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SPACE SCIENCES

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Connectedreams Blog

10 min readNov 1, 2016

“Astronomy, as nothing else can do, teaches men humility.” — Arthur C. Clarke

Space science, popularly known as astronomy, deals with phenomena that occur throughout our universe, from star formation to black holes. Being one of the oldest scientific fields in history, astronomy goes way back to a time when our ancestors first glimpsed the starry night sky and wondered about their place in the cosmos. At first, they were clueless about those innumerable points of light spread across the heavens, associating usual incidences like meteors and comets with disaster — disease, drought, and deaths of great kings just to name a few. It took people millennia to arrive at an understanding of what goes on above through formulation of fundamental ‘laws’.

Today, we are extremely well-versed with stuff we couldn’t explain centuries ago. But countless mysteries still remain, and scientists worldwide work exhaustively trying to grasp the complex physics behind puzzling observations and come up with theories that account for them. Nevertheless, the branch of astronomy is perhaps one of the most intriguing ones out there and holds promising opportunities for interested candidates.

List of Free Online Courses

Here are a few outstanding free courses that are guaranteed to provide a knowledgeable takeaway and fun-learning experience:

Introduction to Solar Systems Astronomy: This course taught by professors at Arizona State University primarily concerns topics ranging from origins, structure, contents and evolution of our solar system to eye-opening physical phenomena, with exposure to renowned facilities like the Discovery Channel Telescope and real-life impact sites.
Super-Earths and Life: A good start for students/staff aspiring to know more about the origins of life on Earth, methods used by astronomers to precisely find exoplanets orbiting other stars, how they determine their habitability, and much more.
Astrophysics: Recommended for anyone looking forward to acquiring an in-depth understanding of space sciences, the Astrophysics X-Series Program comprises four parts dealing with almost all aspects of modern cosmology. Taught by Laureate Fellow and Distinguished Professor at the Australian National University, Brian Schmidt, and prize-winning educator, science communicator and astronomer, Paul Francis, this course is certainly one of the most influential.
In The Night Sky: Orion: Learn about stuff like observational astronomy, life-cycles of stars, and one of the most popular constellations ‘Orion’ in this extravagant course available on FutureLearn.
How To Survive on Mars: Explore the real-life ‘Man v/s Mars’ by experts at Monash University and familiarize yourself with key skills necessary to survive on the red planet.
Moons: There are around 150 known moons in our solar system, although scientists believe that there may be at least thirty more. Learn about few of the most famous in this free online course by The Open University.
Gravity! From the Big Bang to Black Holes: Gravity is the dominating agent that governs almost every process that goes on in our cosmos. Get ready to be inspired with this fundamental force in addition to intriguing topics like the Big Bang, black holes, dark energy, space-time, gravitational waves and the expansion of the Universe.
The Discovery of the Higgs Boson: What are the implications of this century’s ground-breaking discovery of the Higgs Boson? Journey through this million-dollar question and more in this free course by The University of Edinburgh.
Cosmology and Astronomy: Stars, Black Holes and Galaxies:- This course focuses on stars: how they are formed, what happens to them over time, and how they form galaxies. Also discussed: black holes.
Secrets of the Deep Sky: Discover how to find and observe astonishing sights of our Milky Way and beyond, alongside critical advice on how to select a telescope and relevant accessories as well as on how to navigate the night sky and get the best view through your very own portable observatory.
How To Choose a Telescope: If you’re looking to buy your first telescope, start by checking out this video series. In this, you’ll learn about different options for telescope configurations including reflecting telescopes, refracting telescopes, and compound telescopes, and the basics of telescope mounts and accessories like eyepieces, solar filters, and Barlow lenses.
Physics for the 21st century: Learn all about the astronomical side of physics, from the uncanny quantum realm to dark energy.
Crash Course Astronomy: I’m sure most readers are familiar with reputed astrophysicist, science communicator, blogger, and public speaker Phil Plait. Author of popular books ‘Death from the Skies’ and ‘Bad Astronomy’, with numerous appearances in the highly successful television show ‘How the Universe Works’, Phil Plait teamed up with PBS Digital Studios to create an extremely famous and frequently-watched series named ‘Crash Course Astronomy’, which touches almost everything ought to be known in the field.

Video playlists on Astronomy

Apart from courses, video lectures/sessions by exalted personalities offer valuable insight. Watch these TED Talks by powerful speakers on various topics in astronomy.

List of Blogs to Follow:

In addition, some blogs/webpages host magnificent write-ups that cover some of the most mind-bending areas in cosmology. Here are some excellent must-visit sites:

List of Upcoming Events:

Exposure to the practicalities of astronomy holds demanding opportunities and offers a whole new level of experience altogether. The list given below shows a couple of events about to happen near you:

International Conference on Oriental Astronomy — On-spot registrations available; conference date — November 14th, 2016; location: Pune, India.
Winter School on Astronomy — Open to students pursuing any Bachelors or Masters level degree interested in the world of cosmology and interacting with fellow peers across the globe (apply by 1st December)
The Story of Space — Open to everybody; submit proposals related to matters/ideas dealing with ‘space’ (apply by 15th December). Happening at Goa, India.
35th Meeting of the Astronomical Society of India (ASI) — Open to members of the Astronomical Society of India (ASI) as well as students affiliated with institutes offering relevant courses in space sciences.
Big Idea Challenge — Fire-up innovative solutions for highly-efficient and feasible in-space assembly, upgrade, and reconfiguration systems for orbiting/cruising spacecraft. (Deadline for submitting your proposal — November 30th, 2016)
Fine-tuning — the Multiverse and Life Workshop — Venue: Sydney, Australia; Application deadline: November 10th, 2016; event date: 24–25 November, 2016.
Massive Stars — Venue: Santa Barbara, U.S.A; Date: Feb — May 2017. Click here and here.
Astronomical Horizons — Series of public lectures about recent trends in astronomy; Location: Michigan, U.S.A.; goes on from September 2016 to March 2017.
Frontiers of Astronomy — October 2016 to April 2017; Location: Ohio, U.S.A.
A Tour of the Solar System — Date: November 10th, 2016. Location: Wallops Island, U.S.A.
ASTROCON — Location: Wyoming, United States; Date: August 16th, 2017.
Dark Side of the Universe — Location: South Korea; Date: 14th — 17th July, 2017.
AISES National Conference — Location: U.S.A; Date: November 10th to 12th, 2016.

List Of Universities Offering Programs in Space Science & Technology:

All those seeking careers in astronomy/astrophysics need to hold a relevant Masters level degree and/or Ph.D., or both. What follows is a list of few of the best institutes around the world offering programs in several fields of research alongside enticing scholarships:

1. India

Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) (Fellowship starting at Rs. 16,000 per month)
Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) (Scholarships available — merit-based)
Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) (Fellowships starting at Rs. 25,000 per month)
Indian Institute of Science (IISc) (Scholarships starting at Rs. 12,000 per month)
Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) (Scholarships only for Ph.D. applicants)
Raman Research Institute (Pancharatnam Fellowship starting at Rs. 50,000 per month — usually offered to applicants who have completed at least one postdoctoral period after their doctorate.)
Physical Research Laboratory — Junior Research Fellowship for Ph.D. applicants (merit-based); starting at Rs. 25,000 per month.
Harish-Chandra Research Institute (HRI) — Postdoctoral Fellowships in various fields of research available.

2. United States:

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) — Need-based as well as merit-based scholarships available starting at $18,000)
Harvard University — (Financial aid available)
Stanford University — Limited scholarships/fellowships for international students available.
California Institute of Technology (Caltech) — Need-based and merit-based scholarships available.
University of California, Berkeley (UCB) — International students not eligible for university, state, or federal financial aid. Only U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens can apply.
Princeton University — Scholarships/Fellowships available.
University of Chicago — Scholarships available.
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) — Financial aid and scholarships available.
Columbia University — Financial support in graduate programs in astronomy available.
Yale University — Financial aid and merit-based scholarships available.

3. United Kingdom:

University of Cambridge — Funding available. Specific scholarships for Indian applicants also available. (Also, see below.)
University of Oxford — Scholarships available.
Imperial College London — Scholarships available.
University College London — Undergraduate and Postgraduate scholarships available.
The University of Manchester — Scholarships available.
The University of Edinburgh — Student funding available.

4. Australia:

University of Melbourne — Undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships available.
Australian National University — Scholarships available.
University of Sydney — Scholarships available.
Monash University — Scholarships available.
University of Adelaide — For scholarships, see below.
University of Queensland — Scholarships available.
Swinburne University of Technology — Scholarships available.
University of Western Australia — Scholarships available.

5. Others:

University of Tokyo (Japan) — For scholarships, see below.
ETH Zurich (Switzerland) — Scholarships available.
LMU Munich (Germany) — Scholarships available.
EPFL (Switzerland) — Fellowships available.
Technical University of Munich (Germany) — For scholarships, see below.
National University of Singapore (Singapore) — For scholarships, see below.
Kyoto University (Japan) — Scholarships available.
Lomonosov Moscow State University (Russia) — Scholarships available.

List Of Fellowships, Scholarships & Challenges:

Universities in the US: Fulbright Foreign Student Program, S.N. Bose Scholars Student Exchange Program.
Universities in UK: Clarendon Scholarships, Gates Cambridge Scholarships.
Universities in Australia: Endeavour Postgraduate Awards, International Research Scholarships (University of Sydney), Adelaide Scholarships International.
Other countries: University of Tokyo Special Scholarship for International Students (Japan), Lee Kong Chian Graduate Scholarships (Singapore), TUM Asia QS Scholarship (Singapore)
NASA Postdoctoral Program — Current cycle deadline: November 1, 2016, 6:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time. Next cycle opens: November 2, 2016 to March 1, 2017
ISRO Fellowships
Royal Commission Industrial Fellowship (Deadline: late-January/February 2017)
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships
Canon Foundation for Scientific Research (CFSR)
Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
Hubble Fellowships Deadline: November 3, 2016
Sagan Postdoctoral Fellowship Deadline: Thursday, November 3, 2016 at 4 PM PST
Einstein Fellowship Deadline: Thursday, November 3, 2016
Nancy Grace Roman Technology Fellowships in Astrophysics for Early Career Researchers (The Fellowship duration is one to five years (subject to a peer review process and availability of funds from NASA).
JAXA International Top Young Fellowship Deadline: 23:59 PM (Japan time) on Sunday, November 27, 2016
International Space University Scholarship Program in France, 2016

Here are three of the most famous scholarship offers for Indian universities with courses/programs related to cosmology:

Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY)
SERB National Postdoctoral Fellowship
ICTS Postdoc Fellowship (occurs twice in a year, apply by June
Lab2Moon is a global challenge for today’s youth to imagine, design and build a project that would catalyse the evolution of humankind towards being a sustainable multi-planetary species.

Follow these Podcasts on Space Sciences and Astronomy:

Quite a few exquisite podcasts relevant to space sciences and astronomy are made available on the internet for public audiences. These downloadable audio files/recordings of intellectual talks, humorous discussions, and funny but educational debates amongst famous personalities from different walks of life — scientists, actors, comedians, and more — capture the minds of listeners everywhere who are always imbibed with valuable lessons. The most popular ones are StarTalk Radio and The Infinite Monkey Cage, with many more that are nothing less than mind-blowing:

Also, NASA is giving away its vintage-inspired travel posters for free. Over the course of three months, they designed a trio of such posters for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s ‘Visions of the Future’ project — a series of pieces now available for free download.

Author: Shreyash Dahale | Fellow at Connectedreams | B. Tech in Aerospace Engineering