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name: sunpy description: "Use SunPy for solar-physics data access, time and coordinate transformations, Map/WCS image analysis, file I/O, TimeSeries, visualization, and solar-physics calculations." metadata: disco-role: operating disable-model-invocation: true license: BSD 2-Clause

SunPy operating router

Use this skill when a task names SunPy or asks for Python workflows involving solar observations, FITS/WCS solar images, heliographic coordinates, Fido data searches, GOES/EVE/CDF time series, or solar constants and rotation. SunPy is a CPU-oriented scientific-Python package; do not add a GPU stack unless another package in the user's workflow independently requires it.

First route

1. Establish the package version and installation variant. SunPy requires Python 3.12 or newer in this source baseline. For example, install only the routes needed with python -m pip install 'sunpy[map,net,timeseries]' in an isolated environment. Read installation and configuration for the complete extras matrix, configuration directories, logging, and a private smoke check.
2. Identify whether the input is a local file, an in-memory object, or remote data. Treat network access, credentials, sample-data downloads, and output directories as explicit decisions.
3. Load only the focused route below. Keep this root as routing and cross-cutting guidance; detailed APIs and troubleshooting live in the linked references.

User request	Read next
Parse times, construct/transform HPC/HGS/HGC frames, ephemerides, or track a solar feature	coordinates-and-time
Build/load/save a Map, repair FITS/WCS metadata, crop/reproject/plot images, or use sequences/composites	maps-and-visualization
Build a Fido query, search/fetch a provider, manage sample/cache files, or diagnose a FITS/ASDF/GENX/SRS file	data-access-and-io
Build/analyze a TimeSeries, load local GOES/EVE/CDF data, calculate solar constants or differential rotation	timeseries-and-solar-physics
Diagnose installation, optional imports, configuration, or a package-wide failure	Read troubleshooting and compatibility

Cross-cutting rules

• Keep the original data and metadata intact. Make a copy before repairing headers or changing units, and record the source, observation time, observer, and assumptions in the result. For a complete local Map-plus-TimeSeries example, read integrated local pipeline.
• Prefer explicit units (astropy.units) and explicit times. Validate shape, finite values, WCS/frame metadata, units, and output paths before scientific interpretation.
• Use local/in-memory fixtures for smoke checks. Never call sunpy.data.sample attributes, download_all(), Fido.search(), or Fido.fetch() merely to test an import; those can access the network.
• For remote work, build and inspect a bounded query first, then approve the provider, size, credentials, destination, and retry policy. A successful query is not evidence that a download is safe or complete.
• Optional modules warn or fail when their extra is absent. Install the narrowest extra that owns the requested capability instead of using sunpy[all] by habit. Read the route's troubleshooting reference when an import fails.
• In headless environments set MPLBACKEND=Agg, create/close figures explicitly, and save to a user-approved path. Do not use peek(), quicklook(), or interactive examples as unattended verification.

Safe package smoke

After selecting an environment, run the bundled SunPy smoke helper:

python scripts/sunpy_smoke.py --help
python scripts/sunpy_smoke.py

It imports the selected public modules and exercises tiny local time, frame, Map/WCS, and GenericTimeSeries operations without remote data. It is not a substitute for the route-specific checks or for validating a provider/backend.

Scope limits

This skill covers SunPy core's public user workflows. It does not teach maintainer release/CI tooling, benchmark interpretation, source-test editing, private service credentials, unattended bulk downloads, interactive GUI operation, or a mission's scientific calibration pipeline. SPICE kernels, provider availability, native codecs, and external ephemeris services remain optional runtime conditions; state them rather than silently falling back.

For package-wide install/import/configuration failures, read troubleshooting. For version-sensitive extras and supported workflow variants, read compatibility. The source baseline and evidence paths are recorded in repo provenance.