astronomer
Americannoun
-
astronomers
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of astronomer
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English; see origin at astronomy, -er 1
Explanation
A scientist who studies the objects in the sky, including planets, galaxies, black holes, and stars, is called an astronomer. These days, the terms astronomer and astrophysicist are used interchangeably, to talk about any physicist who specializes in celestial bodies and the forces that affect them. Astronomers use telescopes and cameras to observe the stars and other objects in the sky, and they often use complicated math to make predictions and solve puzzles about their movements and locations. The Greek root, astronomia, literally means "star arrangement."
Vocabulary lists containing astronomer
Occupations
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Space Science (Astronomy) - Introductory
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astro, aster
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
It was while watching an eclipse on May 29, 1919 on the West African island of Principe that British astronomer Arthur Eddington confirmed Albert Einstein's theory of relativity.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
A Guernsey astronomer has urged people to make the most of a "once or twice in a lifetime" partial solar eclipse as the next total eclipse visible from the island is not due until 2081.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
Bothwell, the astronomer, also said the collision would provide a cautionary tale about the issue of ever-accumulating, human-made space clutter.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Built in Potsdam, Germany, for astronomer Erwin Finlay Freundlich to test the theory of relativity, the observatory’s curvaceous and flowing design captured the spirit of modern science.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
In rhetoric, we’re far closer to the astronomer than the mathematician.
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
However, they do not behave quite like the active galactic nuclei astronomers observe in the nearby universe.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026
The galaxy sits at redshift 2, meaning astronomers see it as it appeared roughly 3.3 billion years after the Big Bang.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026
Updated Python Notebook Tutorials that run server-side within SciServer Compute are also openly available to astronomers and members of the public under open-use principles.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026
More than 250 astronomers had gathered with islanders to watch the event.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
The exhibit’s close on December 31, 2000, is just when the astronomers on top of the hill crack open their champagne bottles to celebrate the turn of the millennium.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
