astronomer
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astronomer
A scientist whose profession is researching outer space, stars, planets, and other celestial bodies.
Der Astronom entdeckte mit seinem Teleskop einen neuen Kometen.
The astronomer discovered a new comet with his telescope.
The word is made up of 'Astro-' (Greek for star) and '-nom' (Greek for law/expert). So an Astronom (astronomer) is literally someone who knows the laws of the stars. It is part of the word family around 'Astronomie' (astronomy).
Schon als Kind wollte er Astronom werden und die Sterne erforschen.
Even as a child, he wanted to become an astronomer and study the stars.
'Astronom' (astronomer) belongs to the N-declension. This means that the word takes the ending '-en' in all cases except the nominative singular. This is a common mistake among learners.
Ich habe gestern einen Vortrag von einem berühmten Astronomen gehört.
Yesterday I heard a lecture by a famous astronomer.
Astronomers are often connected with certain verbs that describe their work. Typical examples are: observing the sky, researching stars, or using a telescope.
Der Astronom beobachtet jede Nacht den Himmel.
The astronomer observes the sky every night.
astronaut
'Astronaut' and 'Astronom' both have to do with outer space, but they refer to very different people. An 'Astronaut' is trained for space travel and can fly into space. An 'Astronom' researches outer space scientifically, for example stars and planets, but normally stays on Earth. The words are easy to confuse because they sound similar and are both connected with space. Memory aid: the astronaut flies into space; the astronomer studies space.
Am Abend erklärt der Astronom den Kindern, wie man den Mars am Himmel findet.
In the evening, the astronomer explains to the children how to find Mars in the sky.
Der Astronaut trainierte viele Monate für den Flug zur Raumstation.
The astronaut trained for many months for the flight to the space station.