The Astronomer’s Workflow Diagram

This is the typical end-to-end pipeline for processing astronomical images in Kilonova Catcher.

1. Raw Image Capture
   └─➤ Take multiple light frames of your target

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2. Calibration Frame Collection
   └─➤ Bias frames (readout noise)
   └─➤ Dark frames (thermal noise)
   └─➤ Flat frames (optical imperfections)

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3. Preprocessing
   └─➤ Subtract bias/dark
   └─➤ Divide by flat
   └─➤ Output: cleaned, calibrated images

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4. Stacking
   └─➤ Combine calibrated light frames
   └─➤ Improves signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)

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5. Astrometry
   └─➤ Plate solve image
   └─➤ Add sky coordinates (WCS) to FITS header

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6. Photometry or Visual Inspection
   └─➤ Measure brightness of sources
   └─➤ Submit candidate or upload to SkyPortal