Kastrofüüsika

Kastrofüüsika, the Lithuanian term for astrophysics, is a scientific discipline that applies the principles of physics and chemistry to understand the nature of celestial objects and phenomena. It seeks to explain the birth, life, and death of stars, the formation and evolution of galaxies, the composition and behavior of nebulae, and the vast structures that make up the universe. Kastrofüüsika uses observational data gathered from telescopes across the electromagnetic spectrum, including visible light, radio waves, X-rays, and gamma rays, as well as theoretical models and simulations to test hypotheses.

Key areas within kastrofüüsika include stellar evolution, which describes how stars form from interstellar gas and dust, fuse elements in their cores, and eventually exhaust their fuel, leading to various end states like white dwarfs, neutron stars, or black holes. It also encompasses cosmology, the study of the origin, evolution, and large-scale structure of the universe, including topics like the Big Bang theory, dark matter, and dark energy. The study of exoplanets, planets orbiting stars other than our Sun, is another rapidly growing field within kastrofüüsika, aiming to find and characterize potentially habitable worlds. Nuclear astrophysics investigates the nuclear processes that power stars and create the chemical elements found throughout the cosmos.