Do cosmologists also study some astronomy?
Because I've noticed this a lot when I watch videos, cosmologists (Stephen Hawking, Carl Sagan, etc.) also seem to talk a lot about astronomy as well. They talk about galaxies, stars, and you know what I mean. They even sometimes talk about extraterrestrials and time traveling! I'm just wondering because it would be cool as a cosmologist to study astronomy as well. Because even though I want to become a cosmologist, I really love astronomy too (Galaxies, stars, black holes, etc.).
Also, I have another question. What is exactly the difference between cosmology and cosmogony? Because they seem to mean the exact same thing! Both taken from dictionary.com:
Cosmology - "The branch of philosophy dealing with the origin and general structure of the universe, with its parts, elements, and laws, and esp. with such of its characteristics as space, time, causality, and freedom."
Cosmogony - "A theory or story of the origin and development of the universe, the solar system, or the earth-moon system."
So if you're a cosmologist, could you also be considered somewhat a cosmogonist (Or the other way around)?
Comments
Cosmology is a sub-field of astronomy; cosmologists have degrees in astronomy and/or physics. They are astronomers. Cosmology just refers to studying the origin and evolution of the universe, and many astronomers do that. Cosmology is not a major or even a PhD subject; you'd major in physics and take classes in astronomy, math, and computer science. Most people, even those of us who study cosmology, do not refer to ourselves as cosmologists or cosmogonists, just astronomers or astrophysicists.
Cosmology is largely a branch of astronomy, specifically the branch that deals with enormous scales of space, time and mass (i.e. on the scale of galaxies or larger). Cosmologists and astronomers are basically two sides of the same scientific community, and many scientists consider themselves to be both at once. Certainly any professional cosmologist would have a thorough educational grounding in astronomy.
As an undergraduate I was enrolled in a university which offered only one half course in astrophysics. I studied mathematics and physics instead. Nearly every major university offers mathematics and physics. Chemistry and geology are also useful. One of the most useful courses I took was a cartography course in the geography department, where I learned how to make charts and graphs, and learned to print legibly, all extremely useful skills in those pre-computer days.
Uh........Yeah.