From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Overview of and topical guide to space science
The following
outline
is provided as an overview and topical guide to space science:
Space science
– field that encompasses all of the
scientific disciplines
that involve
space exploration
and study
natural phenomena
and
physical bodies
occurring in
outer space
, such as
space medicine
and
astrobiology
.
[1]
[2]
Branches of space sciences
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Astronomy
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See
astronomical object
for a list of specific types of entities which scientists study. See
Earth's location in the universe
for an orientation.
- Subfields of astronomy:
- Astrophysics
? branch of
astronomy
that deals with the
physics
of the
universe
, including the physical properties of
celestial objects
, as well as their interactions and behavior.
[3]
Among the objects studied are
galaxies
,
stars
,
planets
,
exoplanets
, the
interstellar medium
and the
cosmic microwave background
; and the properties examined include
luminosity
,
density
,
temperature
, and
chemical
composition. The subdisciplines of theoretical astrophysics are:
- Cosmology
- Planetary Science
? study of planets, moons, and planetary systems.
- Astrochemistry
? studies the abundance and reactions of molecules in the Universe, and their interaction with radiation.
- Interdisciplinary studies of astronomy:
- Astrobiology
? studies the advent and
evolution
of
biological systems
in the universe.
- Space biology
? studies to build a better understanding of how spaceflight affects living systems in spacecraft, or in ground-based experiments that mimic aspects of spaceflight
[4]
- Space chemistry
? Reactions of elements to form more complex compounds, such as amino acids, are key to the study of chemistry in space.
[5]
- Astrobotany
? Sub-discipline of botany that is the study of plants in space environments.
- Archaeoastronomy
? studies ancient or traditional astronomies in their cultural context, utilizing archaeological and anthropological evidence.
- Space archaeology
? the study of human artifacts in outer space
- Forensic astronomy
? the use of astronomy, the scientific study of celestial objects, to determine the appearance of the sky at specific times in the past.
- Techniques used in astronomical research:
- Theoretical astronomy
? mathematical modelling of celestial entities and phenomena
- Astrometry
? study of the position of objects in the sky and their changes of position. Defines the system of coordinates used and the
kinematics
of objects in our galaxy.
- Photometry
? study of how bright celestial objects are when passed through different filters
- Spectroscopy
? study of the spectra of astronomical objects
- Observational astronomy
? practice of observing celestial objects by using telescopes and other astronomical apparatus.
Observatories
on the ground as well as
space observatories
take measurements of celestial entities and phenomena. It is concerned with recording data. The subdisciplines of
observational astronomy
are generally made by the specifications of the detectors:
Astronautics
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The science and engineering of
spacefaring
and
spaceflight
, a subset of
Aerospace engineering
(which includes atmospheric flight)
- Space technology
is technology for use in outer space, in travel or other activities beyond Earth's atmosphere, for purposes such as spaceflight, space exploration, and Earth observation.
See also
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References
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External links
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