For as long as man has been an intelligent species, he has been fascinated with the stars. The concept of other galaxies, planets and even life is an ideal that captures the imagination of individuals to this day. If you are one of these individuals, you may want to consider a career studying the stars and other celestial objects.

Engineer of Astronomy

While an engineer is probably not the first thing you think of when you think about jobs involving the stars, engineers are indeed needed in astronomy. NASA and other research institutes hire an abundance of engineers to run various space programs. These include working on instruments related to spacecraft, studying the solar system and interactions between our moon and the sun, and other experiments related to the stars. Basically, an engineer in the astronomy field is one of the brains behind a space program.

Instructor

Instructors of astronomy are important since they train students, help them get excited about astronomy and give them the skills they need to get into the field. Thus, they give to the field of astronomy by preparing today's students to become tomorrow's astronomers.

Staff at Planetarium

Perhaps a dream job for many stargazers is to be staff member at a planetarium. A planetarium is an atmosphere made for passionate stargazers. Since many planetariums are large, a large staff is needed. Jobs range from astronomers to tour guides, describing various stars inside the planetarium, to cashiers at the gift shop. Whatever the role may be, stargazers can be surrounded all day by what they love.

Astronomer

Astronomy is an ideal career for a lover of stars. An astronomer must calculate the composition of celestial bodies. This can be accomplished by gathering and testing theories using mathematical means and eventually publishing the findings in a scientific journal. Most astronomers spend only a few weeks out of the year in an observatory looking at phenomena in the sky. The rest of the time consists of figuring out what significance findings from various observatories actually mean. This job requires that you are highly skilled in mathematics; if you have a knack for it and love the idea of studying the stars, this may be the job for you.