<p>You can find lots of such projects in faculty advertisements for MSc or PhD students.</p>
<p><a href="https://rsaa.anu.edu.au/study/potential-projects" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Example</a>, <a href="https://www.jodrellbank.manchester.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/msc-projects/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">example</a>.</p>
<p>To quote one of those projects at random:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The GAIA satellite is in the process of mapping the precise position and motion of nearly every star in the Milky Way. It is measuring the parallax of every star and uses this to obtain an accurate distance.  The GAIA DR3 catalogue (2020) contains 2 billion stars. An example of its use is at 'Our solar neighbourhood' video.</p>
<p>The current project aims at creating accurate 3-d HR diagrams (the third dimension being the location in the Milky Way) by deriving the temperature and luminosity for each star it this catalogue. This requires combining available photometry for each star from other catalogues, and fitting model atmospheres to the spectral energy distribution.</p>
<p>The results can be used to identify stars of particular interest, for instance stars with circumstellar dust [from] their formation or their final evolution, or the study of interstellar extinction. Depending on the interest of the student, the focus can be on the software development or on the analysis.</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-02-28T03:51:49.520Z
2024-02-28T03:51:49.520Z
Allure
<p>From <strong><a href="https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/questions/10387/open-problems-in-astronomy-that-an-amateur-with-a-phd-in-some-other-field-woul?rq=1">this</a></strong> related question:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Open problems in astronomy that an amateur (with a PhD in some other field) would have a chance of solving?</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p>What are some open problems in astronomy that an amateur would have a chance of solving? Suppose the amateur has a PhD in some other field, owns a basic telescope, a set of filters, diffraction gratings, cameras, and happens to know a lot about machine learning, signal processing, spectral estimation, statistics &amp; design of experiments, and basic physics and chemistry...</p>
</blockquote>
<p>I'd like to extend it to the <strong>question</strong>: what are some open problems in astronomy that a graduated BSc. in astronomy, physics, math, etc could contribute towards solving? Without the limitation of observational research only. One related resource could be this <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_unsolved_problems_in_astronomy" rel="nofollow noreferrer">List of unsolved problems in astronomy</a>.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-02-26T18:08:47.403Z
A person with a BSc who continues in science is a "normal" researcher. Any problem is suitable - which exactly depends on the individual skillsets and especially interests. Of course you may want to maybe address a smaller (sub)question, if your intention is to maybe first do a MSc...but these may be part of any question, too.
planetmaker
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-02-26T19:07:08.203Z
Don't need a degree. https://www.techtimes.com/articles/256565/20210201/new-exoplanets-tess-data-helps-two-high-school-students-discover.htm
John Doty
<astrophysics>
Open problems in astronomy that a BSc. could contribute / attempt to solve?
nuwe
# Open problems in astronomy that a BSc. could contribute / attempt to solve?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2024-02-26)

From **[this](https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/questions/10387/open-problems-in-astronomy-that-an-amateur-with-a-phd-in-some-other-field-woul?rq=1)** related question:

> Open problems in astronomy that an amateur (with a PhD in some other field) would have a chance of solving?

> What are some open problems in astronomy that an amateur would have a chance of solving? Suppose the amateur has a PhD in some other field, owns a basic telescope, a set of filters, diffraction gratings, cameras, and happens to know a lot about machine learning, signal processing, spectral estimation, statistics & design of experiments, and basic physics and chemistry...

I'd like to extend it to the **question**: what are some open problems in astronomy that a graduated BSc. in astronomy, physics, math, etc could contribute towards solving? Without the limitation of observational research only. One related resource could be this [List of unsolved problems in astronomy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_unsolved_problems_in_astronomy).

**Tags:** astrophysics
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: A person with a BSc who continues in science is a "normal" researcher. Any problem is suitable - which exactly depends on the individual skillsets and especially interests. Of course you may want to maybe address a smaller (sub)question, if your intention is to maybe first do a MSc...but these may be part of any question, too.  
> **username_2**: Don't need a degree. https://www.techtimes.com/articles/256565/20210201/new-exoplanets-tess-data-helps-two-high-school-students-discover.htm  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2024-02-28. Score: 2

You can find lots of such projects in faculty advertisements for MSc or PhD students.

[Example](https://rsaa.anu.edu.au/study/potential-projects), [example](https://www.jodrellbank.manchester.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/msc-projects/).

To quote one of those projects at random:

> The GAIA satellite is in the process of mapping the precise position and motion of nearly every star in the Milky Way. It is measuring the parallax of every star and uses this to obtain an accurate distance. The GAIA DR3 catalogue (2020) contains 2 billion stars. An example of its use is at 'Our solar neighbourhood' video.
>
> The current project aims at creating accurate 3-d HR diagrams (the third dimension being the location in the Milky Way) by deriving the temperature and luminosity for each star it this catalogue. This requires combining available photometry for each star from other catalogues, and fitting model atmospheres to the spectral energy distribution.
>
> The results can be used to identify stars of particular interest, for instance stars with circumstellar dust [from] their formation or their final evolution, or the study of interstellar extinction. Depending on the interest of the student, the focus can be on the software development or on the analysis.


---

