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Astrophysics as a Course/Career

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  • 09-11-2007 4:52pm
    #1
    DaBreno
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,156 ✭✭✭


    Hi folks. Not sure if this is the correct place for this but anyways. I was giving some thought to heading back to college next year and Astrophysics was one of my considerations, specifically gy317 in Nuig. does anybody on here do this for a living? whats it like and are you happy to be doing it?
    Anyone got any comments on the course itself, is it heavy on Maths as opposed to reading on how the cosmos works?

    Thanks in Advance!


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    #2
    DaBreno
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,156 ✭✭✭DaBreno


    My original post might have been too specific. To expand it, anybody work in Astrophysics/Astronomy as a career or currently studying it or similar in college at the mo? What are your impressions ?

    thanks again!


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    #3
    eoghan h
    Closed Accounts Posts: 119 ✭✭eoghan h


    I'm interested too!


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    #4
    Brian_Uckfast
    Registered Users Posts: 122 ✭✭Brian_Uckfast


    I'm in 3rd year of that exact course right now, studying for exams.

    If you're interested in Astronomy and physics its a really good course...as long as you dont mind sitting in front of a computer 5 hours a day in 3rd & 4th year! Seriously..alot of computers.

    Its cool cos you do some aspect of Astronomy each semester in every year, more than any other Astronomy course in the country.

    There is more physics than astronomy, although they are obviously strongly linked. You do Maths Physics each year. You need a good base of 3 years of it and every area of Physics before you start doing specialised topics like cosmology and relativity in 4th year

    Any other q's??...


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    #5
    eoghan h
    Closed Accounts Posts: 119 ✭✭eoghan h


    What do you hope to work as when you qualify??


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    #6
    Brian_Uckfast
    Registered Users Posts: 122 ✭✭Brian_Uckfast


    Thats a silly question


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    #7
    slade_x
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 1,425 Mod ✭✭✭✭slade_x


    Brian_Uckfast wrote: »
    Thats a silly question

    perfectly legitimate question. with that qualification what other fields are open to you, for example the end result doesnt have to be astronomy you could become a physicist


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    #8
    SASQUATCH
    Closed Accounts Posts: 27 ✭SASQUATCH


    Can you build me an interstellar bicycle that folds spacetime so i can visit Horologium early next year?
    I'm not gonna get my hopes up, but I thought maybe you cuold knock something together within a few weeks, or maybe you're already working on it.-
    I wanted to go sometime in february, I heard it's really nice there at that time of year


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    #9
    DaBreno
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,156 ✭✭✭DaBreno


    Cheers for the reply Brian. How much of the course is made up of Maths? And what kind are you doing/have done?


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    #10
    Brian_Uckfast
    Registered Users Posts: 122 ✭✭Brian_Uckfast


    SASQUATCH wrote: »
    Can you build me an interstellar bicycle that folds spacetime so i can visit Horologium early next year?
    I'm not gonna get my hopes up, but I thought maybe you cuold knock something together within a few weeks, or maybe you're already working on it.-
    I wanted to go sometime in february, I heard it's really nice there at that time of year


    Yeah cool. No prob SASQUATCH.

    Just send me your bank details so that I can get started.
    You know, for the deposit I have to put into your A\C (thats Account) before I start. Somebody of your vast intellect should understand why, so I wont bother explaining..but I 'cuold' if you want??


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    #11
    Brian_Uckfast
    Registered Users Posts: 122 ✭✭Brian_Uckfast


    DaBreno wrote: »
    Cheers for the reply Brian. How much of the course is made up of Maths? And what kind are you doing/have done?

    Out of about 24 hours of lectures a week, about 4\5 are Maths Physics.

    You can choose to do honours if you're feeling like a challenge, or pass for absoloutley no less credits. Its all down to you personally.

    Its not easy, but its do-able. If you're in any way mathematically inclined (you'd want to be if you're going for this course), it will be by no means your biggest concern.

    You do a bit of everything in the few years. Not very practical to go listing all the topics out. Check out http://www.nuigalway.ie/undergrad/documents/nuigalway_undergraduate_prospectus_science.pdf


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    #12
    SASQUATCH
    Closed Accounts Posts: 27 ✭SASQUATCH


    Brian_Uckfast wrote: »
    Yeah cool. No prob SASQUATCH.

    Just send me your bank details so that I can get started.
    You know, for the deposit I have to put into your A\C (thats Account) before I start. Somebody of your vast intellect should understand why, so I wont bother explaining..but I 'cuold' if you want??

    I thought eye would have to pay you...,that's usually the way it goes ,no?
    I suppose it might be so much fun to build though,you might think it in order
    to provide me with some remuneration for giving you such a great idea.
    (I think Iv managed to spell everything correctly this time around so as not to infuriate you any more than necessary).


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    #13
    SASQUATCH
    Closed Accounts Posts: 27 ✭SASQUATCH


    P.S. , Sorry for annoying you , Mr. Bruckfast, no maliciousness intended-
    I greatly admire your line of work and wish you every success in the future.


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