The Observation Workflow
From discovery to publication — how a transient is found, followed up, confirmed, classified, and shared.
- DiscoveryWorkflow stage
A wide-field survey images the sky repeatedly and flags anything that has changed — a new point of light, or one that has brightened or moved. The candidate is issued as an alert within seconds.
- Follow-UpWorkflow stage
Other telescopes turn to the candidate to gather more data — deeper images, colours, and the first spectra — often within minutes to hours, before a fast-fading event disappears.
- ConfirmationWorkflow stage
The candidate is verified as a real astrophysical transient — not an instrument artefact, asteroid, or known variable — and registered with an official discovery name.
- ClassificationWorkflow stage
A spectrum reveals what the transient is — the type of supernova, the redshift of a burst, the nature of the source — placing it in its class and distance.
- PublicationWorkflow stage
The result is shared with the community and the scientific record — as a rapid telegram, a circular, and ultimately a peer-reviewed paper — so that the event contributes to the wider science.