ASTROPHYSICS
Astrophysics
(Greek: Astro - meaning "star", and Greek:physics –meaning
"nature") is the branch of
astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical
properties of celestial objects, as well as their interactions and behaviour
among the objects studied are galaxies, stars, planets exoplanets, the
interstellar medium and the cosmic microwave background. Their emissions are
examined across all parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, and the properties
examined include luminosity, density, temperature, and chemical composition.
The
year 2009 is being recognized as the international year of astronomy (IYA) to
mark the four hundredth anniversary of the historical occasion in the year 1609
when Galileo Galilei used the then newly invented telescope to observe
astronomical objects. Galileo Galilei (;15 February 1564–8 January 1642), was
an Italian physicist, Mathematician,
astronomer, and philosopher who played a major role in the Scientific
Revolution. His achievements include improvements to the telescope and
consequent astronomical observations and support for Copernicanism. Galileo has
been called the "father of modern observational astronomy", the
"father of modern physics” the "father of science”, and "the
Father of Modern Science". Nicolas Copernicus (19 February 1473 – 24 May
1543) was a Renaissance astronomer and the first person to formulate a
Comprehensive heliocentric cosmology which displaced the Earth from the center
of the universe.