ASTR 8080/3980: Astronomical Survey Techniques
Links



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Week1
My Python Primer
Miniconda Python
Ivanti Secure Access Client VPN
Python tutorial for astronomers
if __name__ == "__main__":
Examples of publication-quality figures
The comprehensive Python tutorial
numpy.loadtxt
numpy.genfromtxt
The matplotlib tutorial
How to fit a line in Python (scroll down for examples)
Community library for astronomy-related Python tools --
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astropy - install with conda
PyFITS - (astro) industry standard fits file handler
PyFITS documentation from STScI
Why did astropy adopt PyFITS?
What are rec arrays?
More than you ever wanted to know about the FITS standard
struc.fits data file for week1
example Python program (polycalc.py)

Week2
Models of airmass
astropy.coordinates
astropy.time
Hints on calculating airmass for an observing location (see instructions [24-33] in "Transforming to More Complex Coordinate Frames: Computing the Altitude of a Target at an Observatory")
Old version AltAz tutorial
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Help with SkyCoord for Galactic coordinates
RA/Dec of the constellations, click a constellation for a map
Rotation Matrix
Galactic Coordinate System
Ecliptic Coordinate System

Week3
Vanderbilt VPN
My Git Primer
Git GUIs (I have used SourceTree)
DSI Git Tutorial
Git Website
Git Tutorial
Interactive Git Visualization Tool
Simple Guide to Git
Basic Git Commands
Git Command Cheat Sheet
Git GUIs (I have used SourceTree)
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Discovery of Interstellar Dust; Trumpler (1930)
Github page for sfdmap package
Github page for SFD dust maps in fits format
Github page for extinction package
DR18 SDSS Navigate Tool
Schlegel, Finkbeiner & Davis (1998)
Dust Maps; Schlegel, Finkbeiner & Davis (1998) -- webpage
Equations for interstellar reddening by dust
numpy.meshgrid (see final example)
Matplotlib contour plots

Week4
Map Projections in matplotlib
Astropy supported projections
Map Projections in matplotlib (see commands starting from [15])
Using astropy.wcs for coordinate projections
Creating a WCS object tutorial
Astropy contourf for filled contours
Map Projections
The equal-area Hammer-Aitoff Projection
The equations behind the Hammer-Aitoff projection
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The Hierarchical Triangular Mesh (HTM)
The HTM Technical Report
astropy and 2-D distances on the sphere
Matching a set of points to another set of points
The k-d tree

Week5
Install healpy
Intro to HEALPix
JPL's HEALPix Primer
Gorski et al. (2005): useful figures for visualizing HEALPix
Area of a Zone from Wolfram MathWorld
HEALPix Pixelisation related functions
Spherical Coordinates, θ and φ
numpy.histogram
numpy.where
steradians
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The Spherical Cap from Wolfram MathWorld
Writing files in Python example 1
Writing files in Python example 2

Week6
Mangle Documentation
pymangle examples
astroconda install (slooooow)
pymangle C code

Week7
The Dark Energy Survey
Rubin Observatory
Gaia
The Hierarchical Triangular Mesh (HTM)
SDSS SQL Tutorial
SDSS DR16 SQL Search Box
SDSS DR16 Schema Browser
SDSS DR16 Navigate Tool
Matplotlib scatter plots and marker size
Example 1 SQL from Python
Example 2 SQL from Python
NOIRLab Datalab -- SQL search many surveys
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miniconda download instructions
The VLA FIRST Survey
SDSS DR15
SDSS DR15 data
SDSS DR15 sweep files
SDSS data sweep index
SDSS imaging

Week8
WISE forced photometry data model
Forced photometry of WISE (Lang et al. 2014)
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Flux
nanomaggies
Vega Magnitudes and the UBV system - Johnson & Morgan (1953)
UBVRI Johnson-Bessell-Cousins filter system
The star α Lyrae (Vega)
Flux measurements of Vega - Oke & Schild (1970)
AB magnitudes - Oke (1974)
Absolute AB magnitude system - Oke & Gunn (1983)
AB magnitudes of Vega in ugriz, and converting from SDSS ugriz to UBVRI
Converting from AB magnitudes to Vega magnitudes
asinh magnitudes - Lupton et al. (1999)
SDSS description of asinh magnitudes
Standard Star PG1633+099A
SDSS Navigate Tool