Question: What is the major reason for you to study about this particular subject?

Monique Henson answered on 16 Nov 2015:

Because it’s cool! The only reason I’m studying physics is because it’s interesting. Physics is the tool we use to understand the entire Universe – from point-like particles, to mobile phone, to huge galaxies. The reason I’m doing astrophysics is because I think it’s where the best physics happens.

The environments we find in space – in stars, galaxies, black holes or galaxy clusters – are so extreme that lots of weird and wonderful things happen there. Whether it’s the formation of black holes when stars die, the creation of natural lasers (but in the microwave part of the spectrum) or even the pulses of light given by neutron stars spinning hundreds of times a second – all the best physics happens in space (in my opinion).