Astrophysics is the union of two branches of science, physics and astronomy, with which the structure, composition, phenomena and properties of stars and other star bodies can be explained.
Scientific studies have determined that the laws of physics and chemistry are universal, so they can be applied to the celestial bodies of space, hence physics and astronomy can work hand in hand.
Astrophysics is an experimental science, it is based on the observation of the phenomena and properties of stellar bodies through astronomy, which can be explained through the laws and formulas of physics.
Astrophysics Background
The scientist J. von Fraunhofer is one of the parents of modern astrophysics. His observations and analysis during the nineteenth century were pointed out in the observation of sunlight through a spectroscope (scientific instrument that decomposes light into its fundamental colors).
These studies and observations gave way to a new method of analysis by which the chemical composition of the most distant stars can be determined and classified.
What does astrophysics study
Astrophysics is an experimental science that focuses its studies on the observation, theories and hypotheses of the physical compositions of star bodies such as stars and the structure of interstellar matter (clouds, gases and dust from space).
The telescopes used by astrophysicists have special properties that allow them to capture images that concentrate the light and temperature of the stars.
- Solar system: astrophysical studies are concerned with understanding how the solar system and its related systems are composed.
- Stars: the internal composition of stars and explosions known as gamma rays is observed and analyzed.
- Astrophysics studies the structure and composition of the galaxy and the central hole in it. It is also responsible for conducting studies on extragalactic physics and the universe as a whole.
- Astrophysics is an interdisciplinary science, because it not only relates astronomy to physics, but also uses other sciences such as chemistry, mathematics and geology.
In the meantime, it is a science that generates great interest and is therefore studied by a large number of students, especially because it seeks to provide answers about the origin of various aspects of nature and because it implies an important technological development.
Thermonuclear astrophysics
Thermonuclear astrophysics studies nuclear processes that release large amounts of energy in the form of electromagnetic particles or radiation, that is, thermonuclear reactions.
There are two types of thermonuclear reactions. The nuclear fusion reactions that occur in the sun and in the stars generating energy and, the nuclear fission reactions that a process used in nuclear power plants.
Thermonuclear energy is almost inexhaustible and much more economical, due to its extraction process, compared to other energy sources.
