A textured sphere with three horizontal stripes: yellow on top, dark blue in the middle, and dark orange at the bottom.

Astronomical Data

We develop, maintain, and propagate advanced methods and open-source tools, especially for building probabilistic models, discovering sources in noisy data and making precise measurements.

About

The Astronomical Data group builds these methods and tools by carrying out in-house data analysis projects that answer important scientific questions. We also host events and workshops that are designed to create new data analysis opportunities for members of the astronomical community.

Currently, we’re concentrating on extrasolar planet discovery and characterization, precision measurement of stellar chemical abundances and precise kinematic and dynamical mapping of the Milky Way. Many members of the group are cross listed in the Exoplanets and Nearby Universe groups according to their scientific interests. As new data become available and the challenges evolve, so will the scope of the group’s work. By sharing all its data and results publicly, and by developing and maintaining open-source software, the Astronomical Data group directly supports scientific reproducibility and open science. The group structures its activities around people, with mentoring, education and career development all important goals.

Projects

We’re involved in the planning and operations of large data-intensive projects with lasting value.

Publications

Fishing for Planets: A Comparative Analysis of EPRV Survey Performance in the Presence of Correlated Noise

The Astronomical Journal, July 1, 2024

A. Gupta and M. Bedell

Quaia, the Gaia-unWISE Quasar Catalog: An All-sky Spectroscopic Quasar Sample

The Astrophysical Journal, March 18, 2024

Kate Storey-Fisher, D. Hogg, Hans-Walter Rix, Anna-Christina Eilers, Giulio Fabbian, Michael R. Blanton, et al.

A Hierarchical Bayesian Framework for Inferring the Stellar Obliquity Distribution

The Astronomical Journal, August 17, 2023

J. Dong and D. Foreman-Mackey

Latest News

An illustration of a gas planet next to a star.

Colossal Planet in Rare Orbit Offers Clues to Origins of ‘Hot Jupiters’

Citizen Scientists Help Discover Record-Breaking Exoplanet in Binary Star System

Largest-Ever Map of Universe’s Active Supermassive Black Holes Released

Software & Datasets

Astra

Software
Analysis framework for the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-V) Milky Way Mapper.

emcee

Software
A Python implementation of an affine-invariant MCMC ensemble sampler for efficient Bayesian parameter estimation.
A black geometric pattern with eight overlapping oval loops forming a symmetrical flower-like shape around a central empty circle on a white background.

Gala

Software
An Astropy-affiliated Python package for Galactic Dynamics, offering fast, user-friendly tools for orbit integration, gravitational modeling, coordinate transformations, and nonlinear dynamics analysis.

jaxoplanet

Software
A functional-programming-forward implementation of many features from the exoplanet and starry packages built on top of JAX.

Organizational Leadership

Portrait photo of Megan Bedell

Megan Bedell

Research Scientist, Center for Computational Astrophysics

A man with short brown hair, wearing a light blue button-up shirt, smiling at the camera in a softly blurred indoor setting.

Andrew Casey

Research Scientist, Center for Computational Astrophysics

Portrait photo of David Hogg

David Hogg

Senior Research Scientist, Center for Computational Astrophysics

A photo of Adrian Price-Whelan

Adrian Price-Whelan

Research Scientist, Center for Computational Astrophysics

Full Team

Portrait of Julianne Dalcanton

Julianne Dalcanton

Director, Center for Computational Astrophysics

Portrait photo of Megan Bedell

Megan Bedell

Research Scientist, Center for Computational Astrophysics

A person with long brown hair, wearing a black and white polka dot top, stands outdoors on a city street at dusk, smiling softly at the camera. Trees and blurred cars are visible in the background.

Aida Behmard

Flatiron Research Fellow, Center for Computational Astrophysics

A man with short brown hair, wearing a light blue button-up shirt, smiling at the camera in a softly blurred indoor setting.

Andrew Casey

Research Scientist, Center for Computational Astrophysics

A man in a blazer stands indoors, smiling, with large models of planets and a white spherical structure behind him.

Dax Feliz

Flatiron Research Fellow, Center for Computational Astrophysics

A smiling person with curly blond hair and glasses stands outdoors in front of green plants, wearing a dark blue striped shirt.

Thomas Hilder

Flatiron Software Research Fellow, Center for Computational Astrophysics

Portrait photo of David Hogg

David Hogg

Senior Research Scientist, Center for Computational Astrophysics

A person wearing glasses and a black Adidas sweatshirt stands outdoors, smiling, with trees and a distant, hazy landscape in the background.

Asad Hussain

Flatiron Research Fellow, Center for Computational Astrophysics

A person with short blond hair, wearing a black jacket and gray backpack, smiles in front of blooming trees with white and pink flowers.

Konstantin Leyde

Flatiron Research Fellow, Center for Computational Astrophysics

Joseph Long headshot

Joseph Long

Flatiron Software Research Fellow, Center for Computational Astrophysics

A man with long dark hair, a full beard, and a mustache smiles at the camera. He is wearing a light blue striped button-up shirt. The background is softly blurred.

Michael Palumbo

Flatiron Research Fellow, Center for Computational Astrophysics

A photo of Adrian Price-Whelan

Adrian Price-Whelan

Research Scientist, Center for Computational Astrophysics

A young man with short brown hair smiles, wearing a light blue button-up shirt in a softly lit indoor setting with a blurred background.

Ryan Rubenzahl

Flatiron Research Fellow, Center for Computational Astrophysics

A young person with short light brown hair, wearing a button-up gray shirt, is smiling at the camera. The background is softly blurred, suggesting an indoor setting with natural light coming through windows.

Tom Wagg

Flatiron Research Fellow, Center for Computational Astrophysics