Should people, like myself, continue on focusing on a science degree? Would it still be worth it despite the current job market?
From your email, it sounds like you are concerned about job prospects in the physical sciences. While it is true that it takes a lot of dedication and hard work to become a researcher or professor, it is also true that students who study physics as undergraduates and graduate students rarely find themselves unemployed. Physics is a very well-respected field, and physics research typically allows you to develop highly marketable skills like computer programming...
Lately I’ve been researching dark matter and dark energy, and I’ve been wondering, out of all the candidates that could be dark matter (brown dwarfs, neutrinos, black holes, etc.), which is most likely? I was also wondering the same about dark energy.
Thank you for your inquiry! Here is what I can tell you about dark matter and dark energy:
Dark matter: Actually, developments since the 1970s and 1980s have helped rule out all of the dark matter candidates you listed below (planets, brown dwarfs, black holes, neutrinos) as the primary dark matter candidate. Planets, brown dwarfs,...
I have thought recently that the quality of bright day light appeared to be different to how I have always perceived it, but I dismissed it. However I’ve noticed that at midday shadows were very long, at that time shouldn’t they be almost zero or tiny; I then realised that the Sun wasn’t overhead but at a lower declination that I thought it should be – ie not over head. I then thought how much cooler it had been this year, and that if what I was seeing was correct that the Earth would have tilted, and in a way that meant we (the UK) were further North. I’ve tried to disabuse myself of this...
Occasionally there is some coverage in the media about the continuing discovery of planets around other star systems in the Milky Way, through the work of the Kepler telescope, and other initiatives. Is there a place on the web I can go to, to check what the latest thinking on all of this work is? I’m thinking of an up to date record of things like numbers of candidate habitable planets discovered, where they are, stuff like that.
I am glad you are enthusiastic about keeping up with exoplanet discoveries!
You can check the Kepler website for tables of the Kepler Mission’s...
Everything is made of molecules, and we see our world in color. Does that mean that molecules have a color? If not, where does the color come from?
Interesting question! Molecules do have “color” in a certain sense, but first I should say that not everything is made of molecules. Rocks and metals, for instance, are made of atoms that haven’t formed molecules. There’s also a lot of stuff in space that’s not made of molecules, including the Sun and other stars, as well as stuff called “dark matter” that doesn’t seem to be made of anything we see here on Earth!
We’ve all seen the posters in school telling us the order of the eight planets and they’re all neatly put in a straight line; that seriously cannot be how the planets orbit the sun in a straight line some must be off in a tilt. So I went and tried to do some research and most sources do put all the planets in a somewhat near line not really varying from a straight rotation around the sun… Is that image correct do all the planets tend to rotate around the sun on an even plane if so then our solar system must be extremely flat with huge vast spaces closely above and below planetary rotations...
I wonder if there is anyone on your staff, or anyone you can refer me to get the facts on the story about a rogue planet that has an orbit perpendicular to the elliptical plain of the other planets and which is Gmail Planet X and the year 2012 supposed to hit the Earth in 2012? As a former Astronomy student I know it’s a bunch of junk, but I’d like to get some more detail if possible. The issue I’m dealing with is my town has an end of the world cult preparing for the collision and we would like to get the real story out.
I have heard similar ideas about the Earth/Solar System/Universe...
Can you tell me if Betelgeuse will move all over the sky or will it move in it’s immediate area?
It isn’t entirely clear what you mean. Betelgeuse will appear to move across the sky over the course of a night due to the Earth’s rotation, as will all stars, but it will remain fixed relative to other stars.
I would like to know if you can tell me if this is Capella. Looking through binoculars, it changes shapes. It looked like a flower with bright red on the end, yellowish in the middle and green on the end.
Changes in the color and shape of an astronomical object are optical effects...
How would you choose a telescope? Lets say – if you want to see the surface of the moon very closely.
If you want to look at details on the surface of the moon, any binoculars or telescope will give you stunning views. You will also be able to see the four Galilean moons of Jupiter and the rings of Saturn through just about any binoculars or telescope. However, if you are interested in looking at fainter objects, such as galaxies and nebulae, you will want to invest in a higher quality telescope or giant astronomical binoculars.
There are a few criteria that distinguish really...
Requests for tours of the department are considered on a case-by-case basis. To make a request, please email info@astro.berkeley.edu. To learn more about the UC Berkeley campus, we recommend signing up for a campus tour through Visitor Services. We also suggest checking our Department Events page, as we regularly list public events and opportunities to...
Attendance for our talks and Colloquiums is not wholly restricted, but please note that the content is aimed towards those currently conducting research in the department. We recommend looking to our events page for all event listings to find more information about campus-sponsored public lectures (such as the Science@Cal series).
How can I submit a media/interview/taping request?
You can direct all media requests to communications@astro.berkeley.edu. Please provide as many specific details as possible (e.g., time, format, intended use of material, etc.).
I have materials/property I wish to rent and/or sell to the department. Who do I contact to advertise and/or arrange the transaction?
The department is unable to rent or purchase unsolicited materials nor is it able to provide advertisements for third party goods, products, or property.
I just found what I think is a meteor/comet debris/moon rock. Can I bring it in for confirmation?
The Astronomy department does not provide official specimen identification. We suggest contacting Mare Meteoritics or shipping the specimen to New England Meteoritical. Please do NOT bring anything directly to the department!
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At this time all of our degree programs are full-time.
Is it possible to apply to two different graduate programs?
The University does not allow applicants to apply to two programs simultaneously unless an established concurrent degree program exists between the two departments/schools; Currently, Astronomy is not part of an established concurrent degree program.
If I applied before do I still need to create a new application for a new...
