3 ms·

Having an astrophysics degree would certainly prove useful in the telescope industry, but most telescopists don’t need an astrophysics degree.

amelius 3y ago
An astrophysicist doesn't necessarily know a lot about optics, for example.
- defrost 3y ago
  What does optics have to do with telescopes? https://www.astron.nl/telescopes/lofar/ https://www.astron.nl/telescopes/lofar/ https://www.skao.int/en/explore https://www.skao.int/en/explore
  - marcus0x62 3y ago
    Oh, a fair[0] amount[1] 0 - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_optical_reflecting_telescopes https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_optical_refl... 1 - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_large_optical_telescopes https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_large_optical_telesc...
    - defrost 3y ago
      That's, ahhh, kind of obvious and missing the point about the wavelengths more commonly used in modern astrophysics. A better rejoiner would've have pointed out the optics-like bending and focusing of all wavelengths about gravitational wells, eg: https://news.stanford.edu/press-releases/2022/05/02/gravity-telescope-image-exoplanets https://news.stanford.edu/press-releases/2022/05/02/gravity-... works for more than just the visible wavelengths.
      - marcus0x62 3y ago
        If that was the point you were trying to make, it might have been better to state it rather than link to two articles about radio astronomy and ask “what does optics have to do with telescopes” Reflective and refractive optical telescopes are still important (and still being built.)
  - amelius 3y ago
    ... or RF engineering.
    - msravi 3y ago
      Indeed! I think elecrical engineers cover the largest "area" in today's engineering landscape in terms of both breadth and depth, encompassing applied physics, math, and cs. An electrical engineer can understand and potentially work on converting RF to electrical signals, process them to extract bits, program a computer to decode those bits, and convert those bits into a human consumable format. Of course each of those areas is filled with decades of progress that requires in-depth expertise, but if there's a discipline that can go deep enough into each of them, it's probably EE.
      - defrost 3y ago
        You can use similar methods and EE skills to look downwards rather than upwards by measuring and differencing not-RF fluctuating sources ... https://www.ga.gov.au/scientific-topics/disciplines/geophysics/magnetotellurics https://www.ga.gov.au/scientific-topics/disciplines/geophysi...
  - lazyant 3y ago
    Everything. Light is not only the one in the visible spectrum.

amelius 3y ago

An astrophysicist doesn't necessarily know a lot about optics, for example.

defrost 3y ago
What does optics have to do with telescopes? https://www.astron.nl/telescopes/lofar/ https://www.astron.nl/telescopes/lofar/ https://www.skao.int/en/explore https://www.skao.int/en/explore
- marcus0x62 3y ago
  Oh, a fair[0] amount[1] 0 - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_optical_reflecting_telescopes https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_optical_refl... 1 - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_large_optical_telescopes https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_large_optical_telesc...
  - defrost 3y ago
    That's, ahhh, kind of obvious and missing the point about the wavelengths more commonly used in modern astrophysics. A better rejoiner would've have pointed out the optics-like bending and focusing of all wavelengths about gravitational wells, eg: https://news.stanford.edu/press-releases/2022/05/02/gravity-telescope-image-exoplanets https://news.stanford.edu/press-releases/2022/05/02/gravity-... works for more than just the visible wavelengths.
    - marcus0x62 3y ago
      If that was the point you were trying to make, it might have been better to state it rather than link to two articles about radio astronomy and ask “what does optics have to do with telescopes” Reflective and refractive optical telescopes are still important (and still being built.)
- amelius 3y ago
  ... or RF engineering.
  - msravi 3y ago
    Indeed! I think elecrical engineers cover the largest "area" in today's engineering landscape in terms of both breadth and depth, encompassing applied physics, math, and cs. An electrical engineer can understand and potentially work on converting RF to electrical signals, process them to extract bits, program a computer to decode those bits, and convert those bits into a human consumable format. Of course each of those areas is filled with decades of progress that requires in-depth expertise, but if there's a discipline that can go deep enough into each of them, it's probably EE.
    - defrost 3y ago
      You can use similar methods and EE skills to look downwards rather than upwards by measuring and differencing not-RF fluctuating sources ... https://www.ga.gov.au/scientific-topics/disciplines/geophysics/magnetotellurics https://www.ga.gov.au/scientific-topics/disciplines/geophysi...
- lazyant 3y ago
  Everything. Light is not only the one in the visible spectrum.