What's the difference between astrophysics and astronomy?

Also tell me what course should I take up in order to do research in these fields.|||Don't focus your undergrad studies on astronomy/astrophysics. I'm not sure if uni's even let you do that. Get a BS in Physics and then from there apply to grad school (preferably a Phd, but MS is okay too). At grad school you can focus on astrophysics. I heard Arizona's a good grad school for astro.


If you focus on astronomy/astro classes early and decide to switch fields (for example, condensed matter physics) you'll have a difficult time trying to make up the undergrad physics courses everyone else took.|||Astronomy is the study of the universe beyond the earth's atmosphere. The main branches are astrometry, celestial mechanics, and astrophysics.





Astrophysics is the branch of astronomy concerned with the physical processes associated with the celestial bodies and the intervening regions of space. It deals principally with the energy of stellar systems and the relation between this energy and the evolution of the system.





So, astronomy is sort of a top level science that covers any scientific explorations of space beyond our atmosphere and astrophysics is a branch of astronomy that is concerned with the actual physics of stars, planets, black-holes, etc. , their formation, evolution and ultimately their future.|||Astronomy is the study of the universe beyond the earth's atmosphere. The main branches are astrometry, celestial mechanics, and astrophysics.





Astrophysics is the branch of astronomy concerned with the physical processes associated with the celestial bodies and the intervening regions of space. It deals principally with the energy of stellar systems and the relation between this energy and the evolution of the system.





So, astronomy is sort of a top level science that covers any scientific explorations of space beyond our atmosphere and astrophysics is a branch of astronomy that is concerned with the actual physics of stars, planets, black-holes, etc. , their formation, evolution and ultimately their future.





For example, if you have a telescope in your backyard and you like to observe the night sky and make star charts and learn about our solar system then you are an amateur astronomer but if you like to use equations to calculate how big does a star have to be in order to become a black hole one day - well then you are an amateur astrophysicist.|||Astronomy is the overall subject; astrophysics is one of the subdisciplines, concentrating on the physics of stars. Degrees are usually offered in astronomy, with specialization in astrophysics, planetary science, etc. Contrary to one of the other answers above, astrophysics has absolutely nothing to do with astronautics (spacecraft and space exploration).|||Short answer, astronomy is about observing objects in space, astrophysics tries to explain those observations.|||astrophysics mainly deals with the spacecrafts or any thing which you will send 4 space exploration. Astronomy refers to only watching space sitting at home. It deals with telescopes and lenses. Choose your field n best of Luck