Virtual Observatory Software for Astronomers

What do I need?

Java

VODesktop and Topcat are Java applications, as are many other tools by other VO projects. For these to work, you need to have the Java Runtime Environment (JRE). Note this is different from the "Java Virtual Machine" which runs inside your browser. Most people will already have the JRE installed. You must have at least version 1.5 or later. On just about any version of Unix/Linux, or in a Windows command prompt, you can can find out which version of Java you have by typing 

java -version

which should return something like 

% java version "1.5.0_13"
Java(TM) 2 Runtime Environment, Standard Edition (build 1.5.0_13-b05-237)
Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM (build 1.5.0_13-119, mixed mode, sharing)

If you don't have Java installed, or the the right version installed, then either speak to local system administrator, or download it yourself from the Sun Java website - http://java.com/en/

Python

If you want to write Python scripts to do VO jobs, then obviously you need Python installed. Astrogrid-Python requires at least Python version 2.4 (released on November 30, 2004) but we recommend the latest version (2.5, released on September 19th, 2006). In order to know which python version you are running you can type from the command line: 

python -V

If you do not have a version greater or equal to 2.4 then you will need to install a more recent Python. Try looking in the Beginners Guide / Download section of the official Python web site. More details on configuring Python for AstroGrid can be found in the Detailed Help section on python scripting.

Other issues

If you are having any other problems, check out the options in the Support section - FAQs, Known Issues, and the Helpdesk ticket system.

Acknowledging AstroGrid. If you make use of the AstroGrid system or tools, we would be grateful if you could acknowledge this use in any resulting publications. You could use these words: 'This research has made use of data obtained using, or software provided by, the UK's AstroGrid Virtual Observatory Project, which is funded by the Science and Technology Facilities Council and through the EU's Framework 6 programme.' Use of any data discovered or accessed through AstroGrid should of course be mentioned as noted by the data providers.

Licensing and Copyright. AstroGrid software is released under the Academic Free License.. The copyright on the text used in these web pages is owned by the contributing authors. Copyright on images used are assumed to be with the indicated or implied source as appropriate.