ABSTRACT
Modern astronomy/astrophysics is a computationally driven discipline. During the 1980s, it was said that an astronomer would choose a computer over a telescope if given the choice of only one tool. However, just as it is impossible to separate “astronomy” from astrophysics, most astrophysicists would no longer be able to separate the computational components of astrophysics from the processes of data collection, data analysis, and theory. The links between astronomy and computational astrophysics are so close that a discussion of computational astrophysics is essentially a summary of the role of computation in all of astronomy. We have chosen to concentrate on a few specific areas of interest in computational astrophysics rather than attempt the monumental task of summarizing the entire discipline. We further limit the context of this chapter by discussing astronomy rather than related disciplines such as planetary science and the engineering-oriented aspects of space science.
