Getting started with Python

We will be using these for our analysis work:

1. Anaconda:

   • Purpose: A distribution that simplifies Python package management and deployment, especially for scientific computing.

   • Application in Astrophysics: Provides a centralized environment with pre-installed libraries like NumPy, Matplotlib, and AstroPy, making it easier to set up and manage dependencies.

   • https://www.anaconda.com/

2. Jupyter Notebook:

   • Purpose: An interactive computing environment that allows users to write and execute Python code in a browser-based interface.

   • Application in Astrophysics: Useful for documenting research, running simulations, visualizing data, and sharing computational notebooks with collaborators.

   • https://jupyter.org/

3. AstroPy:

   • Purpose: A specialized Python library for astronomy and astrophysics.

   • Application in Astrophysics: Includes tools for handling astronomical data, performing coordinate transformations, analyzing spectra, and querying online astronomical databases.

   • https://www.astropy.org/

The Anaconda distribution of Python comes pre-loaded with Jupyter Notebooks and useful libraries such as astropy, matplotlib, numpy, scipy, etc. Hence, you can get started by installing Anaconda on your laptop.