Using Jupyter and a text editor

Most astrophysics work is easiest in a notebook for exploration and a text editor for scripts, modules, and larger projects. A common setup is VS Code with the Python extension plus Jupyter support.

1. Install a text editor

Visual Studio Code is a strong choice for scientific work: code.visualstudio.com.

After installation, open VS Code and install the Python extension and the Jupyter extension.

2. Install Jupyter

Install Jupyter in the environment you already created.

Conda

conda install -c conda-forge jupyterlab

Launch notebooks:

jupyter lab

uv

uv add jupyterlab

Launch notebooks through uv so they use the project environment:

uv run jupyter lab

3. Use the environment in VS Code

Select the right interpreter in VS Code:

• Open the Command Palette
• Choose Python: Select Interpreter
• Select the environment for your project

For a Jupyter kernel created by uv:

uv run python -m ipykernel install --user --name astro-template

4. Good workflow habits

• Use notebooks for exploration and quick visualization
• Move reusable code to scripts or modules
• Keep notes and figure generation in version control
• Use a consistent Python environment across notebooks and scripts