Gee...Do I really want to tell? What the heck. It will probably appear in the Sunday 'Parade' magazine eventually!
With a brand new PhD, you can expect to get between $28,000 to $38,000. If you have completed between 2 - 10 years beyond your Phd, you can get between $35,000 to $55,000. If you get a tenured faculty appointment, or are in private industry as a 'Senior Scientist' you could expect to earn between $50,000 to $80,000 after about 10-15 years beyond your Phd in the right institution. This would eventually grow to $70,000 to $110,000 after you have been a successful tenured faculty member, or an astronomer in private industry willing to work in the 'management track'. I know of astronomers in all salary grades from the high $20k to the low $150k 's. The latter are tenured faculty at Ivy League universities or Presidents and vice-presidents of research companies.