Basic Usage

This python package consists of two major abstract classes - MWPlotBase and MWSkyMapBase with Matplotlib or Bokeh backend as well as a few useful utilities.

MWPlotBase is used to plot things on a face-on milkyway with galactic and galactocentric coordinates. MWSkyMapBase is used to plot skymap with milkyway background with RA/DEC.

Matpotlib Style Sheet

The package comes with a matplotlib style sheet that you can use to make your plots look better and consistent. To use the style sheet for you own plot without importing mw-plot, you can do the following before plotting anything:

>>> import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
>>> plt.style.use("mw_plot.mplstyle")

Now you can plot anything and matplotlib will use the style sheet.

Useful Constants

>>> from mw_plot import center_radec, anti_center_radec, northpole_radec, southpole_radec  # constants
>>> from mw_plot import mw_radec # milkyway plane in RA/DEC

>>> center_radec  # refers to the [RA, DEC] of galactic center in deg
[266.4167, -29.0078]
>>> anti_center_radec  # refers to the [RA, DEC] of galactic anti-center in deg
[86.4167, 28.0078]
>>> northpole_radec  # refers to the [RA, DEC] of galactic north pole in deg
[192.7667, 27.1167]
>>> southpole_radec  # refers to the [RA, DEC] of galactic south pole in deg
[12.7667, -27.1167]

>>> mw_plane_ra, mw_plane_dec = mw_radec(deg=True)  # RA/DEC arrays of milkyway plane