Tutorials

These pages contain a set of tutorial notebooks for working through core and more advanced LSDB functionality.

• 1. Catalogs
  • The Catalog Object
  • Lazy Operations in LSDB
  • Column filtering (e.g. columns=)
  • Region selection filtering (e.g. search_filter)
  • Row filtering (e.g. .query)
  • Single row selection
  • Margin Catalogs
  • Custom Structured Search
• 2. Analyzing Catalogs
  • Setting up a Dask Client
  • Margins
  • Small-scale analysis (e.g. cone_search, partitions, random_sample)
  • Crossmatching catalogs
  • Types of crossmatches
  • Applying a function (e.g. map_partitions)
  • Working with TimeSeries
  • Plotting results
  • Exporting results (e.g. write_catalog)
• 3. Nested data manipulation
  • NestedFrame
  • Exploding Lightcurves to flat Source Tables
• 4. HATS creation and reading
  • Import catalogs
  • Manual catalog verification
• 5. Performance Tips
  • Index tables
  • Dask cluster configuration
  • Kubernetes deployment
  • Performance testing
  • Joining catalogs
  • Scaling Workflows
• 6. Working with Rubin Data
  • Accessing Rubin Data Preview 1
  • Intro to Rubin Catalog Operations
  • Accessing Rubin Data Preview 1 photo-z
  • Cross-matching with Variable Star Index catalog
  • Visualizing Periodic Lightcurves
• 7. Science Examples
  • Cross-match ZTF BTS and NGC
  • Import and cross-match DES and Gaia
  • Get a list of light-curves from ZTF and PS1
  • Cross-match Rubin DP1 and Gaia DR3 with epoch propagation
  • Search for Supernovae in ZTF alerts
• 8. Debugging
  • Dask Messages Guide

Workshop & Event Materials

We run hands-on LSDB tutorials at hackathons, workshops, and conferences. The materials from these events live in standalone GitHub repositories that you can clone and work through on your own.

Most recent tutorials:

• June 2026: AstroAI Workshop 2026 LSDB Tutorial. Focused on remote machine learning training, remote catalog access, and streaming interface.

• May 2026: LSST-DA Regional Meeting at JHU 2026 — “From Transients to Cosmology”. Focused on working with Rubin Data Preview on the Rubin Science Platform, cross-matching with other catalogs, and light-curve analysis.

Legacy tutorials:

• DESC Dark Matter Workshop 2025 — Stellar Streams in LSST

• Rubin Community Workshop 2025 Hackathon

• AGN Science Collaboration Meeting 2025 Hackathon

• ADASS 2024 — LSDB and HATS Tutorial, Valletta

• LINCC Catalyst / DSFP Hack Day 2024