astronomy-commons/lsdb

Improve error when ra/dec column is not found in crossmatch.

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#1,393 opened on May 18, 2026

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good first issueinterface

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Description

At the moment, when ra/dec is not found/avaliable for crossmatch, the error only identifies what the problem is (which is already quite good good). I propose adding a suggestion on how to fix it, i.e., something like Consider adding explicit names for ra/dec columns with a name/example for suitable args.

Contributor guide

Research direction
Inspect the crossmatch code path to locate where the error about missing ra/dec columns is raised. Understand how column names are provided (e.g., via arguments) and then update the error message to suggest explicit column names with an example.
Tech stack
python
Domain
backend
Issue type
Feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
2
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-3 hours
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
Active
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
Clear
Prerequisites
PythonGit
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
85