The science that studies the physical properties and behavior of stars, planets, black holes, and other objects in space.
From Greek 'astro-' (star) + 'physics' (study of matter and energy). Coined in the 1800s as telescopes became powerful enough to analyze light from stars, merging astronomy with physics to understand not just where objects are, but how they work.
Astrophysics is how we know that stars are slowly dying and that black holes can actually spin at nearly the speed of light—by analyzing the light and radiation they emit, scientists became cosmic detectives. It's the bridge between asking 'what's that?' and answering 'how does it actually work?'
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