Astronomers
Overview
Introduction
Astronomers study the universe and its celestial bodies by collecting and analyzing data. They also compute positions of stars and planets and calculate orbits of comets, asteroids, and artificial satellites. They strive to explain how the universe came to exist, how elements formed, why galaxies look the way they do, and whether there is other life in the universe. Astronomers make statistical studies of stars and galaxies and prepare mathematical tables giving positions of the sun, moon, planets, and stars at a given time. They st...
Quick Facts
Median Salary
Employment Prospects
Minimum Education Level
Experience
Skills
Personality Traits
Earnings
Astronomers had median annual earnings of $127,930 in May 2023, according to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). Salaries ranged from less than $56,500 to $183,500 or more annually. The average salary for astronomers employed by federal, state, and local government agencies was $158,530. In 2024, NASA astronomers earned an average salary of $92,000, according to GlassDoor.
In May 2023, c...
Work Environment
Astronomers activities may center on the optical telescope. Most telescopes are located high on a hill or mountain and normally in a fairly remote area, where the air is clean and the view is not affected by lights from unrelated sources. There are more than 350 of these observatories in the United States.
Astronomers working in these observatories usually are assigned to observation fro...
Outlook
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) predicts that employment for astronomers will grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2032, with opportunities expected to be good in academia. It is important to note that astronomy is one of the smallest science fields. Only 200 new jobs are expected to be created in this field between 2022 and 2032, according to the DOL. Although job growth...