Professional astronomers are highly educated individuals who typically have a PhD in physics or astronomy and are employed by research institutions or universities.
pɹəfˈɛʃənəl ɐstɹˈɑːnəmɚz ɑːɹ hˈaɪli ˈɛdʒuːkˌeɪɾᵻd ˌɪndᵻvˈɪdʒuːəlz hˌuː tˈɪpɪkli hæv ɐ pˌiːˈeɪtʃ dˈiː ɪn fˈɪzɪks ɔːɹ ɐstɹˈɑːnəmi ænd ɑːɹ ɛmplˈɔɪd baɪ ɹᵻsˈɜːtʃ ˌɪnstɪtˈuːʃənz ɔːɹ jˌuːnɪvˈɜːsᵻɾiz.