S T A R L E V E L S
StarLevels by StarThreader™ is a simple, intuitive system for measuring skills in astronomy. From a complete novice (StarLevel 1), to prodigal genius (StarLevel 40), this offers a way to track one's skills along lines of the bigger astronomy goals.
The StarLevel system should be thought of as EXPONENTIAL in scale: in starts out pretty easy, but advancing each step becomes MUCH more challenging than the last.
StarLevels is- and perhaps will always remain- a work in process. New discoveries will get made, new perspectives brought to discussion, perhaps even entire ways of understanding the universe may upend existing this framework. So please check back often!
Lastly, and perhaps crucial for those who do not have access to funds or educational resources: the StarLevels system features a cost dimension. Historically, astronomy has been a very expensive endeavor, with state of the art instruments and an exclusive academic community. Today, so much astronomy data has been generated that the professional astronomy community simply cannot keep up. Telescopes, data and computing resources make powerful tools available at far less cost and complexity.
The world needs your help unraveling mysteries of the universe.
Ready to level up?
StarLevels are divided into five major groups:
StarLevel 1-10:
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Where all of us start. Skills are self-assessed; we rely on honor system of trust. This is where most hobbyists who explore astronomy will find themselves most comfortable. |
StarLevel 11-20:
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Amateur Astronomer. A few more dedicated individuals will stick with the hobby to become quite skilled amateur astronomers. These persons will generally remain hobbyists with less interest in performing actual astronomical science. |
StarLevels 21-30: Astronomer |
These skills enable valuable scientific contributions to Astronomy. This is where professional, usually quite credentialed astronomers tend to reside. Peer-reviewed publications, publicly visible contributions, and other artifacts clearly demonstrate one's achievement of this level of skill. |
StarLevels 31-40:
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These people lead development of the most groundbreaking science of the cosmos. They cause us to rethink our understanding of the universe. They cause the rest of the astronomy community to embark upon new investigations, or perhaps revisit old ones to unravel new mysteries. |
StarLevel 40+:
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Hints of a multiverse, time travel, warp drives, extraterrestrial intelligent life. These ideas remain new to human recorded history. Expect higher StarLevels accordingly, in the not-so-distant future. |
Activities & Levels
| Activity | StarLevel | Est. Min. Cost | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Light focus on Moon | 1 | $500 | |
| Observe the moon with unaided eyes. | 1 | $0 | |
| Observe a bright nebula (e.g., Orion Nebula, M42). | 2 | $500 | |
| Identify a bright planet (Venus/Jupiter) unaided or with binoculars. | 2 | $0 | |
| Distinguish planets from stars by naked eye. | 3 | $0 | |
| Observe Saturn s rings for the first time. | 3 | $500 | |
| Successfully locate first Messier object beyond Orion. | 3 | $0 | |
| Observe a globular cluster (e.g., M13). | 3 | $500 | |
| Observe Andromeda Galaxy (M31). | 3 | $500 | |
| Capture first astrophotograph (Moon/planet). | 3 | $700 | |
| Use app/star chart to confirm identity | 3 | $0 | |
| Recognize 3 4 constellations without an app. | 4 | $0 | |
| Learn to star-hop between bright stars. | 4 | $0 | |
| Distinguish planets vs. stars by eye | 4 | $0 | |
| Capture first astrophoto (Moon/planet) | 4 | $700 | |
| Track an object manually for 10+ minutes. | 5 | $400 | |
| Balance a telescope | 5 | $400 | |
| Learn field of view, magnification, exit pupil basics. | 6 | $0 | |
| Observe phases of Venus. | 6 | $400 | |
| Observe Uranus with small telescope. | 6 | $400 | |
| Observe Neptune with small telescope. | 6 | $400 | |
| Sketch planetary or lunar features. | 6 | $0 | |
| Balance telescope by collimating and checking optics. | 6 | $400 | |
| Stack deep-sky image. | 6 | $0 | |
| Learn to star-hop between bright stars. | 6 | $0 | |
| Observe and sketch Moon phases. | 6 | $0 | |
| Use solar filter to observe the sun. | 7 | $450 | |
| Capture astrophotos and stack. | 7 | $500 | |
| Post-process images, document setup and method. | 7 | $0 | |
| Observe Jupiter s moons changing positions. | 7 | $500 | |
| Observe surface detail on Mars (polar cap or albedo marking). | 8 | $1,500 | |
| Observe/track a comet or asteroid. | 8 | $500 | |
| Estimate seeing and limiting magnitude. | 8 | $0 | |
| Observe nebula/cluster (M42, M13) | 8 | $500 | |
| Track object manually for 10+ min | 8 | $500 | |
| Observe a bright nebula or cluster (M42, M13). | 8 | $500 | |
| Perform a star test to evaluate collimation. | 9 | $500 | |
| Observe Mars detail / Venus phases | 9 | $500 | |
| Do first CCD/CMOS deep-sky image with stacking. | 9 | $700 | |
| Sketch planetary/lunar features | 9 | $500 | |
| Distinguish planets from stars by naked eye; note motion. | 9 | $0 | |
| Perform star test & collimate optics | 10 | $600 | |
| Observe variable star brightness | 10 | $0 | can see with unaided eye, in bright stars like Beetleguise |
| Get accepted into the Astrobiscuit BAT community | 11 | $1,500 | |
| Estimate seeing & limiting mag | 11 | $0 | |
| Measure FOV, magnification, exit pupil | 11 | $400 | |
| Identify a variable star and estimate brightness changes. | 12 | $0 | |
| Post-process and annotate astro images | 12 | $0 | This can be done with online or supplied astrophotography pictures and free software |
| Polar align an equatorial mount. | 12 | $1,500 | |
| Measure position of asteroid (astrometry). | 13 | $1,500 | |
| Capture and interpret basic stellar spectrum | 13 | $500 | could do broad spectral lines with simple camera; more precision will require spectral filters and monochrome camera |
| Estimate seeing and limiting magnitude, advanced observations | 14 | $1,500 | |
| Design and fabricate a useful telescope accessory | 15 | $400 | |
| Capture and stack deep-sky image. | 19 | $600 | |
| Measure exoplanet transit via photometry. | 20 | $3,000 | |
| Contribute and have accepted an observation to AAVSO/MPC database. | 21 | $600 | |
| Participate in citizen-science project (Zooniverse, Exoplanet Watch). | 21 | $0 | |
| Develop astro software / calibration tool | 22 | $0 | free software development tools and online astro data can be used for development |
| Coordinate multi-observer campaign | 23 | $180,000 | guesstimate of a reasonable minimum |
| Conduct & publish original observing study | 25 | $60,000 | likely involves- at minimum- membership into various technical communities and participation in technical interchanges like conferences, as well as publishing costs. |
| Detect or verify transient (nova/supernova). | 27 | $10,000 | |
| Invent or validate new observing method | 28 | $32,000,000 | |
| Design proven cosmological observing technology that advances the state of the art. | 28 | $0 | |
| investigate the WOW! Signal for natural cause | 29 | $0 | Investigating any phenomena can start at any level; however, this estimates that someone up to this level of astroscientific skill skill can investigate WOW! signal to identify a natural source based on available data and known techniques |
| investigate astronomy data for possible signs of extraterrestrial life (ruled out all natural causes) | 29 | $0 | Can start at any skill level; however, based on professional efforts to date, this has proven elusive and thus stands as potentially requiring skills at higher levels |
| perform aperture synthesis using radiotelescopes, to capture direct images of black holes | 30 | $2,000,000,000 | |
| Conduct and publish self-designed observing study. | 30 | $7,000,000 | |
| Conduct science with a capital level space telescope like James Webb Space Telescope | 30 | $11,000,000,000 | |
| perform aperture synthesis using optical telescopes | 31 | $25,000,000 | |
| Design & fabricate a novel telescope | 31 | $32,000,000 | |
| explore new, credible methods for observing and measuring the universe and cosmology | 32 | $0 | |
| Operate observations from a working stellarscope. | 32 | $100,000,000 | |
| Invent or validate new observing method. | 33 | $0 | |
| Propose testable cosmological hypothesis | 34 | $0 | |
| Coordinate multi-observer campaign; publish results. | 34 | $3,000,000 | |
| Design and fabricate a stellarscope | 35 | $150,000,000,000 | |
| Propose testable new astrophysical hypothesis. | 35 | $0 | |
| Observation triggers >1 yr professional study | 36 | $32,000,000 | the WOW! signal was found by volunteers, using existing telescope resources. Here we included an assumed cost to build and operate such a resource, regardless of volunteer staffed. |
| Contribute to optical/radio interferometry (multi-telescope synthesis). | 37 | $500,000,000 | |
| Investigate potential extraterrestrial signal/artifact. | 38 | $0 | Can be performed on existing data |
| Collect verifiable extraterrestrial evidence | 39 | $12,000,000,000 | |
| Create and perform a new test method that breaks modern cosmological theory | 40 | $12,000,000,000 | James Webb Space Telescope gives a benchmark on cost of new discoveries with new astronomy tools |
| Collect verifiable extraterrestrial evidence. | Close Encounters of the First Kind (CE1) | unknown | |
| Direct Observation of extraterrestrial life | Close Encounters of the Second Kind (CE2) | unknown | |
| Direct Contact | Close Encounters of the Third Kind (CE3) | unknown |