Abstract
Observational astrophysics uses sophisticated technology to collect and measure electromagnetic and other radiation from beyond the Earth. Modern observatories produce large, complex datasets and extracting the maximum possible information from them requires the expertise of specialists in many fields beyond physics and astronomy, from civil engineers to statisticians and software engineers. This article introduces the essentials of professional astronomical observations to colleagues in allied fields, to provide context and relevant background for both facility construction and data analysis. It covers the path of electromagnetic radiation through telescopes, optics, detectors, and instruments, its transformation through processing into measurements and information, and the use of that information to improve our understanding of the physics of the cosmos and its history.
Highlights
Everyone knows that astronomers study the sky
What sorts of measurements do they make, and how do these translate into data that can be analyzed to understand the universe? This article introduces astronomical observations to colleagues in related fields who are assumed to be familiar with quantitative measurements and computing but not necessarily with astronomy itself
For objects which radiate in all directions, the received intensity decreases with the square of the distance from the source
Summary
Everyone knows that astronomers study the sky. But what sorts of measurements do they make, and how do these translate into data that can be analyzed to understand the universe? This article introduces astronomical observations to colleagues in related fields (e.g., engineering, statistics, computer science) who are assumed to be familiar with quantitative measurements and computing but not necessarily with astronomy itself. Specialized terms which may be unfamiliar to the reader are italicized on first use. The objects that astronomers study, including stars, planets, nebulae, and galaxies, produce radiation in different ways depending on their physical properties (e.g. composition, density, temperature) and environments. This means that they will emit different amounts of radiation at different wavelengths. For objects well outside our own Milky Way galaxy, radiation is redshifted — that is, shifted to larger wavelengths or smaller frequencies — by the expansion of the universe [for an introduction see 14, 19]. Astrophysics is unique among sciences in the range of size scales involved It explores relationships between the largest and smallest scales, from the observable universe to the smallest subatomic particles. Observational astrophysicists need to be familiar with a variety of experimental, statistical and computational techniques and technologies
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