Astrophysics is the attempt to understand the physical processes at work in the Universe.
Background
Before the 19th century astronomers could learn very little about stars apart from where they were in the sky. But when spectroscopy was invented in the late 19th century, astronomers gained their first tool for analysing the light of stars. They could now learn how stars ‘worked’.
This was the start of astrophysics, but now astrophysics covers much more than stars. It deals with questions such as:
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how do stars and galaxies form and evolve?
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when did the first stars form?
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how are the components of a galaxy, stars, dust, gas and 'dark matter' related to each other?
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what are the different components of the Universe, how much of each is there, and where are they found?
Collecting and analysing data
We get most of our information about the Universe from electromagnetic radiation: the visible light, radio waves, x-rays, infrared radiation, ultraviolet rays and gamma rays emitted by stars, dust and gas, in our Galaxy or other galaxies.
CSIRO operates the Australia Telescope a set of radio telescopes. Astronomers use the Australia Telescope to collect the radio waves emitted by cosmic objects such as stars, gas clouds and whole galaxies. They then analyse the data to answer the questions of astrophysics.
Telescopes produce raw data; astronomers have to extract information from it. Traditionally astronomers have had to process their data themselves.
Now CSIRO is providing ‘server-side’ tools for processing, so that an astronomer can use a web browser to:
This is making the data far more accessible.
Australia Telescope National Facility (ATNF)
The Australia Telescope is a National Facility and can be used by astronomers throughout Australia and around the world.
CSIRO’s astrophysicists use the telescope for their own programs, focussing on certain kinds of studies.
Find out more about what CSIRO does in Astronomy & Space.
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