README.rst

ligo.skymap

The ligo.skymap package provides tools for reading, writing, generating, and visualizing gravitational-wave probability maps from LIGO, Virgo, and KAGRA. Some of the key features of this package are:

• Command line tool bayestar-localize-coincs and bayestar-localize-lvalert: BAYESTAR, providing rapid, coherent, Bayesian, 3D position reconstruction for compact binary coalescence events
• Command line tool ligo-skymap-from-samples: Create 3D sky maps from posterior sample chains using kernel density estimation
• Command line tool ligo-skymap-plot: An everyday tool for plotting HEALPix maps
• Module ligo.skymap.plot: Astronomical mapmaking tools for perfectionists and figure connoisseurs

To get started, see the installation instructions or the full documentation.

This illustration of the position of GW170817, prepared using ligo.skymap, illustrates the main features of this package: rapid localization of compact binaries with BAYESTAR [1], three-dimensional density estimation [2] [3], cross-matching with galaxy catalogs, and visualization of gravitational-wave sky maps. Reproduced from [4].

[1]	Singer, L. P., & Price, L. R. 2016, Phys. Rev. D, 93, 024013. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.93.024013

[2]	Singer, L. P., Chen, H.-Y., Holz, D. E., et al. 2016, Astropys. J. Lett., 829, L15. https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8205/829/1/L15

[3]	Singer, L. P., Chen, H.-Y., Holz, D. E., et al. 2016, Astropys. J. Supp., 226, 10. https://doi.org/10.3847/0067-0049/226/1/10

[4]	Kasliwal, M. M., Nakar, E., Singer, L. P. et al. 2019, Science, 358, 1559. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aap9455