diff --git a/stingray/base.py b/stingray/base.py
index 7bf8d9347..4947b5d37 100644
--- a/stingray/base.py
+++ b/stingray/base.py
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
 """Base classes"""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
 from collections.abc import Iterable
 import pickle
 import warnings
@@ -9,6 +11,16 @@
 from astropy.time import Time, TimeDelta
 from astropy.units import Quantity
 
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Type, TypeVar, Union
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from xarray import Dataset
+    from pandas import DataFrame
+    from astropy.timeseries import TimeSeries
+    from astropy.time import TimeDelta
+    import numpy.typing as npt
+    TTime = Union[Time, TimeDelta, Quantity, npt.ArrayLike]
+    Tso = TypeVar("Tso", bound="StingrayObject")
+
 
 class StingrayObject(object):
     """This base class defines some general-purpose utilities.
@@ -30,13 +42,13 @@ class StingrayObject(object):
     columns of the table/dataframe, otherwise as metadata.
     """
 
-    def __init__(cls, *args, **kwargs):
+    def __init__(cls, *args, **kwargs) -> None:
         if not hasattr(cls, "main_array_attr"):
             raise RuntimeError(
                 "A StingrayObject needs to have the main_array_attr attribute specified"
             )
 
-    def array_attrs(self):
+    def array_attrs(self) -> list[str]:
         """List the names of the array attributes of the Stingray Object.
 
         By array attributes, we mean the ones with the same size and shape as
@@ -56,7 +68,7 @@ def array_attrs(self):
             )
         ]
 
-    def meta_attrs(self):
+    def meta_attrs(self) -> list[str]:
         """List the names of the meta attributes of the Stingray Object.
 
         By array attributes, we mean the ones with a different size and shape
@@ -78,7 +90,7 @@ def meta_attrs(self):
             )
         ]
 
-    def get_meta_dict(self):
+    def get_meta_dict(self) -> dict:
         """Give a dictionary with all non-None meta attrs of the object."""
         meta_attrs = self.meta_attrs()
         meta_dict = {}
@@ -88,7 +100,7 @@ def get_meta_dict(self):
                 meta_dict[key] = val
         return meta_dict
 
-    def to_astropy_table(self):
+    def to_astropy_table(self) -> Table:
         """Create an Astropy Table from a ``StingrayObject``
 
         Array attributes (e.g. ``time``, ``pi``, ``energy``, etc. for
@@ -108,7 +120,7 @@ def to_astropy_table(self):
         return ts
 
     @classmethod
-    def from_astropy_table(cls, ts):
+    def from_astropy_table(cls: Type[Tso], ts: Table) -> Tso:
         """Create a Stingray Object object from data in an Astropy Table.
 
         The table MUST contain at least a column named like the
@@ -130,11 +142,11 @@ def from_astropy_table(cls, ts):
         array_attrs = ts.colnames
 
         # Set the main attribute first
-        mainarray = np.array(ts[cls.main_array_attr])
-        setattr(cls, cls.main_array_attr, mainarray)
+        mainarray = np.array(ts[cls.main_array_attr])  # type: ignore
+        setattr(cls, cls.main_array_attr, mainarray)  # type: ignore
 
         for attr in array_attrs:
-            if attr == cls.main_array_attr:
+            if attr == cls.main_array_attr:  # type: ignore
                 continue
             setattr(cls, attr.lower(), np.array(ts[attr]))
 
@@ -143,7 +155,7 @@ def from_astropy_table(cls, ts):
 
         return cls
 
-    def to_xarray(self):
+    def to_xarray(self) -> Dataset:
         """Create an ``xarray`` Dataset from a `StingrayObject`.
 
         Array attributes (e.g. ``time``, ``pi``, ``energy``, etc. for
@@ -165,7 +177,7 @@ def to_xarray(self):
         return ts
 
     @classmethod
-    def from_xarray(cls, ts):
+    def from_xarray(cls: Type[Tso], ts: Dataset) -> Tso:
         """Create a `StingrayObject` from data in an xarray Dataset.
 
         The dataset MUST contain at least a column named like the
@@ -180,18 +192,18 @@ def from_xarray(cls, ts):
         """
         cls = cls()
 
-        if len(ts[cls.main_array_attr]) == 0:
+        if len(ts[cls.main_array_attr]) == 0:  # type: ignore
             # return an empty object
             return cls
 
         array_attrs = ts.coords
 
         # Set the main attribute first
-        mainarray = np.array(ts[cls.main_array_attr])
-        setattr(cls, cls.main_array_attr, mainarray)
+        mainarray = np.array(ts[cls.main_array_attr])  # type: ignore
+        setattr(cls, cls.main_array_attr, mainarray)  # type: ignore
 
         for attr in array_attrs:
-            if attr == cls.main_array_attr:
+            if attr == cls.main_array_attr:  # type: ignore
                 continue
             setattr(cls, attr, np.array(ts[attr]))
 
@@ -201,7 +213,7 @@ def from_xarray(cls, ts):
 
         return cls
 
-    def to_pandas(self):
+    def to_pandas(self) -> DataFrame:
         """Create a pandas ``DataFrame`` from a :class:`StingrayObject`.
 
         Array attributes (e.g. ``time``, ``pi``, ``energy``, etc. for
@@ -223,7 +235,7 @@ def to_pandas(self):
         return ts
 
     @classmethod
-    def from_pandas(cls, ts):
+    def from_pandas(cls: Type[Tso], ts: DataFrame) -> Tso:
         """Create an `StingrayObject` object from data in a pandas DataFrame.
 
         The dataframe MUST contain at least a column named like the
@@ -246,11 +258,11 @@ def from_pandas(cls, ts):
         array_attrs = ts.columns
 
         # Set the main attribute first
-        mainarray = np.array(ts[cls.main_array_attr])
-        setattr(cls, cls.main_array_attr, mainarray)
+        mainarray = np.array(ts[cls.main_array_attr])  # type: ignore
+        setattr(cls, cls.main_array_attr, mainarray)  # type: ignore
 
         for attr in array_attrs:
-            if attr == cls.main_array_attr:
+            if attr == cls.main_array_attr:  # type: ignore
                 continue
             setattr(cls, attr, np.array(ts[attr]))
 
@@ -261,7 +273,7 @@ def from_pandas(cls, ts):
         return cls
 
     @classmethod
-    def read(cls, filename, fmt=None, format_=None):
+    def read(cls: Type[Tso], filename: str, fmt: str = None, format_=None) -> Tso:
         r"""Generic reader for :class`StingrayObject`
 
         Currently supported formats are
@@ -349,7 +361,7 @@ def read(cls, filename, fmt=None, format_=None):
 
         return cls.from_astropy_table(ts)
 
-    def write(self, filename, fmt=None, format_=None):
+    def write(self, filename: str, fmt: str = None, format_=None) -> None:
         """Generic writer for :class`StingrayObject`
 
         Currently supported formats are
@@ -405,7 +417,7 @@ def write(self, filename, fmt=None, format_=None):
 
 
 class StingrayTimeseries(StingrayObject):
-    def to_astropy_timeseries(self):
+    def to_astropy_timeseries(self) -> TimeSeries:
         """Save the ``StingrayTimeseries`` to an ``Astropy`` timeseries.
 
         Array attributes (time, pi, energy, etc.) are converted
@@ -433,8 +445,8 @@ def to_astropy_timeseries(self):
         if data == {}:
             data = None
 
-        if self.time is not None and np.size(self.time) > 0:
-            times = TimeDelta(self.time * u.s)
+        if self.time is not None and np.size(self.time) > 0:  # type: ignore
+            times = TimeDelta(self.time * u.s)  # type: ignore
             ts = TimeSeries(data=data, time=times)
         else:
             ts = TimeSeries()
@@ -444,7 +456,7 @@ def to_astropy_timeseries(self):
         return ts
 
     @classmethod
-    def from_astropy_timeseries(cls, ts):
+    def from_astropy_timeseries(cls, ts: TimeSeries) -> StingrayTimeseries:
         """Create a `StingrayTimeseries` from data in an Astropy TimeSeries
 
         The timeseries has to define at least a column called time,
@@ -473,7 +485,7 @@ def from_astropy_timeseries(cls, ts):
             mjdref = ts.meta["mjdref"]
 
         time, mjdref = interpret_times(time, mjdref)
-        cls.time = np.asarray(time)
+        cls.time = np.asarray(time)  # type: ignore
 
         array_attrs = ts.colnames
         for key, val in ts.meta.items():
@@ -486,7 +498,7 @@ def from_astropy_timeseries(cls, ts):
 
         return cls
 
-    def change_mjdref(self, new_mjdref):
+    def change_mjdref(self, new_mjdref: float) -> StingrayTimeseries:
         """Change the MJD reference time (MJDREF) of the time series
 
         The times of the time series will be shifted in order to be referred to
@@ -502,13 +514,13 @@ def change_mjdref(self, new_mjdref):
         new_lc : :class:`StingrayTimeseries` object
             The new time series, shifted by MJDREF
         """
-        time_shift = (self.mjdref - new_mjdref) * 86400
+        time_shift = (self.mjdref - new_mjdref) * 86400  # type: ignore
 
         ts = self.shift(time_shift)
-        ts.mjdref = new_mjdref
+        ts.mjdref = new_mjdref  # type: ignore
         return ts
 
-    def shift(self, time_shift):
+    def shift(self, time_shift: float) -> StingrayTimeseries:
         """Shift the time and the GTIs by the same amount
 
         Parameters
@@ -524,14 +536,14 @@ def shift(self, time_shift):
 
         """
         ts = copy.deepcopy(self)
-        ts.time = np.asarray(ts.time) + time_shift
+        ts.time = np.asarray(ts.time) + time_shift  # type: ignore
         if hasattr(ts, "gti"):
-            ts.gti = np.asarray(ts.gti) + time_shift
+            ts.gti = np.asarray(ts.gti) + time_shift  # type: ignore
 
         return ts
 
 
-def interpret_times(time, mjdref=0):
+def interpret_times(time: TTime, mjdref: float = 0) -> tuple[npt.ArrayLike, float]:
     """Understand the format of input times, and return seconds from MJDREF
 
     Parameters