{"categories":[{"label":"Astronomy","url":"https://skillfed.io/packages/category/scientific-engineering-astronomy"}],"enrichment":{"capability":"Skyfield computes high-precision positions for planets and Earth satellites using pure Python, without requiring compiled astronomy libraries beyond NumPy.","skillfed_tags":["astronomy","ephemeris","orbital-mechanics"],"use_cases":["Plan astronomical observations by computing where planets or bright stars will appear at a given date and location.","Track Earth satellites (ISS, weather satellites) to predict visibility windows or collision risks.","Generate ephemerides for mission planning, ground station scheduling, or telescope pointing.","Validate or cross-check celestial coordinates in scientific research or planetarium software.","Build educational tools that visualize planetary motion or teach orbital mechanics."],"what_it_does":"Skyfield is a pure-Python astronomy library that calculates precise positions for planets and Earth satellites. It wraps established ephemeris data (via jplephem) and orbital mechanics (via sgp4) to deliver research-grade coordinate predictions without requiring compiled Fortran or C libraries\u2014only NumPy for numerical computation.\n\nThe package is designed for developers and researchers who need to compute where celestial objects will be at specific times. You load ephemeris data once, create a timescale, then query positions for any celestial body at any moment. The result is returned in standard astronomical coordinates (right ascension, declination, distance) or other formats. It handles both long-term planetary motion and near-Earth satellite tracking.","worth_installing":"Yes. Skyfield is actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, installs with minimal friction, and is licensed permissively. It is the right choice if you need accurate planetary or satellite positions in Python without external compiled dependencies beyond NumPy. The 1756 stars and top-15000 popularity tier confirm it is a mature, well-adopted solution in its domain."},"id":"skyfield","links":{"html":"https://skillfed.io/packages/skyfield","md":"https://skillfed.io/packages/skyfield.md","pypi":"https://pypi.org/project/skyfield/"},"maintenance":{"status":"active"},"meta":{"latest_release":"2026-08-07","license_spdx":null,"license_treatment":"permissive","name":"skyfield","python_support":"unspecified","summary":"Elegant astronomy for Python"},"popularity":{"monthly_downloads":717589,"position":5244,"tier":"top_15000"},"security":{"n_vulnerabilities":0},"version":"1.55"}