{"categories":[{"label":"Astronomy","url":"https://skillfed.io/packages/category/scientific-engineering-astronomy"}],"enrichment":{"capability":"Photutils provides tools for detecting and measuring astronomical sources in images, including background estimation, star finding, aperture photometry, PSF photometry, source segmentation, and isophote fitting.","skillfed_tags":["astronomy","image-analysis","photometry"],"use_cases":["Detect point sources and extended objects in survey images or deep field observations.","Measure flux and magnitudes of stars and galaxies using aperture or PSF-fitting photometry.","Estimate and subtract background in astronomical images for improved source detection.","Segment and analyze morphology of galaxies or nebulae in multi-wavelength imaging.","Extract radial profiles and fit isophotes to characterize source structure and properties."],"what_it_does":"Photutils is an Astropy-affiliated Python library for detecting and measuring astronomical sources in images. It provides a suite of tools covering the full photometry workflow: background estimation and subtraction, star and source detection, aperture and PSF photometry, image segmentation, centroid calculation, radial profile extraction, and elliptical isophote fitting. The package is built on numpy and scipy for numerical computation and integrates tightly with Astropy's coordinate and unit systems, making it a standard choice for astronomical image analysis pipelines.\n\nThe library is actively maintained and supports current Python versions (3.11+). It includes compiled Cython extensions for performance-critical operations, available as pre-built wheels for common platforms. With no known security vulnerabilities, it is a mature and widely-used component of the astronomical Python ecosystem.","worth_installing":"Yes. Photutils is a well-maintained, actively developed library with no security issues, permissive licensing, and broad adoption in the astronomy community. The medium install friction from compiled extensions is standard for scientific Python packages and offset by pre-built wheels. Install it if you work with astronomical imaging data and need production-grade source detection or photometry tools."},"id":"photutils","links":{"html":"https://skillfed.io/packages/photutils","md":"https://skillfed.io/packages/photutils.md","pypi":"https://pypi.org/project/photutils/"},"maintenance":{"status":"active"},"meta":{"latest_release":"2026-04-17","license_spdx":"BSD-3-Clause","license_treatment":"permissive","name":"photutils","python_support":"supports_current","summary":"An Astropy package for source detection and photometry"},"popularity":{"monthly_downloads":164043,"position":10557,"tier":"top_15000"},"security":{"n_vulnerabilities":0},"version":"3.0.0"}