General information
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Astro-COLIBRI is an innovative platform designed to revolutionize the study of flaring astrophysical events by integrating real-time multi-messenger observation tools in a comprehensive, user-friendly graphical interface. By bundling and evaluating alerts about transient events from various channels, Astro-COLIBRI streamlines the process of coordinating follow-up observations, enabling professional and amateur astronomers alike to better understand the nature of these events through complementary observational data. Astro-COLIBRI supports a wide range of astrophysical source classes, including Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN), Gamma-ray Bursts (GRBs), Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs), Gravitational Waves (GWs), High-energy Neutrinos, Optical Transients (OT), Supernovae (SN), and more. By incorporating multi-messenger services, catalogs, and alerts from various observatories and systems, Astro-COLIBRI facilitates seamless collaboration and data sharing among the astronomy community.
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Definitions
- Event times: UTC (precision: 1 second)
- Time resolution for visibility assessement: 1 minute (10min for multi-observatory visibility plot)
- Coordinates: Equatorial, J2000 (precision: 0.01 deg)
- Localisation uncertainties are taken from the discovery instruments (typically 90% CL)
- Sky map in equatorial coordinates is centered on RA=180deg
- Longitudes are negative toward West
- Image size on Pan-STARRS and SkyMapper: 0.05deg x 0.05deg
- Contour levels (e.g. GWs and Fermi-GBM) are 50% and 90%
- Science mode: the web frontend allows to activate a scientific interface providing additional information about each event, additional links to external ressources, and access to observability assessements
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Notifications
For most streams, the notifications are sent as soon as the detection of the new transient is announced. In order to reduce the amount of information to a reasonable level, optical transients are only announced when their type is classified and announced via the Transient Name Server (TNS). This is often only done after additional (spectroscopic) observations, thus introducing a delay between the source detection and the Astro-COLIBRI notification that can range from hours to days (sometimes even weeks/months).
- GRBs : Fermi and Swift alerts (incl. names and identification)
- Neutrino : IceCube, AMON (e.g. Nu-EM coincidences), and SuperK supernova alerts
- GW : Advanced Ligo / Advanced VIRGO / KAGRA alerts (during O4, i.e. since May 2023)
- Significant GW: subset of the "GW" alerts with FAR < 1/month; indicated by an exclamation mark in the notification title
- NS/NSBH GW: subset of the "GW" alerts with P(NS) + P(NSBH) > 50%; indicated by "NS" in the notification title
- Well localized GWs: subset of the "GW" alerts with the 90% containment area < 100 deg^2
- SNe : optical transients characterized as supernova
- OTs : optical transients not classified as SNe (e.g. novae, CVs, TDE, AGN, etc.)
- Bright OTs : optical transients (SNe and OT) with magnitudes < 18 (i.e. a subset of the two categories above)
- Unistellar: bright and early optical transients selected by the Unistellar Citizen Science program
- FLaapLUC: GeV flares from AGNs observed by Fermi-LAT and detected by the FLaapLUC pipeline
- Burst : INTEGRAL and HAWC detections, FRBs, other un-categorized alerts, ...
- Astro-COLIBRI announcements : News, updates and down times
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Legend of observatories and event types
- Color scheme used to identify various observatories:
- Marker styles used to identify various types of events and sources
- FRB: Fast Radio Bursts
- Unclassified OT: newly detected optical transients (no classifiction information available yet)
- Classified OT: classified optical transients (e.g. novae, CVs, TDE, AGN, etc.)
- SN: classified supernovae
- GRB: gamma-ray bursts
- burst: unclassified transients and flares
- neutrino: high-energy neutrino events
- nuem: coincidence between neutrinos and high-energy gamma rays
- GW: gravitational wave events (classification into significant/non-significant following LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA)
- catalogs of known sources (available in cone searches)
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- 4FGL: GeV gamma-ray sources in the Fermi-LAT catalog (4FGL-DR3)
- TeVCat: TeV gamma-ray sources in the TeVCat catalog
- SGR/AXP: soft gamma-ray repeaters / anomoulus X-ray pulsars
- IceCat: high-energy neutrinos from the IceCube catalog (IceCat-1)
Usage (since v2.8.0): the buttons can be used to activate/de-activate observatories and event classes. The 'Observatories' and 'Event Type' buttons enable/disable all items. Long-pressing the individual buttons allows to access sub-menus that allow for detailed filtering of the events.
- Color scheme used to identify various observatories:
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Available archival data
- 4FGL: Fermi-LAT 4FGL-DR3
- TeVCat: TeVCat catalog (status: March 2022)
- SGR/AXP: McGill Online Magnetar Catalog + recent announcements
- IceCat-1: ICeCube catalog of high-energy neutrinos
- GRBs : Fermi, Swift and INTEGRAL detected GRBs (since January 2016)
- GWs : all alerts emitted during O3 (2019-04-01 until 2020-03-27) and O4 (2023-05-24 until tbd)
- Neutrinos : all publicly available alerts: HESE/EHE + Bronze/Gold astrotracks + Cascades (first alert: 2016-04-27)
- FRBs : all FRBs reported to TNS
- SNe + OTs: classified events reported to TNS (complete after January 2022)
- unclassified optical transients reported to TNS (complete after mid-october 2023)
- AMON Nu-EM : all HAWC-IceCube coincidences (first alert: 2020-07-17)
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Image credits
- We use images from the following sources:
- NASA
- DESY, Science Communication Lab
- IceCube Observatory
Release history
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Version 2.12.0 (2024-04-17)
- Additional filtering options for gravitational waves and high-energy neutrinos
- Event descriptions via OpenAI/GPT-4
- Minor changes
- Events followed by Kilonova-Catcher (KNC) identified
- Improved tracking of app crashes
- New style for the app onboarding
- Bug fixes
- Synchronization and backup of filter settings
- Download of events in cone search
- Wrong error message during BHTOM submission
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Version 2.11.0 (2024-03-15)
- Added support for the RAPAS network (submission of interesting events from the frontends + weekly list of most interesting transient posted in the Astro-COLIBRI forum)
- Added support for the BHTOM network (submission of interesting events from the frontends)
- Download the full filter settings defined in the interface as JSON file (science mode)
- Minor bug fixes and improvements
- Fixed opening of Unistellar deeplinks
- Added new event information: sun distance + follow-up campaigns
- Added support for multiple brokers (e.g. Ampel, Fink, etc.)
- Updated documentation
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Version 2.10.0 (2024-02-28)
- Multi-observatory visibility plot: select multiple observatories around the world to efficiently plan your follow-up campaigns
- Opening the app from a notification now directly loads the announced event
- Introducing color schemes: choose between different schemes to customize the appearence of the interface
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Version 2.9.1 (2024-01-19)
- first version of the Astro-COLIBRI GPT chatbot published
- bug fix: error circles in manual conse search
- improved performance of the web frontend in non-science mode
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Version 2.9.0 (2024-01-15)
- Astro-COLIBRI discussion forum: https://forum.astro-colibri.science
- Exchanges about the latest events
- Helpdesk + direct contact with the developers
- Discussions of tools and equipement, astrophotography, fun stuff, ...
- New API endpoint “latest_transients” that allows to bulk download selected events, accessible via a new button in the web and mobile apps
- Changes to mobile interface
- Selected events are now illustrated with an image and their event type
- Enable toggle to show/hide external links
- Notification screen improved
- Minor bug fixes and improvements
- Fixed manual cone searches, rearranged widget and improved performance
- Naming and display of tilepy results fixed
- New notifications announcing well localized gravitational waves (90% area < 100deg2)
- Improved display of Unistellar citizen science events
- Added MeerKAT observatory
- Updated link to AAVSO with cone search in VSX
- Improved event descriptions
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Version 2.8.0 (2023-11-17)
- New filtering system in the application and cone search API
- Added new events: optical transients directly after their detection, i.e. without waiting for their classification
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Version 2.7.1 (2023-11-08)
- Cone searches around GRBs detected by Fermi-GBM now show the 50 and 90% contours of the GRB localisation (science mode)
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Version 2.7.0 (2023-09-27)
- Improved the “science mode” and enabled it on the mobile apps
- Support for deeplinks
- An URL that contains the Astro-COLIBRI identifier allows to load a selected event
- Enables sharing of events (e.g. social media, exchanges with colleagues, etc.)
- If installed, the app loads instead of the web frontend when receiving a deeplink on a smartphone
- New pop-up window in the notification screen when notifications are disabled in the OS
- Minor improvements:
- Visibility plot now correctly handling event updates and multiple detections
- Improved event description text for Gw events
- Improved documentation of the API
- Improved and updated onboarding tutorial
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Version 2.6.0 (2023-08-22)
- Added very bright SN candidates selected by the Unistellar Citizen Science program and the ALeRCE broker
- New notifications: “bright + early optical transients”
- Direct links to the Unistellar app to start follow-up observations
- Minor improvements:
- Private PanRadio group and notifications
- Added redding due to dust absorption and link to NED extinction calculator
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Version 2.5.3 (2023-07-24)
- Link to new FINK API endpoint for cone searches within GW contours
- Bug fixes:
- Custom observatory selection working again
- GW contour are now displayed when selecting a scheduling tile
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Version 2.5.2 (2023-07-08)
- New filtering of gravitational wave events
- Significant GW events
- Non-significant GW events
- Improved API documentation
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Version 2.5.1 (2023-07-04)
- Gravitational wave follow-up
- Fixed loading of GW contours
- Dedicated configuration for GW scheduling with H.E.S.S.
- Improved account deletion procedure
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Version 2.5.0 (2023-06-20)
- Gravitational wave follow-up
- https://tilepy.com
- new cloud-based API to calculate optimized follow-up schedule
- access from web and mobile frontends
- results integrated in event list and map
- Improved definition of custom observatories + more parameters
- Minor improvements and bug fixes
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Version 2.4.2 (2023-05-31)
- Bug fix: notifications on Android 13
- Additional minor fixes
- GWs: display of maps, notifications
- Flexible custom observatory names
- FLaapLUC alerts
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Version 2.4.1 (2023-05-24)
- Added IceCat-1 to cone search results
- Improved links to external platforms
- Reordered and shorter list for non-science mode
- Added link to TreasureMap (GW follow-up)
- Improved observability assessment
- added dedicated calculation for Victor M. Blanco telescope
- filename now contains the source name
- fixed bug related to custom observer location names
- Various minor bug fixes and improvements
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Version 2.4.0 (2023-04-26)
- Improved user management and sign-up screens
- Use of GPS location for the observability assessment
- Searching for events via the manual cone search window now returns the full event information
- Preparations for the O4 gravitational wave observation run
- New notification streams for ‘significant alerts’ + ‘NS/NSBH events’
- More event parameters displayed
- Minor improvements and bug fixes
- Improved selection of GBM lightcurves
- Update to new NASA/GCN circular system
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Version 2.3.0 (2023-03-10)
- Improved performance of the frontend
- Enabled “click and drag” of the maps in both the web and mobile frontends
- Enabled zooming of images in mobile app
- Added localisation uncertainties of archival sources (e.g. 4FGL)
- Added GBM lightcurves
- Bug fixes
- Fink cone search radius updated
- Link to AAVSO improved
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Version 2.2.0 (2023-01-27)
- new VoEvent architecture (performance improvements + future proof / easier extensions + new functionalities)
- new API endpoint "event" to retrieve the Astro-COLIBRI information on an event
- improved documention of the API incl. an interactive tutorial: API documentation
- improved calculation of the observability figure (speed improvement allowing higher resolution of 1min, easier maintenance, etc.)
- new observatories: Parkes, CTA/LST
- improved notifications (identification of event updates, improved format, etc.)
- new alert stream: GRB detections by GECAM
- added IceCube event displays (if available)
- preparations of the O4 run of the gravitational wave interferometers
- Bug fixes:
- visibility windows missing on the observability plot in some (rare) cases
- re-enabled non-https urls on mobile devices
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Version 2.1.2 (2022-12-21)
- Added VoEvent archive (XML and JSON format, accessible in the web frontend and via a new, public API endpoint 'voevent')
- New page highlighting a few use cases added to landing page: Usage examples
- Change of time range now directly affecting cone search results
- changed color for flares identified by FLaapLUC
- Bug fixes:
- Filtering of cone search results (mobile devices)
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Version 2.1.1 (2022-12-07)
- Improved creation of figures (bug fix + performance increase)
- New menu entry for contact and additional information in the mobile app
- Improved documentation of the public API endpoints
- Bug fixes:
- Autocompletion of multiple detected sources
- Contact email link on Android
- Shifts in the timeline
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Version 2.1.0. (2022-11-21)
- Improved performance: new cloud computing architecture + avoid recalculation of existing figures + reduced refreshes of the frontend
- Added a new alert stream: GeV flares from AGN detected by Fermi-LAT via the FLaapLUC pipeline (incl. new figures showing the latest results); see also FLaapLUC alerts
- Support for different coordinate systems (Ecliptic and Galactic) and different projections (Hammer-Aitoff, Mollweide, Mercator)
- Addition of a figure showing the Swift-XRT lightcurve for GRBs detected by Swift in the context of archival and VHE detected GRBs
- Added manual cone searches and ATEL search to the smartphone apps
- Various other improvements:
- Zoom in the latest transients map now triggers a cone search in that region
- Increased available archival transients: GRBs from Swift, Fermi and INTEGRAL since Jan/2016 + all public IceCube neutrino alerts + all public HAWC and IceCube-HAWC alerts
- Selection/deselection of all observatories or event types
- Added link to ZTF viewer ‘SNAD’ + ALeRCE + improved link to FINK
- Onboarding more interactive
- Improved API documentation
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Version 2.0.2 (2022-10-07)
- Display of localisation uncertainties of all transients
- Performance improvements: building of main widget reduced + switch to Flutter 3
- Bug fix: manual cone searches
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Version 2.0.1 (2022-09-16)
- Bug fix: manual cone searches
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Version 2.0.0 (2022-09-01)
- Major upgrade of the web interface
- Timeline of events to visualize temporal correlations and facilitates choice of time period
- Combination of event filters and legend
- Links to external platforms shown as cards (incl. logos and short descriptions)
- Introduced “Science mode” switching between event descriptions and observability information
- Direct access to custom searches for sources in arbitrary sky locations
- Artists illustration of the different transient categories
- General improvements
- added direct links to the Living Swift-XRT Point Source catalogue
- Bug fixes
- Update of Swift alerts were not working as expected
- Various minor bug fixes and improvements
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Version 1.4.2 (2022-06-10)
- Added search for ATELs
- Bug fix: event filtering in the web frontend
- Treatment of non-GRB alerts by Swift
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Version 1.4.1 (2022-05-18)
- Event information improved: additional parameters displayed + link to ALADIN includes uncertainty region + link to AAVSO lightcurves + TACH/GCN viewer
- Selection of date for visibility plot possible
- New notification stream for bright (mag<18) optical transients
- Onboarding/tutorial for the mobile app
- Switch to and from the legend improved on mobile app
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Version 1.4.0 (2022-03-07)
- Enabling the definition and management of custom observatories
- Updated source catalog to 4FGL-DR3 and latest TevCat
- Additional information (SNe alerts from the SuperK neutrino detector, access to SkyMapper images, new observatory locations, source redshift information, etc.)
- Various bug fixes (Horizontal scrolling of links; custom observatory locations on mobile frontends; Access to filter settings (issues for some users existed); GCN parser stability issues; etc.)
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Version 1.3.0 (2022-01-10)
- Added optical transients (SNe, novae, CVs, etc.) incl. new notification streams
- Updated marker styles
- Improved search for sources (cf. manual cone search)
- Added various new links to external services: weather information, sky view, ASAS-SN, Pan-STARRS, Gaia
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Version 1.2.1 (2021-11-03)
- Added a catalog of SGRs and AXPs to the cone search
- Several corner cases for the daily visibility plot fixed (e.g. darktime around noon UTC, observations covering several days)
- Transients highlighted in cone search results
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Version 1.2.0 (2021-10-21)
- Merchandise shop
- Added description of transients for the general public
- Galactic plane added to sky maps
- Added direct link to the science portal of the Fink ZTF/LSST broker
- Check for existence of external links
- Removed Fermi-GBM flight notices
- Design and layouts improvements + minor bug fixes
- Mobile app: new settings menu
- Web app: re-organisation of visibility plots + display adapted to different screen sizes
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Version 1.1.1 (2021-09-29)
- Fixed bug in user registration
- Setting event times to UTC
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Version 1.1.0 (2021-09-21)
- Improved cone search that is flexible for future improvements
- Filter settings are now synchronized between devices
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Version 1.0.0 (2021-08-17)
First public release (incl. first public Android and iOS applications)