AstronomyCalc 1.1.1

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AstronomyCalc

This package introduces students to basic astronomical calculations and data analysis methods. More detailed documentation is available on the ReadTheDocs page. Additional Jupyter notebooks, designed to help learners explore concepts by adjusting parameters and observing their effects, will be regularly added to the notebooks folder.

Package details

The package provides tools for calculating and solving the following quantities and equations.

• Friedmann equation
• Cosmological distances
  • Comoving distance
  • Proper distance
  • Light-travel distance
  • Luminosity distance
  • Angular diameter distance
• Age of the universe
• Cosmological parameter inference
• Galaxy rotation curves

INSTALLATION

One can install a stable version of this package using pip by running the following command::

pip install AstronomyCalc

This package is being actively under-development, which involves addition of new modules and bug fixes. In order to use the latest version, one can clone this package.

To install the package from source, one should clone this package running the following::

git clone https://github.com/sambit-giri/AstronomyCalc.git

To install the package in the standard location, run the following in the root directory::

python setup.py install

In order to install it in a separate directory::

python setup.py install --home=directory

One can also install the latest version using pip by running the following command::

pip install git+https://github.com/sambit-giri/AstronomyCalc.git

Important Notes

• Python Version: This package requires Python version 3.8 or higher.
• Virtual Environment: Using a Python virtual environment is recommended to prevent conflicts with system software. You can create one using Anaconda or venv.
• The dependencies should be installed automatically during the installation process. The list of required packages can be found in the requirements.txt file present in the root directory.

Tests

For testing, one can use pytest. To run all the test script, run the following::

python -m pytest tests

Jupyter Notebook Usage

The Jupyter notebooks provided in the notebooks folder can be used in the following ways:

Run Online

You can use the notebooks directly on platforms like myBinder or Google Colab, which are set up for each tutorial.

Run Locally

To run the notebooks locally:

1. Open a terminal in the folder containing the notebooks.
2. Run the following command:

   jupyter notebook
   

This will launch the notebooks in your web browser.

If you are using Anaconda environments, you need to install the nb_conda package. It can be installed with pip:

pip install nb_conda

For a detailed tutorial on Jupyter Notebooks, refer to this guide.

CONTRIBUTING

If you find any bugs or unexpected behavior in the code, please feel free to open a Github issue. The issue page is also good if you seek help or have suggestions for us. For more details, please see here.

Licensing

This project uses dual licensing:

• Code: Licensed under MIT License
• Non-code materials (papers, figures, documentation): Licensed under CC-BY 4.0

Please ensure proper attribution when reusing any materials.

Citation

If you use AstronomyCalc in your research or teaching, please cite:

@article{Giri2025,
  author = {Sambit K. Giri},
  title = {AstronomyCalc: A python toolkit for teaching Astronomical Calculations and Data Analysis methods},
  journal = {Journal of Open Source Education},
  volume = {8},
  issue = {87},
  pages = {261},
  year = {2025},
  doi = {10.21105/jose.00261},
  url = {https://jose.theoj.org/papers/10.21105/jose.00261}
}