023

When will decisions be made?

Decisions will be made beginning in mid-February.

How much does the application cost?

The application fee is $95 and is paid in the application portal.

Are fee waivers available?

The Graduate School approves all fee waiver requests. Waivers are available to US citizens and permanent residents only. The full qualifications for a fee waiver can be found here .

Fee waiver requests are filed in the last step of the application. After you've completed the application, you may file for a fee waiver. The Graduate School will respond with approval or denial a few days later. The waivers are first-come, first-served.

Are Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) required for admission?

Updated policy for fall 2023 matriculation :

GRE score submission is optional for the master's and Physics PhD programs.

GRE scores are *not* accepted for the Astronomy PhD program.

What documents must be submitted in the application?

Transcripts

Transcripts of work completed or in progress at all colleges or universities attended.

Please make sure scanned transcripts are legible before uploading them. Illegible transcripts will not be reviewed.

Please do   not   upload foreign language transcripts unless English language transcripts are impossible to obtain. If you only have access to foreign language transcripts, your foreign language transcripts must be accompanied by an official English translation bearing the original ink signature and seal of the issuing university.

Please do   not   mail official copies of your transcripts to The Graduate School before you have been admitted AND submitted your enrollment decision. Any transcript submitted prior to that point will not be kept and you will be required to submit those transcripts again. 

Letters of recommendation

At least two letters of recommendation from professors familiar with your work must be submitted through the application portal. Professors will be sent an email through which they can submit their recommendations.

Statement of Purpose

English-language tests

International students are required to submit scores from tests such as the TOEFL.

The Graduate School's minimum TOEFL score is 90 for PhD applicants.

Students who attended an institution where English is the main language of instruction may be exempt. Please email the   Graduate Program Assistant   for more information.

ADMITTED STUDENTS

What should admitted students do.

The deadline for accepting or declining an offer is April 15, 2023.

Admitted students must make a decision in the   application portal.

Admitted students must mail one official copy of each transcript to The Graduate School Admission Office as soon the transcripts are available. Transcripts should be sent directly from the issuing institution in sealed, unopened envelopes. Please be sure that official transcripts list all the degrees earned prior to enrolling at Northwestern University.

Failure to submit all your transcripts (including degree awarding transcripts) by the end of your first quarter of study (early December of the first year) will result in registration holds

Where should transcripts be sent?

The Graduate School's address is:

Northwestern University The Graduate School Rebecca Crown Center 633 Clark Street Evanston, Illinois, 60208

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Special students, visiting fellows, health fees, family expenses.

In addition to tuition and fees, Harvard Griffin GSAS students should budget for living expenses and other costs associated with their academic program. This page outlines what you need to know about tuition, health fees, and more.

Harvard Griffin GSAS students are required to register continuously from the time they enter the Graduate School until they receive their degree or, in the case of special students and visiting fellows, until they complete their program. Harvard Griffin GSAS charges tuition or enrollment fees based on student status. 

Master’s students are charged full tuition; some programs have different cost structures. Students in some master's programs may receive grants and fellowships that cover this cost. 

PhD students are charged tuition based on a tiered tuition structure that reduces over time as they progress through their degree program. Because circumstances vary from student to student, the chart below is only a guide to potential tuition charges. PhD students may receive grants to cover the cost of tuition and fees, as noted in their individualized Notice of Financial Support received upon admission. 

Students are required to register continuously from the time they enter a degree program until they receive their degree. Nonresident students with Leave of Absence or Traveling Scholar status are charged, at minimum, the active file fee (see the chart below).

Master’s and PhD Student Tuition Fee 2024–2025

Note: Subject to annual increases

SEAS Computational Science and Engineering (CSE) and Data Science Master’s Programs

The  SEAS Computational Science and Engineering  (CSE) and Data Science master’s programs have different tuition structures than other degree programs in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences:

It is not uncommon for students in the above SEAS Master's programs to elect to be less than full-time status for part of their program length. In these cases, the tuition charged would be at the following per course rates. 

NOTE: In order to be eligible to receive financial aid in the form of loans, students must not fall below half-time status, which requires a minimum of 2 course per scenester. 

Special students  engage in coursework or a combination of coursework and research for academic credit for one term or one year only. While not candidates for any degree, special students are admitted to Harvard Griffin GSAS and access student privileges, which include a Harvard transcript with coursework and grades listed. Full tuition and student health fees are charged; Harvard Griffin GSAS does not offer financial aid, work-study opportunities, or student loans to special students. Audited courses and supervised independent research projects are charged the same tuition as courses for credit.

Payment of tuition and fees is due prior to registration.

Special Student Tuition Fee 2024–2025, Per Term Costs 

Scholars intending to conduct independent research, who hold a doctorate, have equivalent professional experience, or are advanced doctoral candidates who have completed all required coursework may register at Harvard Griffin GSAS as a visiting fellow . Visiting fellows are considered full-time research students, with access to Harvard University’s libraries and facilities, and may apply for membership in the Harvard Faculty Club. Visiting fellows are charged reduced tuition and student health fees . Harvard Griffin GSAS does not offer financial aid, work-study opportunities, or student loans to visiting fellows. Tuition cannot be waived or prorated and is non-refundable.

Visiting Fellow Tuition Fee 2024–2025

Students enrolled in a comparable health insurance plan may be eligible to waive the Student Health Insurance Plan. Waivers of the Student Health Fee may be accepted in very limited cases. Please visit the Harvard University Student Health Program website for more detailed information.

Required Harvard University Student Health Program (HUSHP) Fees

Other costs.

Harvard Griffin GSAS students will incur additional costs for housing and food, books and supplies, and other necessities. 

Estimated 2024-2025 Living Expenses by Budget Category

Total estimated 2024-2025 living expense by housing type .

The chart below takes the information above in the Estimated Living Expenses by Budget Category chart and provides a sum for each housing option. 

This estimated budget does not include the costs of fees for required tests, application fees, or such initial expenses as home furnishings. Your individual expenses may vary from these figures. 

Many graduate students are accompanied by their spouses, domestic partners, and children. Harvard Griffin GSAS maintains policies and provides access to resources that help balance family needs with the demands of graduate study. You can find a list of  family resources on the Harvard Griffin GSAS website (please note some resources are specific to PhD students).

If you plan to bring your family, it is important to understand how additional family expenses will impact your budget and expected resources. Most financial aid sources, including loans, have limitations on whether family expenses can be included when determining eligibility.

You must plan ahead to ensure that you have sufficient resources to cover these costs. The chart below provides an estimate of how much you will need to support a spouse and/or dependent(s). Keep in mind this is a general budget and your personal expenses may be higher or lower, but it is a great place to start when developing your own budget.

Estimated 2024-2025 Living Expenses Budget for Families

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Course closed:

Astronomy is no longer accepting new applications.

The Institute of Astronomy offers the opportunity to study for the PhD degree, for which the normal duration of study is three years. The format is almost entirely research-based and while projects may be exclusively theoretical or observational, many combine aspects of both. Many projects incorporate aspects of Data Science including machine learning and artificial intelligence.

It is normal for students to attend several relevant international conferences during their three years of study, often presenting their own research work. Some students, working on observational research projects, undertake observing trip(s) to major international observatories.

The Postgraduate Virtual Open Day usually takes place at the end of October. It’s a great opportunity to ask questions to admissions staff and academics, explore the Colleges virtually, and to find out more about courses, the application process and funding opportunities. Visit the  Postgraduate Open Day  page for more details.

See further the  Postgraduate Admissions Events  pages for other events relating to Postgraduate study, including study fairs, visits and international events.

Key Information

3-4 years full-time, 4-7 years part-time, study mode : research, doctor of philosophy, institute of astronomy, course - related enquiries, application - related enquiries, course on department website, dates and deadlines:, michaelmas 2024 (closed).

Some courses can close early. See the Deadlines page for guidance on when to apply.

Funding Deadlines

These deadlines apply to applications for courses starting in Michaelmas 2024, Lent 2025 and Easter 2025.

Similar Courses

• Astronomy MPhil
• Physics PhD
• Physics MPhil
• Planetary Science and Life in the Universe MPhil
• Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics PhD

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Below is information pertaining to typical campus tuition and fees for both undergraduate and graduate degrees.  In addition to looking through these pages we advise visiting our  Financial Aid page to learn more about the various ways to finance your education as a student at UC Berkeley.

General Tuition Costs and Fees

To learn more about current fee-schedules and non-resident tuition please refer to the following links:

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For more information regarding costs and fees for the Astronomy graduate program please contact Yasasha Ridel .

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University of Michigan - Ann Arbor PhD in Astronomy & Astrophysics

The main focus area for this major is Astronomy . For more details on this concentration, visit its profile page.

Astronomy & Astrophysics is a major offered under the physical sciences program of study at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. We’ve pulled together some essential information you should know about the doctor’s degree program in astronomy, including how many students graduate each year, the ethnic diversity of these students, whether or not the degree is offered online, and more.

You can jump to any section of this page using the links below:

• Graduate Cost
• Online Learning
• Student Diversity
• Related Majors
• Focus Areas

How Much Does a Doctorate in Astronomy from U-M Cost?

U-m graduate tuition and fees.

During the 2019-2020 academic year, part-time graduate students at U-M paid an average of $2,686 per credit hour if they came to the school from out-of-state. In-state students paid a discounted rate of $1,309 per credit hour. The average full-time tuition and fees for graduate students are shown in the table below.

Does U-M Offer an Online PhD in Astronomy?

Online degrees for the U-M astronomy doctor’s degree program are not available at this time. To see if the school offers distance learning options in other areas, visit the U-M Online Learning page.

U-M Doctorate Student Diversity for Astronomy

Male-to-female ratio.

Of the students who received their doctor’s degree in astronomy in 2019-2020, 40.0% of them were women. This is about the same as the countrywide number of 38.8%.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

Of those graduates who received a doctor’s degree in astronomy at U-M in 2019-2020, 20.0% were racial-ethnic minorities*. This is higher than the nationwide number of 13%.

PhD in Astronomy Focus Areas at U-M

Astronomy & Astrophysics students may decide to major in one of the following focus areas.

Majors Related to a PhD in Astronomy From U-M

You may also be interested in one of these majors related to astronomy and astrophysics.

View All Astronomy & Astrophysics Related Majors >

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online

More about our data sources and methodologies .

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The future is bright for astronomy, and very expensive (op-ed)

Astronomy has a bright future.

Astronomy has a bright future. 

The universe is being revealed in exquisite detail with the current generation of large optical telescopes, reaching back close to the big bang . There’s hope that the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy will be solved. Thousands of exoplanets have been discovered, and astronomers may be closing in on the first detection of life beyond Earth.

However, observations into the cosmic frontier involve extremely faint targets and astronomers are always hungry for more light. In order to keep peering farther into unknown reaches of the universe, the next generation of giant telescopes on the ground and in orbit will each cost billions of dollars. That price tag is leading to a collision between scientific aspirations and fiscal realities.

Related: The 10 biggest telescopes on Earth

The Cost of Big Glass 

For most of the history of astronomy until 1980, there was an approximate scaling of telescope cost with mirror diameter , where cost was equal to the telescope's  diameter multiplied to the 2.8 power. That meant if the size doubled, the cost went up by a factor of seven — and if the size tripled, the cost went up by a factor of twenty-two. Many people doubted that a telescope larger than the Palomar 5-meter would ever be built.

In the past four decades, however, telescope costs have gone up at a shallower rate with size, breaking the previous cost curve. The innovations that led to this change were thinner and lighter mirrors, the practice of making a large collecting area from a mosaic of smaller mirrors, using fast optics to enable more compact telescope designs, and shrinking the sizes of telescope enclosures. Thanks to these innovations, sixteen telescopes with diameters between 6 meters and 12 meters were built between 1993 and 2006.

The Quest for Gigantic Telescopes 

The next generation of extremely large telescopes will have 100 times the light-gathering power and 10 times the image quality of the Hubble Space Telescope. However, they’re running into serious funding problems. There are two American-led projects with international partners. The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) project uses a design with 492 mirror segments. It faces headwinds from the opposition of native Hawaiians to construction of another large telescope on Mauna Kea, which they consider to be a sacred site. Another project, the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT), is combining seven 8.4-meter mirrors to make an effective 25-meter aperture.

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The TMT project is stalled as it negotiates a way to begin construction in Hawaii. The GMT and another large telescope being built in Chile, the Rubin Observatory , are facing escalating costs. The pandemic, inflation, and supply chain problems are to blame . TMT and GMT will each cost around $3 billion. Both have philanthropic support, but they also rely on federal funding . For a while, the National Science Foundation (NSF) supported both projects . But recently, the National Science Board set a cap of $1.6 billion on federal support for large telescopes and gave the NSF until May to decide which project to support. One large telescope will be left out in the cold .

Meanwhile, the Europeans are sitting pretty. The Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) is a third gigantic telescope, currently under construction in Chile. The ELT doesn’t face financial hurdles since it’s being built by the European Southern Observatory , which is funded by an intergovernmental treaty. At 39-meters in diameter, the ELT is the largest of the three telescopes, and it will be completed first , in 2028. 

The Telescope that Ate Astronomy 

Space telescopes cost a thousand times more per kilogram than ground-based telescopes, but they're worth their high price. These telescopes gain the benefit of the total darkness of a space environment, and many forms of radiation that these telescopes can observe such as gamma rays, ultraviolet light, and infrared radiation cannot penetrate the Earth’s atmosphere to reach ground-based telescopes. 

One such instrument, the Hubble Space Telescope has run up a total cost of $16 billion since the U.S. Congress approved its mission in 1977. Another, NASA’s James Webb Telescope, faced delays and technical challenges, and its budget ballooned to $5 billion. Its price tag helped it earn the nickname “ the telescope that ate astronomy ” — and that was in 2010. By the time of its launch in 2021, the price tag had doubled to $10 billion. 

NASA has other exciting missions in the pipeline. The Roman Space Telescope , with a 2.4-meter mirror but a hundred times Hubble’s field of view, is likely to cost over $3 billion , and the Habitable Worlds Observatory , designed to “sniff” the atmospheres of Earth-like planets for traces of biology, will come in around $11 billion .

—  Why astronomers are worried about 2 major telescopes right now

—  This new authority will decide the fate of astronomy atop Hawaii's contested Maunakea volcano

—  Giant Magellan Telescope project casts 7th and final mirror

These space telescope missions take a big bite out of a NASA budget that has been declining for twenty years . Just as is the case with the NSF's budget caps, big capital projects leave less money to spend on other forms of research. But the private sector may come to the rescue. SpaceX's Starship could be used to launch a 6.5-meter mirror in one piece, avoiding the complicated and expensive folding mirrors used by JSWT. The same innovations used with ground-based telescopes could cut the cost of telescopes in space.

As they face the costs of viewing the distant universe and returning rocks from a nearby planet , astronomers and planetary scientists are being brought back down to Earth with a bump. While it seems to be a golden age for astronomy, the glitter is dimmed by the cost of all that gold and the hard trade-offs that must be made in a time of fiscal austerity. 

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: [email protected].

The Euclid 'dark universe detective' telescope has revealed new images of the cosmos — and they are remarkable

Space mysteries: Do all planets have magnetic fields?

A new theory of quantum gravity could explain the biggest puzzle in cosmology, study suggests

Admin said: The universe is being revealed in exquisite detail with the current generation of large optical telescopes. The future is bright for astronomy, and very expensive : Read more

• billslugg Light pollution from satellites is out of control and only going to get worse. The most serious problem is for a couple of hours before the Sun rises and after it sets. Unfortunately this is the time when we need to be looking for impactors coming at us from behind the Sun. Reply
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