Is Astronomy Hard? [What Students SAY]

Astronomy is a branch of natural sciences that deals with the study of objects present in outer space and different kinds of phenomenon that occurs in the darkness of outer space. This major also deals with the equipment that is required to study the naturally occurring phenomenon in outer space. The coursework of the given major is quite complex it is a perfect blend of physics and the natural sciences.

This major sometimes becomes hard due to the involvement of heavy-duty concepts of physics and mathematics. In colleges and universities, astronomy is considered one of the toughest majors in science so if you want to opt for this major you should have a good grip on the concepts of astrophysics.

Is Astronomy hard in 2023?

Yes, astronomy is considered to be one of the most complex majors in colleges and universities. This major is hard because it uses different concepts of physics and mathematics that sometimes are harder to grasp. Another thing that makes this major so hard is that there is infinite space out there in the dark there are many different types of planets present there are different types of galaxies present in space as well.

Therefore, a student doing this major has to deal with the immense amount of data present, and to understand the various phenomenon of space a student must have command in courses like probability, statistics, and most importantly calculus. If a student had issues with the concepts of mathematics used in high school, then opting for the given major will cause a lot of trouble for such a student.

If a student has a strong command over the concepts of mathematics and physics, even then it will not be enough to fully master the given major. The failure rate of this major is not that high as compared to another major called aerospace engineering.

Difficulty Table

SUBJECTPASS RATE
Physics69%
Mathematics64%
Chemistry73%

Many areas, such as science, physics, maths, and geology, are related to this field. To know the world completely, one must know each of these areas is very difficult.

Why is Astronomy so hard?

The major reason is that this subject is a blend of advanced levels of both physics and mathematics. This is one of the hardest fields in natural sciences because this major is the study of objects that are far away from us. The objects that are present in the dark realms of the outer spaces. This major also includes the study of several space phenomena like black holes and wormholes.

Now to just fully understand these two space phenomena you must have a strong grip over the concepts of advanced-level of physical equations and to solve this equation you are required to have a strong grip on advanced-level mathematics.

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Can this major be harder than physics?

The answer to that is no the major is not harder than physics because this major is a sub-branch of physics. Physics is a sub-domain of science and is very vast there are many sub-branches of physics available. One of the most famous and one of the hardest is called astrophysics or astronomy. Therefore, you need to have a strong command of physics to complete your degree.

Can this major be harder than chemistry?

No, the starting level of astronomy is less difficult as compared to chemistry. Chemistry is quite hard because in chemistry there are many concepts to learn one of the toughest concepts to grasp in chemistry are the concepts of organic chemistry. If a student has good memory then just for that student, chemistry can be easy and fun while for others it is quite difficult. The given major is difficult but only at the advanced level where you have to deal with plasma physics and quantum mechanics.

Can this major be harder than neuroscience?

Well, the answer to this will depend on which level of astronomy are you talking about if it’s entry-level then it’s not harder as compared to the basics of neuroscience. However, if you talk about the advanced levels of both fields then there is no difference between the two disciplines both of these fields require excessive study hours and complex problems to be solved.

Can this major be harder than aerospace engineering?

The answer is no the given major is not hard enough as compared to aerospace engineering because, in any engineering field, you need to design equipment that requires a higher level of skill and mathematics knowledge. Astronomy also uses the concepts of physics but the major is based on excessive theoretical knowledge while on the contrary in aerospace engineering, the course work is a combination of both high-level theory as well as practical knowledge.

Can this major be the toughest branch of physics?

The answer is no it is quite tough and complex but is not the hardest many other branches of physics are more complex as compared to the given major. The hardest branch of physics is the quantum field theory because it is the perfect blend of modern physics, the theory of relativity, and quantum physics. Overall at the early stages of astronomy, it is easy but as you go to advance concepts it can be tough.

Jenny Blake
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