Here I list a wide variety of links to catalogs, archives, software and articles I find useful. Perhaps you will find them useful, too. This page is continually being updated as I discover new things!
Catalogues, databases…
Eclipsing binary stars (EBs):
- DEBCat – Well-studied detached EBs
- Kepler Eclipsing Binary Catalog
- Maxted & Hutcheon (2018) – Detached EBs in K2 Campaigns 1,2 and 3
- RASS/All-Sky Automated Survey Eclipsing Binaries Catalog
- General Catalog of Variable Stars
General astronomy:
- NASA Astrophysics Data System – Published papers
- ArXiV astro-ph – Preprint service
- SIMBAD – General astronomy database
- SVO Filter Profile Service – info on most astronomical filters
- TESS data – via MAST
- Kepler data – via MAST
- Gaia archive – Gaia Data Release 2 (2017)
- IUE archive – via MAST
- CALSPEC database
- XMM-Newton Science Archive
- ROSAT archive
- ELODIE archive
Software, programs…
Favourite Python packages:
- emcee – Implementation of affine-invariant MCMC
- corner – Plotting multi-dimensional MCMC samples
- ellc – Quick light curve fitting tool
- uncertainties – Propagate uncertainties easily
- astropy – An astronomer’s bread and butter
- astroplan – Useful for making almanacs
- tqdm – Clean, interactive progress bar
- pickle – Easily export Python objects to a file
- sqlite3 – Python interface for SQLite databases
- lightkurve – Easy way to access and mess around with Kepler and TESS light curves
- synphot – Great synthetic photometry tool
Other programs / software:
- Skycalc command line interface – Almanac
- SAOImage DS9 – Image viewer useful for FITS files
- TOPCAT – View and manipulate catalogs
Miscellany
- Data visualisation tips
- Creating a matplotlib style sheet
- How to use git
- The #BetterPoster
- Useful astronomy-based exercises for learning statistics with R
- Live weather conditions at OHP
- Live weather conditions at SAAO
- Clear Outside – detailed and usually accurate weather forecast service
- Astrobites – student-friendly summaries of recent astronomical papers
- SOPHIE instrument – overview, user guides, etc.
Nikki Miller, PhD 