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AstroSpectro

Notebook Refactoring

Toward a Modular Scientific Suite for AstroSpectro: clarity, reusability, and explorability.

Alex Baker
Undergraduate Physics Student · AstroSpectro
July 23, 2025•2 minutes to read
Notebook Refactoring

Since the beginning of the AstroSpectro project, the notebook [02_tools_and_visuals.ipynb](https://github.com/PhD-Brown/AstroSpectro/blob/main/notebooks/02_tools_and_visuals.ipynb) served as an exploratory notebook. It was where I tested spectrum visualizations, line detections, and diagnostics. But as the tools accumulated, the code became monolithic and difficult to maintain.

Refactoring Goals​

I undertook a complete refactor with three objectives in mind:

  • Clarity: each tool must be readable, self-contained, and clearly named
  • Reusability: functions must be modular and usable elsewhere
  • Explorability: interactivity must make exploration more intuitive and scientific

Final Architecture​

All the logic now lives in src/tools/[visualizer.py](https://github.com/PhD-Brown/AstroSpectro/blob/main/src/tools/visualizer.py), in the form of a class:

visualizer = AstroVisualizer(paths)

Each interactive tool (header explorer, augmented spectrum, peak tuning, sky map, model inspector) becomes a simple call:

visualizer.interactive_spectrum_analyzer()
visualizer.plot_sky_coverage()

New Integrated Tools​

  • Dynamic FITS Header Explorer
  • Augmented Spectrum Analyzer (flux + lines + SNR + sliders)
  • Interactive tuning of detection parameters (prominence, window)
  • Analysis of zeros in the extracted features
  • Sky coverage map (Mollweide projection)
  • .pkl model inspector: hyperparameters + feature importance

Before / After​

For example, the code for displaying null features

Before:

  • 500 lines of exploratory notebook (example of the null-feature exploration cell below)
  • Spaghetti code that was difficult to reread

image info

After:

  • A dashboard notebook
  • Each tool in its own cell, one call per tool
  • A modular class importable elsewhere

image info

Impact on the Project​

This refactor allows me to:

  • Save time when iterating on features and models
  • Work more like in a real lab
  • Prepare the pipeline extension toward spectral cubes (SITELLE, etc.)

And above all… keep having fun. I have already spent more than 200h on AstroSpectro this summer — and I still do not feel the time passing!

Next Step​

  • Add spectrum comparators
  • Export analyses (PNG + PDF)
  • Automatically generate a mini exploratory report
  • Everything listed in the Roadmap

"Today I realize how enjoyable exploration becomes when the code disappears behind the tool."

Thanks to everyone following the AstroSpectro adventure 🚀