orbitize!: A Comprehensive Orbit-fitting Software Package for the High-contrast Imaging Community

TL;DR

orbitize! is an open-source Python package that simplifies orbit fitting for directly-imaged objects, combining advanced algorithms with user-friendly tools and tutorials for the exoplanet imaging community.

Contribution

It introduces a flexible, easy-to-use Python API integrating OFTI and MCMC algorithms specifically for orbit fitting in high-contrast imaging.

Findings

Enables quick orbit fitting with less than 10 lines of code

Provides publication-ready figures and extensive tutorials

Designed for community-driven development and expansion

Abstract

orbitize! is an open-source, object-oriented software package for fitting the orbits of directly-imaged objects. It packages the Orbits for the Impatient (OFTI) algorithm and a parallel-tempered Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm into a consistent and intuitive Python API. orbitize! makes it easy to run standard astrometric orbit fits; in less than 10 lines of code, users can read in data, perform one fit using OFTI and another using MCMC, and make two publication-ready figures. Extensive pedagogical tutorials, intended to be navigable by both orbit-fitting novices and seasoned experts, are available on our documentation page. We have designed the orbitize! API to be flexible and easy to use/modify for unique cases. orbitize! was designed by members of the exoplanet imaging community to be a central repository for algorithms, techniques, and know-how developed by this community. We intend for it to continue to expand and change as the field progresses and new techniques are developed, and call for community involvement in this process. Complete and up-to-date documentation is available at orbitize.info.