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.
Learning1
Teach astronomy or astrophysics.
+Design a 90-minute course session introducing radio astronomy techniques for graduate students, create three…
Teach astronomy or astrophysics.
+Design a 90-minute course session introducing radio astronomy techniques for graduate students, create three classroom demos of interferometry with real telescope data, a short coding tutorial for statistical error analysis, and upload the lesson and sample datasets before next Tuesday.
The tools that do the workPythonMicrosoft PowerPointESCOjob descriptionsO*NETWikipedia
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Analysing3
Study the formation of galaxies
+Draft a research plan to model galaxy formation from radio survey data, include hypothesis, required…
Study the formation of galaxies
+Draft a research plan to model galaxy formation from radio survey data, include hypothesis, required observations, statistical tests, a data-reduction pipeline for continuum and line emission, and a timeline for first results in six months.
The tools that do the workPythonjob descriptionsWikipedia
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Present research at conferences
+Assemble a 12-minute conference presentation of our latest radio survey results, emphasise methods,…
Present research at conferences
+Assemble a 12-minute conference presentation of our latest radio survey results, emphasise methods, uncertainties and key images, prepare speaker notes that answer likely reviewer questions, and export talk slides and high-res figures three days before the conference.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft PowerPointjob descriptionsO*NET
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Work with space engineers and data analysts
+Set up a joint meeting with the spacecraft systems lead and the data analytics team to resolve a timing…
Work with space engineers and data analysts
+Set up a joint meeting with the spacecraft systems lead and the data analytics team to resolve a timing offset in the radio-array telemetry, bring diagnostic plots, proposed calibration steps, and a one-week action plan to implement fixes.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft OfficePythonESCOjob descriptions
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The daily work16
Conduct photometry to measure light flux from objects
+Measure aperture photometry on the 6pm L-band observation of NGC 7027, subtract the median sky from each…
Conduct photometry to measure light flux from objects
+Measure aperture photometry on the 6pm L-band observation of NGC 7027, subtract the median sky from each frame, apply the primary beam correction, calculate fluxes with error bars from background variance, and save a table of source IDs, RA/Dec, flux and flux_error.
The tools that do the workPythonWikipedia
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Research the formation, structures, properties, and development of interstellar matter
+Compile and compare column density, temperature and molecular fraction from the Herschel and VLA runs for the…
Research the formation, structures, properties, and development of interstellar matter
+Compile and compare column density, temperature and molecular fraction from the Herschel and VLA runs for the Taurus cloud, fit radial profiles to the dense cores, test whether turbulent support explains the observed linewidths, and draft one-page results 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 the night shift at the array: verify receiver tuning and calibration scans, run the…
Carry out scientific research in observatory
+Plan and execute the night shift at the array: verify receiver tuning and calibration scans, run the scheduled spectral-line integrations on target list, monitor system temperature and flag bad baselines, then archive raw visibilities and a short observing log.
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Gather experimental data
+Perform the scheduled continuum and spectral observations for the 02:00–06:00 slot, run quick-look reductions…
Gather experimental data
+Perform the scheduled continuum and spectral observations for the 02:00–06:00 slot, run quick-look reductions to check detection significance, note weather and RFI in the log, and transfer flagged, time-stamped visibility files to the central archive.
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Perform theoretical research
+Develop and run the theoretical study comparing synchrotron emission predictions for pulsar wind nebulae…
Perform theoretical research
+Develop and run the theoretical study comparing synchrotron emission predictions for pulsar wind nebulae under three magnetic field configurations, calculate expected spectra and significance, and produce figures and a one‑page summary for the group meeting next Tuesday.
The tools that do the workPythonjob descriptions
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Conduct observational research
+Plan and execute the night campaign to observe PSR B1509–58, schedule two six‑hour tracks, set calibrator…
Conduct observational research
+Plan and execute the night campaign to observe PSR B1509–58, schedule two six‑hour tracks, set calibrator scans before and after each track, record system temperature and pointing logs, and deliver calibrated visibility files and a short observing log by Wednesday morning.
The tools that do the workLinuxPythonjob descriptions
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Create computer models of space phenomena
+Build and validate a magnetohydrodynamic model of a collapsing protostellar core, run parameter sweeps for…
Create computer models of space phenomena
+Build and validate a magnetohydrodynamic model of a collapsing protostellar core, run parameter sweeps for density and rotation rate to thirty simulations, output time‑series of magnetic field and synthetic radio maps, and archive the run metadata for later analysis.
The tools that do the workC++Pythonjob descriptions
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Develop software to interpret satellite data
+Design and implement the pipeline to ingest satellite telemetry, parse binary packets, apply calibration…
Develop software to interpret satellite data
+Design and implement the pipeline to ingest satellite telemetry, parse binary packets, apply calibration tables, detect transient events with a likelihood test, and produce cleaned event lists and an API for downstream analysis within six weeks.
The tools that do the workC++Pythonjob descriptions
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Publish research articles
+Write the paper reporting our VLA observations of the Galactic center: draft introduction and methods,…
Publish research articles
+Write the paper reporting our VLA observations of the Galactic center: draft introduction and methods, assemble figures and calibrated data tables, run the statistics on flux variability, circulate a full draft to Anna and Miguel for comment by next Friday, and prepare submission files for the journal.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Wordjob descriptions
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Collect electromagnetic radiation, gravitational waves, or particles from celestial objects
+Schedule and operate the wideband receiver to collect radio continuum and polarisation from the target field…
Collect electromagnetic radiation, gravitational waves, or particles from celestial objects
+Schedule and operate the wideband receiver to collect radio continuum and polarisation from the target field tonight, log antenna pointing and system temperature every thirty minutes, flag RFI in the raw files, and hand cleaned time‑series and spectra to the analysis team tomorrow morning.
The tools that do the workLinuxPythonWikipedia
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Analyze research data to determine its significance, using computers.
+Assess the latest 24-hour observation run, run the statistical tests and calibration checks, flag detections…
Analyze research data to determine its significance, using computers.
+Assess the latest 24-hour observation run, run the statistical tests and calibration checks, flag detections above five sigma, quantify false-alarm probability, and write a short significance summary for the paper and the PI by Tuesday noon.
The tools that do the workPythonLinuxO*NET
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Mentor graduate students and junior colleagues.
+Schedule weekly one-on-one meetings with Maya and Jorge, review their pipeline code and observing logs, set…
Mentor graduate students and junior colleagues.
+Schedule weekly one-on-one meetings with Maya and Jorge, review their pipeline code and observing logs, set concrete milestones for thesis chapters and conference abstracts, and send corrective reading and dataset assignments after each meeting.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft OfficeO*NET
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Raise funds for scientific research.
+Prepare a three-page research case and budget justification tied to next-year survey time, list required…
Raise funds for scientific research.
+Prepare a three-page research case and budget justification tied to next-year survey time, list required receiver upgrades and target science, and assemble it with preliminary plots to send to the foundation program officer by Friday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordMicrosoft ExcelO*NET
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Serve on professional panels and committees.
+Draft my position statement and conflict-of-interest disclosure, collect recent service contributions and…
Serve on professional panels and committees.
+Draft my position statement and conflict-of-interest disclosure, collect recent service contributions and reviewer reports, and circulate the packet to the committee chair and panel admin two weeks before the meeting.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordO*NET
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Conduct question-and-answer presentations on astronomy topics with public audiences.
+Create a one-hour public Q and A outline with three illustrated examples, prepare two simple demonstration…
Conduct question-and-answer presentations on astronomy topics with public audiences.
+Create a one-hour public Q and A outline with three illustrated examples, prepare two simple demonstration plots and a 10-minute live-observatory story, then upload the materials and speaker notes for distribution to the outreach coordinator.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft PowerPointO*NET
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Direct the operations of a planetarium.
+Update the planetarium season schedule, draft operations notes for opening and emergency procedures, order…
Direct the operations of a planetarium.
+Update the planetarium season schedule, draft operations notes for opening and emergency procedures, order replacement projector lamps with cost approvals, and send the operations packet to the facility manager and volunteer lead by Monday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft WordO*NET
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Says who?
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Activities this job lives in
The human activities behind the tasks — each with its honest AI ceiling.
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Shared with other careers — the same record means something different in each.
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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.
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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