Learning path

Learning AI as an Astronomer

Astronomers spend hours on proposals, code, and referee replies. This path shows how AI can handle the drafts so you can focus on the science.

Beginner

Science and research

Start the path

Your path

Everything in the Astronomer AI kit, in the order that makes sense. Members tick off each step and see their progress.

Week 1 · 15 minutes to start

Set up your AI

We guide you through each click.

Add the Astronomer AI kit to your AIDownload it for your AI (it installs as a plugin) and follow the steps

Set-up

Optional: connect the AI CoachYour kit stays up to date by itself, plus a daily brief in your AI

AI Coach

Course: AI for AstronomersHow to talk to AI for your job

Prompt course

Try: Drafting Research TextLike "Draft or Refine a Research Abstract"

Prompts

Try: Explaining Astronomy ClearlyLike "Plain-Language Concept Explainer"

Prompts

Week 2

Let skills do your everyday tasks

AstropyRuns Python astronomy work on coordinates, units, FITS files, and cosmology, like converting a target list to a new epoch.

Skill

Writing clearly and conciselyCopyedits your draft for clarity and concision, like tightening a methods section that repeats the same calibration step.

Skill

Manuscript preparation assistantPolishes manuscripts for journal submission, from abstract and figures to references, like fixing AAS formatting before you upload.

Skill

Course: Break It Down: Least-to-Most, Plan-and-Solve and Tree of ThoughtsPrompt framework course

Certificate

Week 3

Connect your apps and pick your AI apps

Scholar MCP serverYour AI can search academic papers, read them, map citations, and save them into a personal library.

MCP server

arXiv MCP serverLets your AI search arXiv for research papers and pull up their details and full text.

MCP server

Bibby AIBibby AI is an AI co-author for researchers: smart autocomplete, one-click rewording and citation insertion from 200M+ papers, equation formatting, plus literat

AI app

ResearchGPTResearchGPT lets researchers quickly access insights from 282M+ papers, upload PDFs for instant Q&A, and automate literature reviews, presentations, and article

AI app

Course: How to Integrate ChatGPT into Microsoft ExcelVideo course

Certificate

Week 4

Hand whole tasks to AI agents

Research Data Intake Validation AgentA validated, reproducible working dataset with raw data untouched.

AI agent

Experiment Reproducibility Packaging AgentA tested reproduction bundle, with any remaining failures stated.

AI agent

Course: ChatGPT Power User Guide: Boost Productivity, Creativity & Research FastVideo course

Certificate

Week 5

Build your own tools

Reviewed research evidence and writing workspaceBuild a workspace where every claim in your paper links back to a source you can check.

App to build

AstropyAstronomical data analysis with Astropy: coordinates, units, FITS, cosmology, time, tables, WCS.

Grok Bot

Course: Stop Prompting AI Wrong: Context-First Prompt EngineeringVideo course

Certificate

Course: What is Generative AI and how does it work?Video course

Certificate

After that

Keep growing

AI Coach: your daily brief and weekly certificationNews, tools and one idea a day for astronomers

AI Coach

Decomposition PromptingTake the exam and get certified

Certificate

Integrating ChatGPT with Microsoft ExcelTake the exam and get certified

Certificate

Everything for astronomers

All the courses, certifications, AI tools, MCP servers and apps for astronomers, most relevant first. Open any list to see more.

About this learning path

6 topics

AI skills for astronomers who study the sky

Astronomy is a mix of long observations, careful analysis, and a lot of writing. AI can help with the writing and the reasoning, so you spend more time on the science.

This learning path is made for astronomers. It starts with simple setup questions, connects your AI, and then walks through the prompts that match your job.

Why AI matters for this job now
Telescope time is limited. Writing proposals, reducing data, and answering referees can take weeks. AI helps you draft faster and think through problems, without doing the science for you.
The tools are already good at explaining code, reading plots, and suggesting next steps. The path shows you how to use them in your daily work.
What the path includes
You begin with setup questions: what AI you have, what you want it to do, and how to keep your data safe. Then you connect your AI and learn the skills for the job inside your AI.
The prompt course is the heart: eight lessons that follow your real tasks, from drafting research text to preparing talks. You also get video courses picked for astronomers, with their certifications listed, so you can show what you have learned.
How it saves time
The prompts are built for the slow parts of astronomy: turning notes into text, debugging analysis code, and writing referee replies. When you use them well, an afternoon of drafting becomes an hour, and you still make the final calls.
The time you win back goes to observing, thinking, or rest.
How it protects the career
AI will not replace astronomers, but astronomers who use AI well will have an edge. This path teaches you to check the output, keep your voice, and stay honest about what the AI did.
You learn to use it as a tool, not a shortcut that risks your reputation.
How to start
Start with the setup questions. Then connect your AI and take the first lesson. Work through the prompt course in order, and try each prompt on a real task from your week.
The video courses and certifications come next, when you are ready.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to know how to code?
No. The path starts with plain questions and works up to coding help only if you want it. If you already code, the prompts will still save you time.
Will AI write my papers for me?
No. AI helps you draft, organize, and check your writing, but you stay the author. The lessons show how to use it as a thinking partner, not a ghostwriter.
How long does the path take?
Most people move through the prompt course in a few weeks, fitting it around observing runs and teaching. The video courses can be watched at your own pace.
Is my data safe?
The path covers privacy for astronomers, including what not to paste into a public AI. You will learn to keep unpublished data, telescope schedules, and personal notes out of the chat.

Start this path

Learn AI as an Astronomer, step by step

$99

10 AI courses in the right order
A certificate for LinkedIn after each exam
Ready-to-use prompts for astronomers
Plus the Astronomer AI kit and all 700+ courses

Start the path

The Astronomer AI kit

Every skill, prompt, AI agent and connection in the kit.

Open the AI kit →

At a glance

Type: Learning path
Level: Beginner
For: Science and research
Steps: 8
Video courses: 93
AI tools: 24
MCP servers: 12
Updated: October 9, 2026

Your learning path

The courses for your job, in the right order

Picked for your job from our 700+ courses
Every course ends in a certificate
Part of your job's AI kit, with skills and AI agents

500+ jobs · no sign-up to look

Watch, then get certifiedAn exam after every course and a certificate for LinkedIn.

Your path

Set up your AI

Let skills do your everyday tasks

Connect your apps and pick your AI apps

Hand whole tasks to AI agents

Build your own tools

Keep growing

Everything for astronomers

Take the prompt courses

Break It Down: Least-to-Most, Plan-and-Solve and Tree of Thoughts

AI for Astronomers (Prompt Course)

Watch the video courses or add them to your Favorites for later

How to Integrate ChatGPT into Microsoft Excel

ChatGPT Power User Guide: Boost Productivity, Creativity & Research Fast

Stop Prompting AI Wrong: Context-First Prompt Engineering

Imrpove Your Excel Skills with ChatGPT

Microsoft Copilot AI, Full Course For Beginners

What is Generative AI and how does it work?

How to Use ChatGPT from Beginner to Professional

AI in Word, PowerPoint, Excel with Microsoft Copilot

Google Gemini AI Free Course: Setup, Prompts, Tools & Gems

AI Fundamentals from Google Experts | Professional Certificate

Claude Cowork 101: Setup, Connectors & Automation (Free)

Understanding ChatGPT projects

Microsoft 365 Copilot Agent Builder: Create & Customize AI Agents Hands-On

Use AI in Research Writing Without Breaking Ethics Rules

How to Use Microsoft Copilot in Microsoft Word!

Excel Copilot Course

How to use GPT for Sheets Plugin in Google Sheets

How to use GPT for Docs Plugin in Google Docs

Claude AI Tutorial for Beginners: Build Your Complete AI Workflow

Google NotebookLM + Gemini Course: Deep Research & Workflows

ChatGPT Productivity Tips for Work

Microsoft Copilot in Outlook & Teams

How to Use ChatGPTs Custom Instructions

NotebookLM Essentials: Quick Guide to Features, Study Tools, and Workflows

ChatGPT Prompt Engineering: Proven Techniques for Powerful AI Results

How to use Google Sheets Built-in AI capabilities

Becoming an Ultimate Prompt Engineer Specialist (from Beginner to Profesional)

Perplexity AI Tutorial: Features, Search, and Troubleshooting Guide

GPT-5 Features Made Simple: Complete Beginner’s Guide to New Capabilities

NotebookLM Complete Guide: AI-Powered Data Analysis & Study Tools Tutorial

Google's 9 Hour AI Prompt Engineering Course In 20 Minutes

ChatGPT Agent Mode: Automate Workflows, Research, and Daily Tasks

Using Writing Prompts Like a Pro - Google Prompting Essential)

Microsoft AI Copilot in OneDrive

ChatGPT for Data Analytics: Full Course - from Beginners to Professional

Grok AI Essentials: Clear Prompting, Features, and Practical Strategies

ChatGPT Projects Course: Setup, Memory, Tools & Workflows

AI Data Analysis With LLMs: Clean, Explore, Automate

Excel Copilot: 20 Essential AI Features for Effortless Data Analysis & Productivity

Ultimate Guide to Bing AI Copilot

ChatGPT vs Gemini vs Grok: Ultimate Guide to Top AI Model Features & Comparison

ChatGPT Agent Mode: Features, Setup, and Powerful Use Cases Explained

How to Track Tasks with Microsoft Copilot

How to Use Claude 3.7 AI - Tips for Beginners!

Excel Formatting and AI Automation: Boost Productivity with Advanced Techniques

AI Inbox Agent: No-Code Email Automation for Beginners

Use AI as a Creative or Expert Partner | Google Prompting Essentials

Prompt Engineering Tutorial – Master ChatGPT and LLM Responses

Using AI for your Email handling

Advanced Prompt Engineering for LLMs: Workflows & Templates

How to Create your own Custom GPTs in ChatGPT for beginners

Data Analysis with Claude

AI & LLM Essentials: 20 Core Concepts in 40 Minutes

How to Use Google Gemini for Google Workspace to Boost Productivity

Learning with NotebookLM by Google

Why AI Adoption Stalls by Week 3-6 Management Skills That Work

Essential AI Skills: Prompt Engineering, Agents, Open-Source AI

Claude AI for Beginners: Complete Starter Guide

Become a Claude LLM Professional

Google's 8 Hour AI Essentials Course In 15 Minutes

xAI Grok 4 for Beginners: Prompts, Tools, Search & Grok Vision

AI-First Skills: Thrive in the Future of Work with Automation and Mastery

Build Your First AI Agent: A Simple Guide

Using Perplexity AI - AI-Powered Search Engine

Understanding and Effectively Using AI Reasoning Models

Python for AI & Data Science: Beginner Course with Projects

Practical AI for Environmental Research & Communication

How to choose the best LLM?