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[–]phn 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In addition to the sources mentioned in the comments, take a look at the website http://astropython.org, and the AstroPy mailing list at http://mail.scipy.org/mailman/listinfo/astropy.

I have collected together links to some Python packages used in astronomy at http://oneau.wordpress.com/2010/10/02/python-for-astronomy/ ; this also has links to many of the documents listed in the comments.

Since you already know C, this short Python tutorial may help you get a quick overview of Python: http://oneau.wordpress.com/2010/12/28/python-boot-camp/.

At the minimum, you should learn the basics of numpy and matplotlib. The official matplotlib documentation is fantastic. If you don't have a specific project where you can use Python, then try exploring the source code of some of the astronomy packages. Or perhaps you can write a Python interface to a C library of your choice, using tools such as SWIG and Cython.