Python

Python is a general computer programming language that has become common in astrophysics research, the programming language of many recently-developed codes. Some characteristics:

• a procedural language (typical of programming languages for the sciences), organizing the program as a series of statements to be carried out in succession.
• a program's statement hierarchy is defined by indentation rather than BEGIN/END or {curly brackets}. This gives it an atypical appearance.
• has many typical modern programming language features such as support for objects.
• has an interpreted version suitable for command-line scripts, web programming, and interactive use.
• offers convenient means to create and share libraries of routines.
• numerous tools are available, including efficient compilers, translators, development environments, and interfaces to routines and libraries written in other programming languages.
• has sufficient use within the sciences (including astrophysics) that many useful libraries have been written and shared.

Through the twentieth century, Python was not as commonly used in the sciences, and the languages commonly used then (such as Fortran) are also still in use today.