PC362 Observational Astronomy

Software installation instructions

Install Anaconda Python 3 distribution

You can install the open-source Anaconda Individual Edition for free.

If you already have Anaconda installed, make sure it is up-to-date. Open a Terminal window enter the command

conda update conda

Install SAOImageDS9

DS9 is a stand-alone application that runs on MacOS, Linux, and Windows operating systems. It opens and displays FITS images and supports many advanced features. DS9 allows you to easily change color maps, change the display scaling, zoom, rotate and crop images. On macOS you may find that the first time you run DS9 it won't open because it's not from a certified developer. If this happens, open Security & Privacy in System Preferences and select the "Allow" button under the General tab.

Install custom astronomy packages

Open a terminl window and enter the following commands

conda install -c conda-forge astroalign
conda install -c conda-forge photutils

Install Aperture Photometry Tool (APT)

The needed files and instructions for installing APT are at https://www.aperturephotometry.org/downloads/. On macOS you may find that the first time you run APT, it won't open because it's not from a certified developer. If this happens, open Security & Privacy in System Preferences and select the "Allow" button under the General tab.

You may have to also install Java before you install APT.