When to Trigger
Activate this skill when the user mentions:
- Telescope observations, photometry, spectroscopy, astrometry
- Celestial mechanics, orbital calculations, Kepler's laws
- Stellar evolution, HR diagram, spectral classification
- Galaxy morphology, redshift, distance ladder
- Cosmological models, dark matter, dark energy, CMB
- Exoplanet detection, transit method, radial velocity
- Gravitational waves, black holes, neutron stars
Step-by-Step Methodology
- Define the astronomical question - Specify the object type (star, galaxy, nebula, exoplanet), observational band (optical, radio, X-ray, IR), and physical quantity of interest (distance, mass, luminosity, composition).
- Data acquisition - Identify relevant surveys and archives: Gaia for astrometry, SDSS for optical spectra/photometry, 2MASS/WISE for IR, Chandra for X-ray. Download data using VO (Virtual Observatory) tools or API queries.
- Calibration and reduction - Apply bias subtraction, flat-fielding, wavelength/flux calibration. For photometry: aperture or PSF fitting. For spectroscopy: sky subtraction, continuum normalization. Report signal-to-noise ratios.