Astronomer

Henry Budd

After almost 30 years, Sydney Observatory astronomer Dr Nick Lomb says trying to comprehend space in its entirety is still mind boggling.

It is now known that the universe is 13.7billion years old, he says.

“The fact we know that is just amazing. Even 10 years ago we had little idea of its age.”

While the concepts may be difficult to grasp, Lomb says astronomers also play an important role in furthering human understanding. While some study the size and structure of the universe and others look at distant stars, some study parts of space much closer to home.

“There are asteroids that could hit the Earth and do immense damage,” Lomb says.

“It could possibly wipe out civilisation so it is worth knowing what is going on around us.”

After completing a doctorate in astronomy at the University of Sydney, Lomb began at the observatory in 1979.

His first task was to help compile a catalogue of all the stars in the southern sky. It is no easy task considering there are more than 200,000 visible stars.

Today he works as the curator of astronomy for the Observatory and the Powerhouse Museum.

Not only is Lomb responsible for looking after the observatory’s collection of historic telescopes, he also lectures on astronomy and runs a blog through its website.

While the observatory, which celebrates its 150th anniversary next weekend, is no longer used for research, it contains two working telescopes that are open to the public at night.

How to be an astronomer

Qualifications: Astronomy is usually studied at the post-graduate level. Sydney Observatory astronomer Dr Nick Lomb says students need to study maths and physics at high school and university to prepare for a career in astronomy.

Course description: The UNSW offers both maths and physics majors as part of a four-year advanced science degree. The degree will allow students to undertake several astronomy-based physics subjects.

According to the UNSW website, first-year students enrol in planetary astronomy, and undertake laboratory work on a variety of astronomy projects. The second year contains a unit on galaxies, the third year a unit on stellar astrophysics and the fourth year a unit on the interstellar medium and cosmology. Research projects with a member of staff are also undertaken during the Honours year.

Assumed knowledge: Mathematics, chemistry and physics.

Cost: $7,260 per annum, government supported.

From the inside: If you are interested in astronomy but maths and physics aren’t your strong points, there are several other ways into the profession, Lomb advises.

“Modern astronomy involves a lot of computing and a lot of electronics,” he says. “So there are electronic engineers and IT specialists who are very important to modern astronomy.”

More information: www.unsw.edu.au