What it pays
Government survey numbers — not estimates, not ads.
Half of all Astronomers in the U.S. earn more than $128,820 a year — the middle 80% land between $78,010 and $195,190. About 2,120 people in the U.S. do this work. Figures are for the U.S. occupation group “Astronomers”. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics survey, published 2025.) In India, Professionals earn about ₹38,298 a month on average — around ₹4.6 lakh a year (government PLFS survey via ILOSTAT, occupation-family figure).
$128,820typical pay / year
2,120people in this work
$195,190+top 10% earn
₹4.6 lakha year in India (family avg)
Think you get this job?Six quick questions on how it really works — with a hint and the reason behind every answer.
Test yourself →The work, task by task
These are the real jobs-to-be-done, not a wish list. Each task shows where we found it, and the prompt underneath is written for that exact task.
Analysing2
Teach astronomy or astrophysics.
+Prepare a 75‑minute undergraduate lecture for Monday on exoplanet detection covering radial velocity and…
Teach astronomy or astrophysics.
+Prepare a 75‑minute undergraduate lecture for Monday on exoplanet detection covering radial velocity and transit methods, include three in-class problems and a one‑page reading list, then email the slides and notes to Course Coordinator Dr. Alvarez.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft WordESCOjob descriptionsO*NETWikipedia
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Study the formation of galaxies
+Draft a research plan to investigate cold gas inflow in high‑redshift galaxies, compile recent observational…
Study the formation of galaxies
+Draft a research plan to investigate cold gas inflow in high‑redshift galaxies, compile recent observational papers and simulation parameters, outline required telescope time and reduction steps, and send the plan to Professor Nakamura by Friday for feedback.
The tools that do the workPythonMicrosoft Wordjob descriptionsWikipedia
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Keeping the record2
Present research at conferences
+Assemble a 20‑minute conference talk on our recent dwarf galaxy metallicity gradients with methods, key…
Present research at conferences
+Assemble a 20‑minute conference talk on our recent dwarf galaxy metallicity gradients with methods, key plots, and open questions, export high‑resolution figures and a two‑slide backup for methods, then send the final slides and speaker notes to the observatory outreach officer.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft PowerPointjob descriptionsO*NET
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Work with space engineers and data analysts
+Set up a technical meeting with the propulsion team and data analysts for Tuesday to align on upcoming…
Work with space engineers and data analysts
+Set up a technical meeting with the propulsion team and data analysts for Tuesday to align on upcoming instrument calibration: attach current pipeline performance metrics, list required data formats, and assign follow‑ups to Systems Engineer Priet and Analyst Gomez.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft OfficeMicrosoft ExcelESCOjob descriptions
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The daily work16
Perform theoretical research
+Draft the theoretical paper exploring dark matter halo stability under non-linear perturbations, run the…
Perform theoretical research
+Draft the theoretical paper exploring dark matter halo stability under non-linear perturbations, run the stability calculations against the latest analytic approximations, and produce figures and a one-page methods summary for collaborators by next Tuesday.
The tools that do the workPythonjob descriptions
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Conduct observational research
+Schedule the night at the 2.5‑m telescope for the spiral galaxy program, prepare the observing script with…
Conduct observational research
+Schedule the night at the 2.5‑m telescope for the spiral galaxy program, prepare the observing script with target coordinates and exposure sequence, and generate a checklist for dome, guider and calibrations to hand to the night observer.
The tools that do the workLinuxjob descriptions
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Create computer models of space phenomena
+Build a three‑dimensional magneto‑hydrodynamic model of the protostellar jet, run parameter sweeps to match…
Create computer models of space phenomena
+Build a three‑dimensional magneto‑hydrodynamic model of the protostellar jet, run parameter sweeps to match observed velocity profiles, and export time‑series snapshots and diagnostic plots for the group meeting in two weeks.
The tools that do the workC++job descriptions
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Develop software to interpret satellite data
+Build the data ingest and processing pipeline to decode satellite telemetry, calibrate detector response, and…
Develop software to interpret satellite data
+Build the data ingest and processing pipeline to decode satellite telemetry, calibrate detector response, and output cleaned event lists plus a validation report so the science team can start analysis on Monday.
The tools that do the workPythonjob descriptions
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Publish research articles
+Prepare the manuscript of our exoplanet transit detection: assemble results, write introduction and methods…
Publish research articles
+Prepare the manuscript of our exoplanet transit detection: assemble results, write introduction and methods with statistical error analysis, format references for Monthly Notices, and circulate to co‑authors for comments by Friday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Wordjob descriptions
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Collect electromagnetic radiation, gravitational waves, or particles from celestial objects
+Plan and execute the multi‑instrument campaign to collect radio, optical and gravitational‑wave triggers for…
Collect electromagnetic radiation, gravitational waves, or particles from celestial objects
+Plan and execute the multi‑instrument campaign to collect radio, optical and gravitational‑wave triggers for the transient, confirm detector pointing and timing, log raw counts and environmental telemetry, and deliver calibrated datasets to the archive within 48 hours.
The tools that do the workLinuxWikipedia
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Analyze research data to determine its significance, using computers.
+Assess the latest observation set from the 2.5m telescope, run statistical tests to quantify signal…
Analyze research data to determine its significance, using computers.
+Assess the latest observation set from the 2.5m telescope, run statistical tests to quantify signal significance, flag questionable frames, write a one-page conclusion with p-values and recommended follow-up observations by Tuesday.
The tools that do the workPythonO*NET
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Mentor graduate students and junior colleagues.
+Schedule biweekly mentoring meetings for Mei and Javier, review their draft papers and pipelines beforehand,…
Mentor graduate students and junior colleagues.
+Schedule biweekly mentoring meetings for Mei and Javier, review their draft papers and pipelines beforehand, provide written feedback on methodology and a development plan for skills and publication targets this quarter.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft OfficeO*NET
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Raise funds for scientific research.
+Prepare a three-page research pitch summarising the new instrument capabilities, expected science returns,…
Raise funds for scientific research.
+Prepare a three-page research pitch summarising the new instrument capabilities, expected science returns, budget outline and key milestones, and assemble supporting figures and CVs to send to the agency program officer by next Friday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordMicrosoft ExcelO*NET
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Serve on professional panels and committees.
+Accept the invitation to the instrumentation panel, draft a one-page statement of conflict-of-interest and a…
Serve on professional panels and committees.
+Accept the invitation to the instrumentation panel, draft a one-page statement of conflict-of-interest and a two-paragraph bio, read the panel materials, and submit availability and preferred agenda topics before the committee deadline.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft OfficeO*NET
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Conduct question-and-answer presentations on astronomy topics with public audiences.
+Draft a one-hour Q&A plan for the public talk at the science centre: ten-minute intro with live sky images, a…
Conduct question-and-answer presentations on astronomy topics with public audiences.
+Draft a one-hour Q&A plan for the public talk at the science centre: ten-minute intro with live sky images, a short demo showing how we detect exoplanets, 30 minutes for audience questions, and two take-home resources to distribute.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft PowerPointO*NET
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Direct the operations of a planetarium.
+Produce an operational checklist and seasonal show schedule for the planetarium, assign staff shifts, verify…
Direct the operations of a planetarium.
+Produce an operational checklist and seasonal show schedule for the planetarium, assign staff shifts, verify projector maintenance tasks are booked, and publish the visitor-facing program and ticketing times for next month.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft OfficeO*NET
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Conduct photometry to measure light flux from objects
+Measure calibrated fluxes for the target list from last night’s CCD frames: subtract bias and dark, apply…
Conduct photometry to measure light flux from objects
+Measure calibrated fluxes for the target list from last night’s CCD frames: subtract bias and dark, apply flat field, perform aperture photometry with sky annulus, compute instrumental magnitudes and flux uncertainties, and export a vetted table of fluxes and errors.
The tools that do the workPythonWikipedia
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Research the formation, structures, properties, and development of interstellar matter
+Literature-review the chemistry and kinematics of cold interstellar clouds, compile recent observational…
Research the formation, structures, properties, and development of interstellar matter
+Literature-review the chemistry and kinematics of cold interstellar clouds, compile recent observational constraints and theoretical models, run statistical fits to column-density distributions, and draft a two-page results summary with key plots for the group meeting.
The tools that do the workPythonESCO
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Carry out scientific research in observatory
+Plan and execute tonight’s observing run at the 1.5m: finalise target priorities, upload instrument…
Carry out scientific research in observatory
+Plan and execute tonight’s observing run at the 1.5m: finalise target priorities, upload instrument configuration and exposure sequences, verify guiding and focus with a bright star, log start and end times, and note any anomalies for the run report.
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Gather experimental data
+Collect calibrated measurements for the survey field: record CCD exposures with specified filters and…
Gather experimental data
+Collect calibrated measurements for the survey field: record CCD exposures with specified filters and integration times, note environmental conditions and pointing, perform on-the-fly quality checks, and produce an observation log with file names and basic reductions.
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Says who?
These are the pages we read to build this. Open any of them and check us.
Activities this job lives in
The human activities behind the tasks — each with its honest AI ceiling.
The logs, files & records this job keeps
Shared with other careers — the same record means something different in each.
Related careers
Same family of work — each with its own tasks and prompts.
The LLOS Work Atlas is the world's largest evidenced task library — a map of human work, with a ready prompt behind every task. 1,774 careers · every task named by the sources that witnessed it — O*NET, ESCO, real job descriptions, Wikipedia — and the deepest tasks by several at once. And it is honest about limits: where AI cannot help, the map says so.
The rest of the map
Same library, five ways in.
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Built on public evidence: O*NET®, ESCO, Wikipedia, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ILOSTAT. All sources & licenses
Built on public evidence: O*NET®, ESCO, Wikipedia, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ILOSTAT. All sources & licenses