StarWhisper Telescope: an AI framework for automating end-to-end astronomical observations
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, 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.
Authors
- Xiaomeng Lü (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-6331-1557)
- Jie Zheng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6637-6973)
- Xinjie Hu
- J. H. Zou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-2680-5267)
- Yang Huang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3250-2876)
- Lin Du (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4915-4137)
- H. J. Mo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5356-2419)
- Beichuan Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-5324-2631)
- Yu Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2536-2641)
- Junjie Jin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8402-3722)
- Ning-Chen Sun (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4731-9698)
- Yunning Zhao
- Liyue Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6679-4411)
- Jian-Feng Tian (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0672-3579)
- Shengming Li
- Ying Wu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3257-9286)
- Yu Bai (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4740-3857)
- Ge Liang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7988-2143)
- Yuyang Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-5525-2982)
- Rui Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5403-1628)
- Xiaohan Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3252-6256)
- Jifeng Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2874-2706)
- Zheng Wang
- Min He (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6139-7660)
- Yiming Mao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3743-0525)
- Cunshi Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5941-3246)
- Yan-Song Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-1800-9608)
- Pengliang Du (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-0836-6732)
- Hong Wu
- Xunhao Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-2939-4168)
- Yongna Mao
- Haiyang Mu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-0716-0247)
- Shaoqi He
- Hang Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-0110-3178)
Institutions
- Tibet University (CN)
- Simon Fraser University (CA)
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Beijing Normal University (CN)
- National Astronomical Observatories (CN)
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Network Group (Czechia) (CZ)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Communications Engineering
- Published
- 2025-11-06
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s44172-025-00520-4
- Citations
- 2
- Primary Topic
- Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 2.31
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Chinese Academy of Sciences