Where amateurs can contribute, and how a discovery gets confirmed

I.Scope and status

This guide covers six areas of astrophysics where people outside professional astronomy produce results that researchers use, with the public data, free software and official reporting channel for each. Public Frontier opens with exoplanets and adds the other areas later. The outside projects below are open now unless noted.

We checked everything on 8 October 2026. During 2026 the main exoplanet candidate database tightened its upload rules,[1][1] ExoFOP (2026). ExoFOP News, entries of 31 March 2026 and 19 August 2026. NASA Exoplanet Science Institute. exofop.ipac.caltech.edu and the newest large survey telescope went off sky after a storm.[2, 3][2] Rubin Observatory (2026). Winter Storm in Chile. Rubin Community Forum, posts of 15 and 20 July 2026. rubin.community[3] Rubin Observatory (2026). Summit technical progress, week ending 2 October 2026. Rubin Community Forum. rubin.community Check the footnotes before you rely on a rule.

A signal in your data is a candidate. It becomes a result once other people check it through a recognised channel.

II.Exoplanets by the transit method

When a planet passes in front of its star, the star dims slightly, and the dip repeats every orbit.[4][4] Planet Hunters TESS (2026). Research. Zooniverse. zooniverse.org Astronomers call the record of a star's brightness over time a light curve.[4]

A.Data and tools

NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has observed since April 2018.[5][5] Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (2026). TESS mission page. Space Telescope Science Institute. archive.stsci.edu Its light curves, pixel files and full-frame images are public at the Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (MAST), whose TESScut service cuts image time series from the full-frame images at any position.[5] Kepler and K2 data sit in the same archive.[6][6] Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (2026). Kepler mission page. Space Telescope Science Institute. archive.stsci.edu

Lightkurve is a Python package for analysing Kepler and TESS light curves, and it also handles data from a backyard telescope.[7][7] Lightkurve developers (2026). Lightkurve documentation. lightkurve.github.io The BoxLeastSquares class in Astropy searches a light curve for periodic, box-shaped dips.[8][8] Astropy Project (2026). Box Least Squares (BLS) Periodogram. Astropy v8.0.1 documentation. docs.astropy.org Transit Least Squares (TLS) fits a more realistic transit shape, and its authors report about 10 percent higher detection efficiency than a box search at similar false alarm rates.[9][9] Hippke, M., and Heller, R. (2026). Transit Least Squares repository and README, including "What's new in TLS 2.0". GitHub. github.com eleanor builds corrected light curves for any star in the TESS full-frame images.[10][10] Feinstein, A. D., et al. (2026). eleanor repository and README. GitHub. github.com

Finding a dip is the easy part. Vetting asks what else could have made it. LEO-Vetter runs pass or fail tests that separate planet candidates from false alarms, such as instrument noise, and false positives, such as eclipsing binaries.[11][11] Kunimoto, M., et al. (2026). LEO-Vetter repository and README. GitHub. github.com The Space Telescope Science Institute publishes exovetter, a Python package of similar tests.[12][12] Space Telescope Science Institute (2026). exovetter: Exoplanet Vetting. GitHub. github.com TRICERATOPS estimates the probability that a candidate is a false positive, including a dip that comes from a neighbouring star.[13][13] Giacalone, S., et al. (2020). Vetting of 384 TESS Objects of Interest with TRICERATOPS and Statistical Validation of 12 Planet Candidates. arXiv:2002.00691, published in The Astronomical Journal 161, 24 (2021). arxiv.org

B.Reporting channels

Planet Hunters TESS on Zooniverse is the easiest way in. Volunteers mark transit-like dips in TESS light curves, and the science team vets the best events.[14][14] Eisner, N. L., et al. (2020). Planet Hunters TESS II: Findings from the first two years of TESS. arXiv:2011.13944, published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. arxiv.org In its first two years, more than 22,000 volunteers took part and the team presented 90 new planet candidates.[14] Its transit workflow is open in October 2026.[15][15] Planet Hunters TESS (2026). Project page. Zooniverse. zooniverse.org

ExoFOP, run by the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute, is where the community shares follow-up data on planet candidates.[16][16] ExoFOP (2026). Welcome to ExoFOP. NASA Exoplanet Science Institute. exofop.ipac.caltech.edu Its community list includes CTOIs, Community TESS Objects of Interest, which are signals in TESS data that the TESS project has not flagged.[17][17] ExoFOP (2026). Guidelines for submitting community planet candidates. NASA Exoplanet Science Institute. exofop.ipac.caltech.edu ExoFOP paused new candidate uploads on 31 March 2026 and reopened on 19 August with two conditions.[1] A candidate must first appear in a peer-reviewed journal with online access, and the uploader needs prior approval.[1] A Research Note of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) qualifies only if it cites a detection and vetting method already published in a peer-reviewed journal.[17] Each upload needs the paper's URL and at least two of orbital period, transit midpoint time and transit depth.[17] The TESS working group considers a CTOI only if the transit duration is given too.[17] You must first check that the signal is not already a TOI, a CTOI or a confirmed planet.[17]

Accounts need approval too.[18][18] ExoFOP (2026). Request an Account. NASA Exoplanet Science Institute. exofop.ipac.caltech.edu Applicants should be doing work "at a level consistent with publication in a professional journal" and must name an affiliation.[18] For an amateur, the road to ExoFOP now runs through a published paper.[17]

Telescope owners can help test candidates. Sub Group 1 (SG1) of the TESS Follow-up Observing Program (TFOP) takes ground-based light curves that expose eclipsing binaries near a target.[19][19] TESS Follow-up Observing Program Working Group (2026). TFOP Overview. MIT TESS mission site. tess.mit.edu Membership is open to the community.[20][20] ExoFOP (2026). ExoFOP Help, section on the TFOP Working Group. NASA Exoplanet Science Institute. exofop.ipac.caltech.edu Applicants email the sub group chair, accept the TFOP charter and publication policy, and describe their equipment.[21][21] TESS Follow-up Observing Program Working Group (2026). Apply to Join TFOP. MIT TESS mission site. tess.mit.edu Citizen scientists include two or three example transit light curves.[21] SG1 prefers guided telescopes with pixel scales of 1 arcsecond or finer.[21]

NASA's Exoplanet Watch is a gentler start. Participants observe transits of known planets or request data from robotic telescopes, reduce the images with the free EXOTIC software, and upload light curves to the AAVSO Exoplanet Database.[22][22] NASA Science (2026). Exoplanet Watch. science.nasa.gov If a paper uses your light curve, you become a co-author.[23][23] NASA Science (2026). Exoplanet Watch Overview. science.nasa.gov

C.From candidate to confirmed planet

Several TFOP sub groups each hunt one kind of impostor.[19] Seeing-limited photometry catches nearby eclipsing binaries, reconnaissance spectroscopy catches spectroscopic binaries, and high-resolution imaging finds close companions.[19] Precise radial velocities, the slight motion a planet's pull gives its star along our line of sight, then yield the planet's mass.[19] SG4 asks for radial velocity precision better than a few metres per second.[21]

When nobody can measure a mass, astronomers can validate a planet statistically.[13] TRICERATOPS, for example, calls a candidate validated when its false positive probability is below 0.015 and the probability of a signal from a nearby star is below 0.001.[13]

The NASA Exoplanet Archive counts an object as a planet when its mass, or minimum mass, is at most 30 Jupiter masses, it is not free-floating, follow-up makes a false positive unlikely, and the result is accepted in the peer-reviewed literature.[24][24] NASA Exoplanet Archive (2024). Exoplanet Criteria for Inclusion in the Exoplanet Archive. NASA Exoplanet Science Institute. exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu On 8 October 2026 it listed 6,445 confirmed planets, 1,000 of them found with TESS data.[25][25] NASA Exoplanet Archive (2026). 2026 Exoplanet Archive News, entries of 3 September and 8 October 2026. NASA Exoplanet Science Institute. exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu Listings can change. In September 2026 the archive moved WASP-126 c to its false positive list after a published refutation.[25]

III.Variable stars and eclipsing binaries

A variable star changes in brightness. In an eclipsing binary, two stars take turns blocking each other's light.[26][26] TESS Science Support Center (2026). Citizen Science. NASA HEASARC. heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov

The American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) holds over 54 million observations sent in by observers worldwide.[27][27] AAVSO (2026). The AAVSO International Database. American Association of Variable Star Observers. aavso.org Its International Variable Star Index (VSX) catalogues over 10.2 million variable stars.[28][28] AAVSO (2026). The International Variable Star Index (VSX). American Association of Variable Star Observers. aavso.org

The third Gaia data release (DR3) includes variability results for 10.5 million sources, among them about 2.2 million eclipsing binary candidates.[29][29] ESA Gaia (2022). Gaia Data Release 3 contents summary. European Space Agency. cosmos.esa.int Gaia DR4 is due on 2 December 2026.[30][30] ESA Gaia (2026). Gaia Data Release Scenario. European Space Agency. cosmos.esa.int The Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) released 5.32 billion light curves in January 2026 through NASA's IRSA archive.[31, 32][31] Zwicky Transient Facility (2026). ZTF Public Data Releases. Caltech. ztf.caltech.edu[32] NASA/IPAC Infrared Science Archive (2026). Zwicky Transient Facility. IRSA. irsa.ipac.caltech.edu ASAS-SN Sky Patrol 2.0 serves continuously updated light curves for 111 million targets.[33][33] Hart, K., et al. (2023). ASAS-SN Sky Patrol V2.0. arXiv:2304.03791. arxiv.org Beginners can classify folded light curves in SuperWASP Variable Stars on Zooniverse.[34][34] SuperWASP Variable Stars (2026). Project page. Zooniverse. zooniverse.org

VSX accepts new variables from your own observations or from survey data, and its moderators expect your own period analysis for data-mined finds.[35][35] AAVSO (2026). VSX: Submitting Variables to VSX. American Association of Variable Star Observers. aavso.org A submission needs an accurate position, preferably from Gaia, the variability type and range, the period and epoch for periodic stars, and a light curve or phase plot.[35] New users may submit one star until it is approved, and nobody may submit more than five a week.[35] The guidelines are frank about rewards. You "will get little or no credit for discovering a new variable star".[35]

IV.Transients

Transients appear or change quickly. Supernovae are stellar explosions that last weeks to months.[36][36] Supernova Hunters (2026). Project page. Zooniverse. zooniverse.org Kilonovae follow collisions of neutron stars and black holes.[37][37] Kilonova Seekers (2026). Project page. Zooniverse. zooniverse.org In a tidal disruption event, a galaxy's central black hole tears apart a passing star.[38][38] Zwicky Transient Facility (2026). ZTF Science Themes: TDEs and AGNs. Caltech. ztf.caltech.edu

ZTF's public survey covers the northern sky every two nights and sends alerts, automatic notices of change, to brokers in real time.[31] Its current phase runs until 31 December 2026.[31] Brokers filter and classify alerts.[39][39] Rubin Observatory (2026). Alert Stream. How Rubin works. rubinobservatory.org ALeRCE, Fink and ANTARES process alerts from both ZTF and the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, and Lasair serves Rubin alerts.[40, 41, 42, 43][40] ALeRCE (2026). Automatic Learning for the Rapid Classification of Events. alerce.science[41] Fink Collaboration (2026). Fink broker home page. fink-broker.org[42] NSF NOIRLab (2026). ANTARES alert broker. antares.noirlab.edu[43] Lasair (2026). Rubin Transient Alerts. lasair.lsst.ac.uk ALeRCE's SN Hunter tool targets young supernovae.[40]

Rubin's first world-public alerts reached its seven community brokers on 24 February 2026.[44][44] NSF NOIRLab (2026). NSF-DOE Rubin Observatory Celebrates First Public Alerts. Announcement sci26008, 25 February 2026. noirlab.edu Its ten-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) formally began at the end of June.[45, 46][45] Rubin Observatory (2026). The LSST has started! Rubin Community Forum, 30 June 2026. rubin.community[46] Rubin Observatory (2026). Survey Progress. Rubin Observing Strategy documentation. survey-strategy.lsst.io In mid-July a winter storm forced staff to evacuate the summit.[2] On 2 October the observatory was still off sky. The team had no return date yet but expected to be back on sky within a few weeks, and the Rubin stream carries no new alerts until observing resumes.[3]

The Transient Name Server (TNS) is the official IAU channel for reporting new transients such as supernova candidates, and amateurs can register.[47, 48][47] Transient Name Server (2026). Home page. IAU Supernova Working Group. wis-tns.org[48] Transient Name Server (2026). TNS Getting started. IAU Supernova Working Group. wis-tns.org A discovery report gives coordinates, a discovery brightness measurement and, where possible, the last observation without the object.[48] A new object gets the prefix AT, which becomes SN only after a spectrum classifies it, and every classification report must include that spectrum.[48] Since the end of 2024, tidal disruption events take the prefix TDE.[49][49] Transient Name Server (2025). New features and components in TNS 2.0. TNS Newsfeed, 1 January 2025. wis-tns.org The formal discoverer is the reporter whose report becomes public first.[48] Galactic nova candidates do not belong on TNS.[47] They go to the confirmation page of the Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams.[35, 50][50] Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams (2026). Transient Objects Confirmation Page. cbat.eps.harvard.edu

Kilonova Seekers on Zooniverse shows volunteers new candidates from the GOTO telescopes on La Palma and in Australia, with fresh data every 15 minutes.[37] Supernova Hunters, built on Pan-STARRS data, has run out of data and is paused.[36]

V.Galaxies and gravitational lenses

Galaxy Zoo volunteers classify galaxies by shape, and in October 2026 the project's workflows use JWST images and early Rubin data.[51][51] Galaxy Zoo (2026). Project page. Zooniverse. zooniverse.org The Legacy Surveys cover about 31,000 square degrees of sky beyond our galaxy,[52][52] Legacy Surveys (2026). DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys. legacysurvey.org and their Sky Browser lets anyone pan across them, switch on infrared unWISE layers and overlay a custom catalogue.[53][53] Legacy Surveys (2026). Legacy Survey Sky Browser. legacysurvey.org The first DESI data release, from March 2025, holds 18.7 million new spectra.[54][54] DESI Collaboration (2026). DESI Data Releases. data.desi.lbl.gov The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) has published DR20 and keeps earlier releases online.[55][55] Sloan Digital Sky Survey (2026). SDSS-V home page. sdss.org

A strong gravitational lens is a massive galaxy whose gravity bends light from a more distant galaxy into arcs or multiple images.[56][56] Space Warps (2026). Research. Space Warps: ESA Euclid, Zooniverse. zooniverse.org Only about one massive galaxy in a thousand lines up well enough.[56] Ordinary galaxies can fool computers by looking like distorted background galaxies, so Space Warps adds human judgement to machine scores.[56] Its Euclid search finished its latest round on 17 September 2026.[57][57] Space Warps (2026). Space Warps: ESA Euclid project page, update of 17 September 2026. Zooniverse. zooniverse.org

Euclid's public data so far are the early release observations of May 2024 and the quick releases Q1 (March 2025) and Q2 (June 2026).[58][58] ESA Euclid (2026). Data. European Space Agency. cosmos.esa.int The first large release, DR1 Foundation, is planned for 12 November 2026 and will cover about 1,900 square degrees.[59, 60][59] ESA Euclid (2026). Euclid Timeline. European Space Agency. cosmos.esa.int[60] ESA Euclid (2026). Euclid Data Release DR1: update, published 15 June 2026. European Space Agency. cosmos.esa.int ESA calls the date tentative.[59]

For galaxies and lenses, the reporting route is the project itself. You flag an object on the project's Talk forum, where the research team reads it.[51] Before you claim a new lens, search the Strong Lensing Database (SLED).[61][61] Strong Lensing Database (2026). SLED home page. American Museum of Natural History. sled.amnh.org

VI.Asteroids and comets

The IAU Minor Planet Center (MPC) collects positions of asteroids and comets.[62][62] Minor Planet Center (2026). Guide to Minor Body Astrometry. International Astronomical Union. minorplanetcenter.net Reporting requires an observatory code, and earning one is a skills test.[62] You submit three to five measurements per night, on two nights, of at least ten numbered near-Earth asteroids fainter than magnitude 16, in the ADES format, with a request form.[62] The MPC calls the older report format obsolete for new codes and recommends Gaia catalogues for reference stars.[62]

Possible near-Earth asteroids go on the NEO Confirmation Page so other observers can follow them up.[62, 63][63] Minor Planet Center (2026). The NEO Confirmation Page. International Astronomical Union. minorplanetcenter.net Before you report anything new, check its position with MPChecker, which lists known minor planets near a given position and date.[64][64] Minor Planet Center (2026). MPChecker: Minor Planet Checker. International Astronomical Union. minorplanetcenter.net

The IRSA Moving Object Search Tool finds ZTF images along a solar system object's path.[32] The MPC warns that synthetic tracking software, which combines many images to reveal faint moving objects, can turn noise into false detections.[62] It asks only for detections that would survive independent review.[62] The International Astronomical Search Collaboration runs month-long campaigns in which teams search images for asteroids and prepare MPC reports.[65][65] International Astronomical Search Collaboration (2026). IASC home page. iasc.cosmosearch.org On Zooniverse, Active Asteroids and Rubin Comet Catchers ask volunteers to spot tails or comas on known small bodies.[66, 67][66] Active Asteroids (2026). Project page. Zooniverse. zooniverse.org[67] Rubin Comet Catchers (2026). Project page. Zooniverse. zooniverse.org

VII.Brown dwarfs and nearby stars

Brown dwarfs are balls of gas that never became stars, with masses between those of stars and planets.[68][68] Backyard Worlds: Cool Neighbors (2026). Project page. Zooniverse. zooniverse.org They are so dim that searches use infrared images from NASA's WISE telescope.[68] Volunteers look for objects that move between WISE images taken at different times.[69][69] Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 (2026). Project page. Zooniverse. zooniverse.org

Backyard Worlds: Cool Neighbors is the live search.[68] Its parent project, Backyard Worlds: Planet 9, is out of data while the team prepares a new batch.[69] WiseView, run by the American Museum of Natural History, blinks unWISE images, which are unblurred stacks of WISE exposures, at any position.[70, 71][70] American Museum of Natural History (2026). WiseView. byw.tools[71] Lang, D. (2026). unWISE: unofficial, unblurred coadds of the WISE imaging. unwise.me The CatWISE2020 catalogue lists 1.89 billion sources with measured motions, accurate to about 20 milliarcseconds per year at W1 magnitude 15.[72][72] Marocco, F., et al. (2020). The CatWISE2020 Catalog. arXiv:2012.13084, published in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. arxiv.org

The Backyard Worlds FAQ sets out the reporting path.[73][73] Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 (2026). FAQ. Zooniverse. zooniverse.org Mark the moving object in every frame, describe it on Talk with its coordinates, and search SIMBAD within 1 arcminute.[73] SIMBAD tags known high proper motion stars, which drift quickly across the sky, as PM*.[73] If SIMBAD does not list your object, fill in the project's discovery form.[73]

VIII.Is it already known?

Search these services at your candidate's position before you report. Use an area search, because positions in older catalogues can be off.[35]

• SIMBAD, https://simbad.cds.unistra.fr/simbad/, collects published information about objects.[74][74] CDS (2026). SIMBAD Astronomical Database. Université de Strasbourg. simbad.cds.unistra.fr
• VizieR, https://vizier.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/VizieR, searches about 32,000 published tables by position.[75][75] CDS (2026). VizieR. Université de Strasbourg. vizier.cds.unistra.fr
• The NASA Exoplanet Archive Planetary Systems table, https://exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu/cgi-bin/TblView/nph-tblView?app=ExoTbls&config=PS, lists confirmed planets.[76][76] NASA Exoplanet Archive (2026). Planetary Systems table. NASA Exoplanet Science Institute. exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu
• The ExoFOP TOI list, https://exofop.ipac.caltech.edu/tess/view_toi.php, covers candidates flagged by the TESS project.[77][77] ExoFOP (2026). TESS Objects of Interest. NASA Exoplanet Science Institute. exofop.ipac.caltech.edu
• The ExoFOP community candidate list, https://exofop.ipac.caltech.edu/tess/view_ctoi.php, held 5,138 entries in October 2026.[78][78] ExoFOP (2026). Community Planet Candidates. NASA Exoplanet Science Institute. exofop.ipac.caltech.edu
• TNS search, https://www.wis-tns.org/search, covers reported transients and classified supernovae.[48]
• MPChecker, https://minorplanetcenter.net/cgi-bin/checkmp.cgi, lists known minor planets near a position.[64]
• VSX search, https://www.aavso.org/vsx/index.php?view=search.top, covers known and suspected variable stars.[79][79] AAVSO (2026). VSX: Search. American Association of Variable Star Observers. aavso.org
• SLED, https://sled.amnh.org/, lists known gravitational lenses.[61]

IX.Credit, naming and honesty

A.Who names what

An exoplanet carries a scientific designation, usually its star's catalogue name plus a lowercase letter in order of discovery, such as 51 Pegasi b.[80][80] International Astronomical Union (n.d.). Naming of exoplanets. IAU website archive. iauarchive.eso.org Public names are a separate process, and the IAU accepts that anyone may use informal nicknames.[80] The IAU says its mechanism for naming exoplanets so far has been public campaigns,[81][81] International Astronomical Union (2026). Executive Committee WG Exoplanetary System Nomenclature. iau.org the NameExoWorlds contests of 2015, 2019 and 2022.[82][82] IAU NameExoWorlds (2026). NameExoWorlds home page. International Astronomical Union. nameexoworlds.iau.org In 2022, public teams proposed names and a panel led by the discoverers and an IAU working group chose the winners.[83][83] IAU NameExoWorlds (2022). FAQs, 2022 edition. International Astronomical Union. nameexoworlds.iau.org A public name never replaces the scientific designation.[80]

Asteroids differ. Once an asteroid is numbered, its discoverer may propose a name for approval by the IAU Working Group Small Bodies Nomenclature.[62] Comets take their discoverers' names where possible.[84][84] IAU Working Group Small Bodies Nomenclature (2026). IAU Comet-Naming Guidelines. wgsbn-iau.org A supernova keeps its TNS designation.[48] New variable stars keep catalogue names, and VSX notes that names you assign are not official IAU names.[35]

B.Citing data and licences

Each archive asks for credit in a set form.[85][85] Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (2026). Data Attributions. Space Telescope Science Institute. archive.stsci.edu MAST publishes the exact acknowledgement for TESS, which begins "This paper includes data collected with the TESS mission, obtained from the MAST data archive at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)."[86][86] Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (2026). Mission Acknowledgements. Space Telescope Science Institute. archive.stsci.edu MAST also asks for a DOI pointing to the exact data you used, offers ready-made DOIs for TESS products, and asks you to name your sectors.[87, 88][87] Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (2026). Digital Object Identifier (DOI). Space Telescope Science Institute. archive.stsci.edu[88] Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (2026). Citing Data Products (Using DOIs). TESS Archive Documentation. outerspace.stsci.edu Papers using ExoFOP should include its standard acknowledgement, and anyone using data uploaded by another ExoFOP user should contact that person first.[89][89] ExoFOP (2023). ExoFOP Data Use and Professional Conduct Policy, updated 27 March 2023. NASA Exoplanet Science Institute. exofop.ipac.caltech.edu

Most MAST data are in the public domain, though MAST still expects acknowledgement, and community-made high-level science products carry a CC BY 4.0 licence.[90][90] Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (2026). Data Use. Space Telescope Science Institute. archive.stsci.edu Gaia data and Euclid Q1 data use the CC BY-NC 3.0 IGO licence, which permits non-commercial use with credit.[91, 92][91] ESA Gaia (2026). Gaia Data License. European Space Agency. cosmos.esa.int[92] ESA Euclid (2025). Euclid Q1 Data Licence and Credits. European Space Agency. cosmos.esa.int

C.Disclosing AI assistance

Public Frontier uses AI in analysis, so disclosure matters here. arXiv asks authors to report significant use of sophisticated tools, including text-generating AI, holds every author responsible for all content, and says AI tools should not be listed as authors.[93][93] arXiv (2026). Content Moderation. info.arxiv.org The AAS journals posted guidelines on 9 September 2026.[94][94] AAS Journals (2026). Author Guidelines for Use of AI and LLMs in Manuscript Preparation, first posted 9 September 2026. American Astronomical Society. journals.aas.org Authors must state at submission whether they used AI to prepare the manuscript, naming the tool and the task, and AI cannot be an author.[94] The AAS says the required disclosure applies to new submissions from later in autumn 2026.[95][95] AAS Journals (2026). New Guidelines on AI Use in AAS Journals. American Astronomical Society. journals.aas.org Its guidelines cover the manuscript and make no recommendation about AI in data analysis.[94] We suggest you also describe AI use in your methods section, as you would for any other software.