Where can Astronomers work?
Hi, I am a high schooler doing a research project on astronomy. I have an interest in astronomy and look at the sky through a telescope almost every night. Anyway I needed to interview an astronomer for my project. But I answered almost all of my questions from previously asked questions on your website. Unfortunately, there is one that I couldn't find the answer to. I need the name of a company or business that an astronomer could work for. If you could tell me that I would appreciate it.
Astronomers usually are employed by colleges, universities or government research organizations. Not too many work for companies or businesses because astronomy isn't really a science that has a lot of practical applications that you can make money off of! However, the most likely field in which you would find astronomers working for a company would be in the area of telescope or instrument design and construction. An example would be Malin Space Science Systems, a company run by an astronomer named Michael Malin which builds instruments for unmanned space missions, such as the recent Mars Global Surveyor satellite.
