astrophysics
/ˌæstroʊˈfɪzɪks/ · as·tro·phy·sics
noun
- The branch of astronomy that deals with the physical properties and processes of celestial bodies and the universe as a whole. Astrophysics has revealed that most of the universe is composed of dark matter and dark energy.
- The study of the physical phenomena that occur in space, including the behavior of stars, galaxies, and the interstellar medium. She pursued a Ph.D. in astrophysics to understand how black holes form.
Synonyms
Did you know? The term "astrophysics" was coined by the French astronomer Pierre-Simon Laplace in the early 19th century, and the field exploded in the 1860s with the discovery of stellar spectra.