---
name: astronomer
description: "Occupational skill for the role 'astronomer' (also: astronomers, astronomy research scientist, astronomy science researcher, astronomy researcher, astronomy scholar, astrophysicist). Use when the user asks for typical astronomer work such as: Review scientific proposals and research papers.; Serve on professional panels and committees.; Mentor graduate students and junior colleagues."
---

# Astronomer

Astronomers research the formation, structures, properties, and development of celestial bodies and interstellar matter. They use ground-based equipment and space-based equipment to collect data about the space for research purposes.

## Core workflow

1. Review scientific proposals and research papers.
2. Serve on professional panels and committees.
3. Mentor graduate students and junior colleagues.
4. Supervise students' research on celestial and astronomical phenomena.
5. Conduct question-and-answer presentations on astronomy topics with public audiences.
6. Study celestial phenomena, using a variety of ground-based and space-borne telescopes and scientific instruments.
7. Analyze research data to determine its significance, using computers.
8. Present research findings at scientific conferences and in papers written for scientific journals.

## How to use this skill

- Read [references/profile.md](references/profile.md) for the occupation profile and scope.
- Consult [references/tasks.md](references/tasks.md) for the full task and activity inventory.
- Check [references/skills.md](references/skills.md) for essential vs. optional competences.
- Check [references/tools.md](references/tools.md) for the software commonly used in this role.
- See [references/ai-skills.md](references/ai-skills.md) — matched external AI agent skills (per-source attribution).

## Key competences (essential)

- apply for research funding
- apply research ethics and scientific integrity principles in research activities
- apply scientific methods
- apply statistical analysis techniques
- astronomy
- carry out scientific research in observatory
- communicate with a non-scientific audience
- conduct research across disciplines
- demonstrate disciplinary expertise
- develop professional network with researchers and scientists
- disseminate results to the scientific community
- draft scientific or academic papers and technical documentation
- evaluate research activities
- execute analytical mathematical calculations
- gather experimental data

## Hot technologies

- IBM SPSS Statistics
- SAS
- The MathWorks MATLAB
- Apache Hadoop
- Structured query language SQL
- C
- C++
- Oracle Java
- Python
- R

---
*Sources: ESCO v1.2.1 (http://data.europa.eu/esco/occupation/57a12047-4f1e-40ed-add5-9736923f231b), O*NET 30.3 (19-2011.00). See manifest.json for licensing/attribution.*