def get_mpl_colors():
    """
    ==================
    Colormap reference
    ==================
    
    Reference for colormaps included with Matplotlib.
    
    This reference example shows all colormaps included with Matplotlib. Note that
    any colormap listed here can be reversed by appending "_r" (e.g., "pink_r").
    These colormaps are divided into the following categories:
    
    Sequential:
        These colormaps are approximately monochromatic colormaps varying smoothly
        between two color tones---usually from low saturation (e.g. white) to high
        saturation (e.g. a bright blue). Sequential colormaps are ideal for
        representing most scientific data since they show a clear progression from
        low-to-high values.
    
    Diverging:
        These colormaps have a median value (usually light in color) and vary
        smoothly to two different color tones at high and low values. Diverging
        colormaps are ideal when your data has a median value that is significant
        (e.g.  0, such that positive and negative values are represented by
        different colors of the colormap).
    
    Qualitative:
        These colormaps vary rapidly in color. Qualitative colormaps are useful for
        choosing a set of discrete colors. For example::
    
            color_list = plt.cm.Set3(np.linspace(0, 1, 12))
    
        gives a list of RGB colors that are good for plotting a series of lines on
        a dark background.
    
    Miscellaneous:
        Colormaps that don't fit into the categories above.
    """
    return [('Perceptually Uniform Sequential', ['viridis', 'plasma',
        'inferno', 'magma']), ('Sequential', ['Greys', 'Purples', 'Blues',
        'Greens', 'Oranges', 'Reds', 'YlOrBr', 'YlOrRd', 'OrRd', 'PuRd',
        'RdPu', 'BuPu', 'GnBu', 'PuBu', 'YlGnBu', 'PuBuGn', 'BuGn', 'YlGn']
        ), ('Sequential (2)', ['binary', 'gist_yarg', 'gist_gray', 'gray',
        'bone', 'pink', 'spring', 'summer', 'autumn', 'winter', 'cool',
        'Wistia', 'hot', 'afmhot', 'gist_heat', 'copper']), ('Diverging', [
        'PiYG', 'PRGn', 'BrBG', 'PuOr', 'RdGy', 'RdBu', 'RdYlBu', 'RdYlGn',
        'Spectral', 'coolwarm', 'bwr', 'seismic']), ('Qualitative', [
        'Pastel1', 'Pastel2', 'Paired', 'Accent', 'Dark2', 'Set1', 'Set2',
        'Set3', 'tab10', 'tab20', 'tab20b', 'tab20c']), ('Miscellaneous', [
        'flag', 'prism', 'ocean', 'gist_earth', 'terrain', 'gist_stern',
        'gnuplot', 'gnuplot2', 'CMRmap', 'cubehelix', 'brg', 'hsv',
        'gist_rainbow', 'rainbow', 'jet', 'nipy_spectral', 'gist_ncar'])]
