Quick Start

This section provides the fastest way to begin using TransitPlanner after installation.

Running the CLI

TransitPlanner includes an interactive command-line interface. To launch it, run:

python -m transitplanner.cli

The program will check NASA and exoclock databases and then prompt you for observatory information such as longitude, latitude, telescope aperture, and observation constraints.

Example interactive session:

python -m transitplanner.cli
Enter longitude (degrees): 5
Enter latitude (degrees): 5
Enter telescope aperture (inches): 8
Enter min declination (deg): -30
Enter max declination (deg): 60
Enter min SNR: 5
Enter start date (dd/mm/yy): 19/02/26
Enter observation span (days): 5
Enter min altitude (deg): 20

Once the required information is entered, TransitPlanner will compute a list of observable exoplanets numbered from 1 to x

The code may take a few seconds to minutes to run so be patient

Once it has finished it will produce a list of observable exoplanets with your constraints inputted earlier After this you will be prompted to choose your exoplanet, do so and it will give you observing details such as:

Observation Time: 4.938
Predicted duration: 2.938 hours
Predicted depth: 0.009 mag
Estimated error: 0.00035

And then also produce a sample light curve from model data

Additional Notes

  • When selecting a planet from the observable list, enter the number, not the planet name (e.g., enter 31 rather than XO-3b).

  • Dates must be entered in the format dd/mm/yy. For example, use 19/02/26 instead of 19/02/2026.