AstroPy

AstroPy
Name	AstroPy
Developer	Astropy Project
Released	2011
Programming language	Python
Operating system	Cross-platform
License	BSD

AstroPy is an open-source software library for astronomical computing, providing tools for data structures, coordinate transformations, time and physical units, and I/O. It serves researchers and engineers across projects such as Hubble Space Telescope, James Webb Space Telescope, ALMA, Sloan Digital Sky Survey, and Gaia by enabling reproducible analysis pipelines compatible with observatories, missions, and archives. The project integrates with major scientific Python ecosystems including NumPy, SciPy, matplotlib, pandas, and scikit-learn to support workflows in institutions such as European Southern Observatory, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, European Space Agency, and National Radio Astronomy Observatory.

Overview

AstroPy provides high-level abstractions for astronomical data, combining modules for coordinates, time handling, units, tables, and FITS I/O that interact with libraries like CFITSIO, HEASARC, IRAF, and DS9. Its design aligns with standards promulgated by organizations such as International Astronomical Union and Virtual Observatory initiatives including IVOA standards, enabling interoperability with archives like Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes, Vizier, NASA Exoplanet Archive, and MAST. The package facilitates integration into pipelines developed at facilities such as Keck Observatory, Gemini Observatory, Subaru Telescope, and space projects like Chandra X-ray Observatory. It supports data formats used by missions like Planck, WISE, Spitzer Space Telescope, and TESS.

History and development

Development began through collaborations among scientists affiliated with Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, University of Washington, University of Cambridge, Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, and California Institute of Technology. Early contributors included developers associated with projects such as AstroPy Project, NumFOCUS, SciPy Conference, and institutions represented at meetings like American Astronomical Society and European Astronomical Society. Development milestones occurred alongside releases of major surveys including Sloan Digital Sky Survey, Pan-STARRS, and Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (now Vera C. Rubin Observatory). Grant and fellowship support came from bodies like National Science Foundation, Research Councils UK, and foundations such as Heising-Simons Foundation and Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.

Features and architecture

AstroPy's modular architecture comprises core subpackages—coordinate systems, time, units, tables, and I/O—implemented atop NumPy arrays and interoperable with pandas DataFrame-based workflows, plotting via matplotlib, and numerical methods from SciPy. It implements astronomical standards like FITS and VOTable for interoperability with software such as TOPCAT, Aladin Sky Atlas, CASA, and IRAF. Time handling integrates conventions used by International Atomic Time, Coordinated Universal Time, Barycentric Dynamical Time and supports ephemerides like JPL DE430, enabling compatibility with tools from Jet Propulsion Laboratory and missions such as Voyager, Cassini–Huygens, and New Horizons. Coordinate transformation layers include frames tied to catalogs like Hipparcos, Tycho Catalog, Gaia Data Release 2, and alignments to reference frames from International Celestial Reference Frame maintenance by agencies like International Astronomical Union. Unit handling follows standards from International System of Units and facilitates conversions needed for observatories such as Arecibo Observatory (historical), Very Large Array, and LOFAR.

Core packages and affiliated projects

The project maintains core packages and a network of affiliated packages developed by groups at Carnegie Institution for Science, Princeton University, University of Oxford, University of Toronto, University of Arizona, University of California, Berkeley, MIT, Stanford University, Imperial College London, University of Edinburgh, University of Michigan, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and University of Colorado Boulder. Affiliated projects extend functionality for spectroscopy, photometry, time-domain analysis, and instrument-specific pipelines used by teams on LSST Science Collaborations, Pan-STARRS1 Science Consortium, Kepler Science Team, TESS Science Office, Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium, and mission analysis at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Related packages integrate with Astroquery, Photutils, specutils, gwcs, regions, aplpy, astroML, poliastro, sunpy, astroplan, reproject, fitsio, pyvo, dustmaps, starlink, sbpy, xarray, dask, spherical-geometry, kapteyn, astroalign, celerite, exoplanet, celerite2, lightkurve, HEALPix, healpy, timeseries, gala, pysiaf, mosviz.

Adoption and use cases

AstroPy is used in scientific publications from collaborations such as SDSS Collaboration, Gaia Collaboration, H.E.S.S. Collaboration, VERITAS Collaboration, Fermi-LAT Collaboration, IceCube Collaboration, LIGO Scientific Collaboration, and Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration. It underpins data reduction and analysis in observatories including Keck Observatory, Gemini Observatory, European Southern Observatory, and survey projects like DES, DESI, Euclid, and Roman Space Telescope. Industry and education adoption appears at companies and universities including SpaceX research groups, Blue Origin teams, Lockheed Martin, Airbus Defence and Space, Max Planck Society, Caltech, Oxford University, University of Cambridge, and training programs at Coursera partners and workshops held at conferences like SciPy Conference and PyCon.

Community and governance

Governance is organized through a coordination committee and working groups with contributors from consortia such as NumFOCUS, AstroPy Project, American Astronomical Society, and research groups at Harvard University, University of Texas at Austin, University of California, Santa Cruz, Leiden University, Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, Space Telescope Science Institute, and National Optical Astronomy Observatory. Development practices follow models advocated at conferences like Software Carpentry, Reproducible Research, and guidelines from funding agencies including National Science Foundation and European Commission. The community runs outreach and training through summer schools, collaborative code sprints at events like HackWeek, and contributors are recognized with awards from societies such as AAS Honorary Membership and fellowships from Royal Astronomical Society.

Category:Astronomy software