EarthOrbitPlan is an open-source educational framework designed to introduce students, educators, and early-career researchers to the challenges and opportunities of gravitational wave (GW) multi-messenger follow-up observations.
By simulating realistic observing scenarios, from the initial detection of a GW event to the coordinated search for its electromagnetic counterpart. EarthOrbitPlan offers a hands-on approach to learning about the coordination and optimization required in modern astronomy.
- Educational Focus: Tutorials, example notebooks, and documentation tailored for teaching multi-messenger astronomy, observation scheduling, and data analysis.
- Realistic Simulations: Recreates GW follow-up campaigns for various event types (BNS, NSBH, BBH) using state-of-the-art models.
- Observatory Planning Tools: Leverages M⁴OPT to calculate telescope Field of Regard (FoR), optimal exposure times, and the most promising sky regions for follow-up.
- Automation: Streamlines workflows for event processing, data filtering, statistical analysis, and visualization, making it accessible for classroom or workshop use.
- Impact Analysis: Enables users to compare the performance of different observatories, assess the effect of scheduling strategies, and visualize outcomes.
EarthOrbitPlan demonstrates how to use M⁴OPT to determine the optimal sky regions accessible to each telescope (Field of Regard, FoR), calculate the required exposure time to achieve a target signal-to-noise ratio, and identify the most probable sky coordinates for efficient follow-up observations.
- Students who want to explore multi-messenger astrophysics through practical examples.
- Educators seeking ready-to-use tools and resources for teaching astronomy, physics, or data science.
- Researchers wishing to prototype observation strategies or demonstrate multi-messenger concepts.
See the documentation for installation instructions, example scenarios, and guided exercises.