Astronomers apply equal measures of analytic thinking and imagination, logic and intuition, to answer the most fundamental questions about the cosmos: What are stars and planets? How did they evolve? Why does the night sky look the way it does? Does life exist among the stars? How did the universe get here? How will it end? If astronomy seems a rigorous science, it's because the objective of astronomers is nothing less than to understand the nature of the universe. It takes a special person to pursue this objective; one who likes to challenge and be challenged..