Astrochemistry Diorama Research

Occupation Description-Christine
● Provide a detailed description of what people in this occupation do?
Astrochemists investigate atmospheric phenomena and interpret meteorological data gathered
by surface and air stations, satellites, and radar to prepare reports and forecasts for public and
other uses.

Astrochemistry is the study of the chemical elements found in outer space, generally on larger
scales than the Solar System, particularly in molecular gas clouds, and the study of their
formation, interaction and destruction. As such, it represents an overlap of the disciplines of
astronomy and chemistry. On the Solar System scale, the study of chemical elements is usually
called cosmochemistry.

Astrochemistry involves the use of telescopes to measure various aspects of bodies in space,
such as their temperature and composition. Findings from the use of spectroscopy in chemistry
laboratories can be employed in determining the types of molecules in astronomical bodies (e.g.
a star or an interstellar cloud). The various characteristics of molecules reveal themselves in
their spectra, yielding a unique spectral representation corresponding for a molecule.

Research is progressing on the way in which interstellar and circumstellar molecules form and
interact, and this research could have a profound impact on our understanding of the suite of
molecules that were present in the molecular cloud when our solar system formed, which
contributed to the rich carbon chemistry of comets and asteroids and hence the meteorites and
interstellar dust particles which fall to the Earth by the ton every day.
○ http://occupations.careers.org/6256/astrochemist
○ http://www.astrochemistry.eu/ac/astrochem_astrochem.html

Required Education-Angelique
● What level of education or training is suggested for this occupation?
The level of education and training is to have a PhD in Astrology and Chemistry. You also need
formal (transcript) recognition that you are a qualified astrochemist. To become an Astrochemist
you would have to at least go to grad school. This means that you would at least have to have
a master’s degree.
○ http://astrochemistry.illinois.edu/concentration.php

Geographical Requirements-Christine
● Do you need to live in a specific location or environment to do this type of work? Why or
why not?
You do not need to live in a specific location or environment to be an astrochemist. This is
because you can work wherever there is a laboratory to conduct research. However as shown
in the salary section of our research it shows that most astrochemists live in major cities.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities-Angelique

 ● What knowledge, skills and/or abilities do you need to succeed at this career?
You do not technically have to have any specific knowledge, abilities, or skills to succeed in this
career. Having a background knowledge of chemistry, physics, math and geology can be a
great way to start off. But, you will need to have the ability to be able to work with others, this
means you have to have decent communication skills, so you can learn the skills of an
astrochemist.
○ http://library.thinkquest.org/C003763/index.php?page=astro02

Salary-Angelique
● How much money do people make in this career? Do people with more education or
training earn more money?
How much money you make in this career depends on where you live. Astrochemists in
Chicago, IL get paid $65,053 while astrochemists in Houston, TX get paid $87,243 a year. As
you can see there isn't really a definite salary. People in these states make different yearly
payments too:
New York-Manhattan, NY make $64,772 Dallas, TX make
$42,872
Phoenix, AZ make $71,038 Atlanta, GA make $72,637
Charlotte, NC make $68,442 Indianapolis, IN make $68,250
Orlando, FL make $82,844 Miami, FL make $74,614
People with more training earn more money.
○ http://www.salaryexpert.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Browse.Astrochemist-salary-
data-details&PositionId=111147

Additional Info-Angelique and Christine

● Please feel free to include any additional information you think is interesting or you think
people would know about this career.
Astrochemists use many tools to help them do their job. The main tool they use is a
spectroscope. This tool allows astrochemist to examine which part white light are absorbed by a
gemstone and other materials. There are two main spectroscopes. There is the Diffraction
Grating Spectroscope and the Prism Spectroscope. The diffraction spectroscope is used for the
diffraction of light. Differaction is the dispersion of white light into its spectral colors. The prism
spectroscope is used for the dispersion of light. Dispersion is the splitting up of white light into
its individual wavelengths which is what we see as colors.

They also use radio telescopes to discover new interstellar species. Radio telescopes measure
the radio waves an object or species emits.
○ http://gemologyproject.com/wiki/index.php?title=Spectroscope
○ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrochemistry