StarWhisper Telescope: An AI framework for automating end-to-end astronomical observations

TL;DR

StarWhisper Telescope is an AI framework that automates the entire process of astronomical observations, from planning to data analysis, significantly reducing human effort and enabling scalable, autonomous survey operations.

Contribution

It introduces a novel AI agent system integrating large language models with modular workflows for end-to-end autonomous astronomical observations.

Findings

Successfully deployed on 10 amateur telescopes for supernova detection

Achieved real-time transient detection with promising response times

Provides a scalable blueprint for future large-scale autonomous telescope arrays

Abstract

The exponential growth of large-scale telescope arrays has boosted time-domain astronomy development but introduced operational bottlenecks, including labor-intensive observation planning, data processing, and real-time decision-making. Here we present the StarWhisper Telescope system, an AI agent framework automating end-to-end astronomical observations for surveys like the Nearby Galaxy Supernovae Survey. By integrating large language models with specialized function calls and modular workflows, StarWhisper Telescope autonomously generates site-specific observation lists, executes real-time image analysis via pipelines, and dynamically triggers follow-up proposals upon transient detection. The system reduces human intervention through automated observation planning, telescope controlling and data processing, while enabling seamless collaboration between amateur and professional astronomers. Deployed across Nearby Galaxy Supernovae Survey's network of 10 amateur telescopes, the StarWhisper Telescope has detected transients with promising response times relative to existing surveys. Furthermore, StarWhisper Telescope's scalable agent architecture provides a blueprint for future facilities like the Global Open Transient Telescope Array, where AI-driven autonomy will be critical for managing 60 telescopes.