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High Proper Motion Stars (HPMS) Finder

Table of Contents

Introduction

Welcome to the High Proper Motion Stars (HPMS) Finder! This Python-based tool empowers astronomers and enthusiasts to identify and visualize high proper motion stars visible from Strasbourg at a specified local observation time. Leveraging data from the SIMBAD Astronomical Database via the TAP (Table Access Protocol) service, HPMS provides up-to-date information on stars with significant proper motion, enabling users to track their movement and visibility in the night sky.

Features

  • Query High Proper Motion Stars: Retrieve stars with proper motion exceeding a specified threshold.
  • Time-Based Position Updates: Calculate and display updated positions based on proper motion for a given observation time.
  • Visibility Check: Determine which stars are above a user-defined minimum altitude from Strasbourg at the specified time.
  • Sorting Options: Sort the list of visible stars based on various parameters, including total movement, magnitude, and coordinates.
  • Cache Results: Save query results to a cache to speed up subsequent runs.
  • User-Friendly Output: Display results in a neatly formatted table, including both original (J2000) and updated coordinates.

Installation

Prerequisites

Ensure you have Python 3.6 or later installed on your system. You can download Python from the official website.

Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/pierregab/HPMS.git
cd HPMS

Create a Virtual Environment (Optional but Recommended)

Creating a virtual environment helps manage dependencies and avoid conflicts with other Python projects.

python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

Install Dependencies

Install the required Python packages using pip:

pip install numpy astroquery astropy astroplan

Usage

Run the HPMS.py script using Python. The script offers several options to customize the query and output.

Basic Usage

python3 HPMS.py

This command will:

  • Query the SIMBAD TAP service for high proper motion stars.
  • Update their positions based on proper motion.
  • Check their visibility from Strasbourg at the current local time.
  • Display a list of visible stars with their details.

Advanced Options

  • Specify Observation Time:

    Use the -t or --time flag to set a specific observation hour in local time (24-hour format).

    python3 HPMS.py -t 22.5

    Example: 22.5 corresponds to 22:30 (10:30 PM).

  • Reuse Cached Results:

    Use the -r or --reuse flag to load results from the cache instead of querying SIMBAD again.

    python3 HPMS.py -r

  • Set Minimum Altitude:

    Use the -m or --min-altitude flag to define the minimum altitude (in degrees) for a star to be considered visible. This allows you to customize the visibility threshold based on your observing conditions.

    python3 HPMS.py -m 45

    Example: 45 sets the minimum altitude to 45 degrees.

  • Combine Options:

    You can combine multiple options to refine your query further.

    python3 HPMS.py -r -t 23.0 -m 40

Examples

Example 1: Basic Usage

python3 HPMS.py

Output:

Querying SIMBAD TAP service for high proper motion stars...
Query completed and results cached.
Number of stars retrieved: 285
Columns returned by the query:
['oid', 'ra', 'dec', 'Main_Identifier', 'pmra', 'pmdec', 'V_Magnitude']
Updating star positions based on proper motion...

 /$$   /$$ /$$$$$$$  /$$      /$$  /$$$$$$ 
| $$  | $$| $$__  $$| $$$    /$$$ /$$__  $$
| $$  | $$| $$  \ $$| $$$$  /$$$$| $$  \__/
| $$$$$$$$| $$$$$$$/| $$ $$/$$ $$|  $$$$$$ 
| $$__  $$| $$____/ | $$  $$$| $$ \____  $$
| $$  | $$| $$      | $$\  $ | $$ /$$  \ $$
| $$  | $$| $$      | $$ \/  | $$|  $$$$$$/
|__/  |__/|__/      |__/     |__/ \______/ 

High Proper Motion Stars Visible from Strasbourg at 22:30

Checking visibility of stars at the specified observation time in Strasbourg...
Number of stars visible above 30.0 deg: 25

List of visible high proper motion stars:

Main Identifier             J2000 RA   J2000 Dec  Updated RA  Updated Dec  pmRA (mas/yr)  pmDEC (mas/yr)  Total Movement (mas/yr)  V_mag
Star A                      123.45678  -45.67890    124.00000    -45.50000         150.00          -200.00               250.00    12.34
Star B                       98.76543   12.34567     99.20000     12.80000         300.00           400.00               500.00    10.12
... (additional stars)

Sort Options:
1. Main Identifier
2. RA (deg)
3. DEC (deg)
4. pmRA (mas/yr)
5. pmDEC (mas/yr)
6. V_mag
7. Total Movement (mas/yr)
Enter the number corresponding to the column you want to sort by (or press Enter to skip): 7
Enter 'a' for ascending or 'd' for descending order: d

Stars sorted by Total Movement (mas/yr) in descending order:

Main Identifier             J2000 RA   J2000 Dec  Updated RA  Updated Dec  pmRA (mas/yr)  pmDEC (mas/yr)  Total Movement (mas/yr)  V_mag
Star B                       98.76543   12.34567     99.20000     12.80000         300.00           400.00               500.00    10.12
Star A                      123.45678  -45.67890    124.00000    -45.50000         150.00          -200.00               250.00    12.34
... (additional stars)

Example 2: Specifying Observation Time and Minimum Altitude

python3 HPMS.py -r -t 23.0 -m 40

Output:

Reusing the last query result from the cache.
Number of stars retrieved: 285
Columns returned by the query:
['oid', 'ra', 'dec', 'Main_Identifier', 'pmra', 'pmdec', 'V_Magnitude']
Updating star positions based on proper motion...

 /$$   /$$ /$$$$$$$  /$$      /$$  /$$$$$$ 
| $$  | $$| $$__  $$| $$$    /$$$ /$$__  $$
| $$  | $$| $$  \ $$| $$$$  /$$$$| $$  \__/
| $$$$$$$$| $$$$$$$/| $$ $$/$$ $$|  $$$$$$ 
| $$__  $$| $$____/ | $$  $$$| $$ \____  $$
| $$  | $$| $$      | $$\  $ | $$ /$$  \ $$
| $$  | $$| $$      | $$ \/  | $$|  $$$$$$/
|__/  |__/|__/      |__/     |__/ \______/ 

High Proper Motion Stars Visible from Strasbourg at 23:00

Checking visibility of stars at the specified observation time in Strasbourg...
Number of stars visible above 40.0 deg: 22

List of visible high proper motion stars:

Main Identifier             J2000 RA   J2000 Dec  Updated RA  Updated Dec  pmRA (mas/yr)  pmDEC (mas/yr)  Total Movement (mas/yr)  V_mag
Star C                      110.12345  -30.54321    110.50000    -30.40000         180.00          -220.00               280.00    11.50
Star D                       75.65432   25.67890     75.90000     25.80000         200.00           350.00               390.00     9.80
... (additional stars)

Sort Options:
1. Main Identifier
2. RA (deg)
3. DEC (deg)
4. pmRA (mas/yr)
5. pmDEC (mas/yr)
6. V_mag
7. Total Movement (mas/yr)
Enter the number corresponding to the column you want to sort by (or press Enter to skip): 7
Enter 'a' for ascending or 'd' for descending order: d

Stars sorted by Total Movement (mas/yr) in descending order:

Main Identifier             J2000 RA   J2000 Dec  Updated RA  Updated Dec  pmRA (mas/yr)  pmDEC (mas/yr)  Total Movement (mas/yr)  V_mag
Star D                       75.65432   25.67890     75.90000     25.80000         200.00           350.00               390.00     9.80
Star C                      110.12345  -30.54321    110.50000    -30.40000         180.00          -220.00               280.00    11.50
... (additional stars)

Dependencies

HPMS relies on several Python libraries to function correctly. Ensure all dependencies are installed before running the script.

  • numpy: For numerical operations.
  • astroquery: To query the SIMBAD TAP service.
  • astropy: For handling astronomical data and units.
  • astroplan: For observer-related calculations, such as determining nighttime and visibility.

Installing Dependencies

Use pip to install the required packages:

pip install numpy astroquery astropy astroplan

Alternatively, if a requirements.txt file is provided, install all dependencies at once:

pip install -r requirements.txt

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Whether it's fixing bugs, improving performance, or adding new features, your input is valuable to the HPMS project.

Steps to Contribute

  1. Fork the Repository: Click the "Fork" button at the top-right corner of the repository page.

  2. Clone Your Fork:

    git clone https://github.com/pierregab/HPMS.git
cd HPMS

  3. Create a New Branch:

    git checkout -b feature/YourFeatureName

  4. Make Your Changes: Implement your feature or fix.

  5. Commit Your Changes:

    git commit -m "Add feature: Your Feature Description"

  6. Push to Your Fork:

    git push origin feature/YourFeatureName

  7. Create a Pull Request: Navigate to the original repository and click "Compare & pull request."

Code of Conduct

Please adhere to the Code of Conduct in all interactions.

License

Distributed under the GNU License. See LICENSE for more information.

Contact

Feel free to reach out with questions, suggestions, or feedback!

Acknowledgments

  • SIMBAD Astronomical Database: For providing comprehensive astronomical data.
  • Astropy Community: For the powerful tools that make this project possible.
  • Astroquery and Astroplan Developers: For their invaluable libraries.

Disclaimer: This project is for educational and personal use. Ensure compliance with SIMBAD's usage policies when querying their data.