MPCClass¶
- class astroquery.mpc.MPCClass[source]¶
Bases:
astroquery.query.BaseQueryAttributes Summary
Methods Summary
get_ephemeris(*args, **kwargs)Queries the service and returns a table object.
get_ephemeris_async(target[, location, ...])Object ephemerides from the Minor Planet Ephemeris Service.
get_mpc_object_endpoint(target_type)get_observations(*args, **kwargs)Queries the service and returns a table object.
get_observations_async(targetid[, id_type, ...])Obtain all reported observations for an asteroid or a comet from the Minor Planet Center observations database.
get_observatory_codes(*args, **kwargs)Queries the service and returns a table object.
get_observatory_codes_async([...])Table of observatory codes from the IAU Minor Planet Center.
get_observatory_location(code[, cache])IAU observatory location.
query_object(*args, **kwargs)Queries the service and returns a table object.
query_object_async(target_type[, ...])Query around a specific object within a given mission catalog.
query_objects(*args, **kwargs)Queries the service and returns a table object.
query_objects_async(target_type[, ...])Query around a specific object within a given mission catalog
Attributes Documentation
- MPCOBS_URL = 'http://minorplanetcenter.net/search_db'¶
- MPC_PASSWORD = 'mpc!!ws'¶
- MPC_URL = 'https://minorplanetcenter.net/web_service'¶
- MPC_USERNAME = 'mpc_ws'¶
- MPES_URL = 'https://cgi.minorplanetcenter.net/cgi-bin/mpeph2.cgi'¶
- OBSERVATORY_CODES_URL = 'https://minorplanetcenter.net/iau/lists/ObsCodes.html'¶
- TIMEOUT = 60¶
Methods Documentation
- get_ephemeris(*args, **kwargs)¶
Queries the service and returns a table object.
Object ephemerides from the Minor Planet Ephemeris Service.
- Parameters
- targetstr
Designation of the object of interest. See Notes for acceptable formats.
- locationstr, array-like, or
EarthLocation, optional Observer’s location as an IAU observatory code, a 3-element array of Earth longitude, latitude, altitude, or a
EarthLocation. Longitude and latitude should be anything that initializes anAngleobject, and altitude should initialize anQuantityobject (with units of length). IfNone, then the geocenter (code 500) is used.- startstr or
Time, optional First epoch of the ephemeris as a string (UT), or astropy
Time. Strings are parsed byTime. IfNone, then today is used. Valid dates span the time period 1900 Jan 1 - 2099 Dec 31 [MPES].- stepstr or
Quantity, optional The ephemeris step size or interval in units of days, hours, minutes, or seconds. Strings are parsed by
Quantity. All inputs are rounded to the nearest integer. Default is 1 day.- numberint, optional
The number of ephemeris dates to compute. Must be ≤1441. If
None, the value depends on the units ofstep: 21 for days, 49 for hours, 121 for minutes, or 301 for seconds.- ut_offsetint, optional
Number of hours to offset from 0 UT for daily ephemerides.
- eph_typestr, optional
Specify the type of ephemeris:
equatorial: RA and Dec (default) heliocentric: heliocentric position and velocity vectors geocentric: geocentric position vector
- ra_formatdict, optional
Format the RA column with
to_stringusing these keyword arguments, e.g.,{'sep': ':', 'unit': 'hourangle', 'precision': 1}.- dec_formatdict, optional
Format the Dec column with
to_stringusing these keyword arguments, e.g.,{'sep': ':', 'precision': 0}.- proper_motionstr, optional
total: total motion and direction (default) coordinate: separate RA and Dec coordinate motion sky: separate RA and Dec sky motion (i.e., includes a cos(Dec) term).
- proper_motion_unitstring or Unit, optional
Convert proper motion to this unit. Must be an angular rate. Default is ‘arcsec/h’.
- suppress_daytimebool, optional
Suppress output when the Sun is above the local horizon. (default
False)- suppress_setbool, optional
Suppress output when the object is below the local horizon. (default
False)- perturbedbool, optional
Generate perturbed ephemerides for unperturbed orbits (default
True).- unc_linksbool, optional
Return columns with uncertainty map and offset links, if available.
- get_query_payloadbool, optional
Return the HTTP request parameters as a dictionary (default:
False).- get_raw_responsebool, optional
Return raw data without parsing into a table (default:
False).- cachebool, optional
Cache results or use cached results (default:
False).
- Returns
- tableA
Tableobject.
- tableA
Notes
See the MPES user’s guide [MPES] for details on options and implementation.
MPES allows azimuths to be measured eastwards from the north meridian, or westwards from the south meridian. However, the
AltAzcoordinate frame assumes eastwards of north. To remain consistent with Astropy, eastwards of north is used.Acceptable target names [MPES] are listed in the tables below.
Attention
Asteroid designations in the text version of the documentation may be prefixed with a backslash, which should be ignored. This is to force correct rendering of the designation in the rendered versions of the documentation (e.g., HTML).
Target
Description
(3202)
Numbered minor planet (3202)
14829
Numbered minor planet (14829)
1997 XF11
Unnumbered minor planet 1997 XF11
1P
Comet 1P/Halley
C/2003 A2
Comet C/2003 A2 (Gleason)
P/2003 CP7
Comet P/2003 CP7 (LINEAR-NEAT)
For comets, P/ and C/ are interchangable. The designation may also be in a packed format:
Target
Description
00233
Numbered minor planet (233)
K03A07A
Unnumbered minor planet 2003 AA7
PK03C07P
Comet P/2003 CP7 (LINEAR-NEAT)
0039P
Comet 39P/Oterma
You may also search by name:
Target
Description
Encke
(9134) Encke
Africa
(1193) Africa
Africano
(6391) Africano
P/Encke
2P/Encke
C/Encke
2P/Encke
C/Gleason
C/2003 A2 (Gleason)
If a comet name is not unique, the first match will be returned.
References
- MPES(1,2,3)
Williams, G. The Minor Planet Ephemeris Service. https://minorplanetcenter.net/iau/info/MPES.pdf (retrieved 2018 June 19).
Examples
>>> from astroquery.mpc import MPC >>> tab = astroquery.mpc.MPC.get_ephemeris('(24)', location=568, ... start='2003-02-26', step='100d', number=3) >>> print(tab)
- get_ephemeris_async(target, location='500', start=None, step='1d', number=None, ut_offset=0, eph_type='equatorial', ra_format=None, dec_format=None, proper_motion='total', proper_motion_unit='arcsec/h', suppress_daytime=False, suppress_set=False, perturbed=True, unc_links=False, get_query_payload=False, get_raw_response=False, cache=False)[source]¶
Object ephemerides from the Minor Planet Ephemeris Service.
- Parameters
- targetstr
Designation of the object of interest. See Notes for acceptable formats.
- locationstr, array-like, or
EarthLocation, optional Observer’s location as an IAU observatory code, a 3-element array of Earth longitude, latitude, altitude, or a
EarthLocation. Longitude and latitude should be anything that initializes anAngleobject, and altitude should initialize anQuantityobject (with units of length). IfNone, then the geocenter (code 500) is used.- startstr or
Time, optional First epoch of the ephemeris as a string (UT), or astropy
Time. Strings are parsed byTime. IfNone, then today is used. Valid dates span the time period 1900 Jan 1 - 2099 Dec 31 [MPES].- stepstr or
Quantity, optional The ephemeris step size or interval in units of days, hours, minutes, or seconds. Strings are parsed by
Quantity. All inputs are rounded to the nearest integer. Default is 1 day.- numberint, optional
The number of ephemeris dates to compute. Must be ≤1441. If
None, the value depends on the units ofstep: 21 for days, 49 for hours, 121 for minutes, or 301 for seconds.- ut_offsetint, optional
Number of hours to offset from 0 UT for daily ephemerides.
- eph_typestr, optional
Specify the type of ephemeris:
equatorial: RA and Dec (default) heliocentric: heliocentric position and velocity vectors geocentric: geocentric position vector
- ra_formatdict, optional
Format the RA column with
to_stringusing these keyword arguments, e.g.,{'sep': ':', 'unit': 'hourangle', 'precision': 1}.- dec_formatdict, optional
Format the Dec column with
to_stringusing these keyword arguments, e.g.,{'sep': ':', 'precision': 0}.- proper_motionstr, optional
total: total motion and direction (default) coordinate: separate RA and Dec coordinate motion sky: separate RA and Dec sky motion (i.e., includes a cos(Dec) term).
- proper_motion_unitstring or Unit, optional
Convert proper motion to this unit. Must be an angular rate. Default is ‘arcsec/h’.
- suppress_daytimebool, optional
Suppress output when the Sun is above the local horizon. (default
False)- suppress_setbool, optional
Suppress output when the object is below the local horizon. (default
False)- perturbedbool, optional
Generate perturbed ephemerides for unperturbed orbits (default
True).- unc_linksbool, optional
Return columns with uncertainty map and offset links, if available.
- get_query_payloadbool, optional
Return the HTTP request parameters as a dictionary (default:
False).- get_raw_responsebool, optional
Return raw data without parsing into a table (default:
False).- cachebool, optional
Cache results or use cached results (default:
False).
- Returns
- response
requests.Response The HTTP response returned from the service.
- response
Notes
See the MPES user’s guide [MPES] for details on options and implementation.
MPES allows azimuths to be measured eastwards from the north meridian, or westwards from the south meridian. However, the
AltAzcoordinate frame assumes eastwards of north. To remain consistent with Astropy, eastwards of north is used.Acceptable target names [MPES] are listed in the tables below.
Attention
Asteroid designations in the text version of the documentation may be prefixed with a backslash, which should be ignored. This is to force correct rendering of the designation in the rendered versions of the documentation (e.g., HTML).
Target
Description
(3202)
Numbered minor planet (3202)
14829
Numbered minor planet (14829)
1997 XF11
Unnumbered minor planet 1997 XF11
1P
Comet 1P/Halley
C/2003 A2
Comet C/2003 A2 (Gleason)
P/2003 CP7
Comet P/2003 CP7 (LINEAR-NEAT)
For comets, P/ and C/ are interchangable. The designation may also be in a packed format:
Target
Description
00233
Numbered minor planet (233)
K03A07A
Unnumbered minor planet 2003 AA7
PK03C07P
Comet P/2003 CP7 (LINEAR-NEAT)
0039P
Comet 39P/Oterma
You may also search by name:
Target
Description
Encke
(9134) Encke
Africa
(1193) Africa
Africano
(6391) Africano
P/Encke
2P/Encke
C/Encke
2P/Encke
C/Gleason
C/2003 A2 (Gleason)
If a comet name is not unique, the first match will be returned.
References
- MPES(1,2,3)
Williams, G. The Minor Planet Ephemeris Service. https://minorplanetcenter.net/iau/info/MPES.pdf (retrieved 2018 June 19).
Examples
>>> from astroquery.mpc import MPC >>> tab = astroquery.mpc.MPC.get_ephemeris('(24)', location=568, ... start='2003-02-26', step='100d', number=3) >>> print(tab)
- get_observations(*args, **kwargs)¶
Queries the service and returns a table object.
Obtain all reported observations for an asteroid or a comet from the Minor Planet Center observations database.
- Parameters
- targetidint or str
Official target number or designation. If a number is provided (either as int or str), the input is interpreted as an asteroid number; asteroid designations are interpreted as such (note that a whitespace between the year and the remainder of the designation is required and no packed designations are allowed). To query a periodic comet number, you have to append
'P', e.g.,'234P'. To query any comet designation, the designation has to start with a letter describing the comet type and a slash, e.g.,'C/2018 E1'. Comet or asteroid names, Palomar-Leiden Survey designations, and individual comet fragments cannot be queried.- id_typestr, optional
Manual override for identifier type. If
None, the identifier type is derived by parsingtargetid; if this automated classification fails, it can be set manually using this parameter. Possible values are'asteroid number','asteroid designation','comet number', and'comet designation'. Default:None- get_mpcformatbool, optional
If
True, this method will return anQTablewith only a single column holding the original MPC 80-column observation format. Default:False- get_raw_responsebool, optional
If
True, this method will return the raw output from the MPC servers (json). Default:False- get_query_payloadbool, optional
Return the HTTP request parameters as a dictionary (default:
False).- cachebool, optional
If
True, queries will be cached. Default:True
- Returns
- tableA
Tableobject.
- tableA
- Raises
- RuntimeError
If query did not return any data.
- ValueError
If target name could not be parsed properly and target type could not be identified.
Notes
The following quantities are included in the output table
Column Name
Definition
numberofficial IAU target number (int)
desigprovisional target designation (str)
discovery(*)target discovery flag (str)
comettype(*)orbital type of comet (str)
note1(#)Note1 (str)
note2(#)Note2 (str)
epochepoch of observation (Julian Date, float)
RARA reported (J2000, deg, float)
DECdeclination reported (J2000, deg, float)
magreported magnitude (mag, float)
band(*)photometric band for
mag(str)phottype(*)comet photometry type (nuclear/total, str)
observatoryIAU observatory code (str)
(*): Column names are optional and depend on whether an asteroid or a comet has been queried.
(#): Parameters
Note1andNote2are defined here.Examples
>>> from astroquery.mpc import MPC >>> MPC.get_observations(12893) <QTable masked=True length=1401> number desig discovery note1 ... mag band observatory ... mag int64 str9 str1 str1 ... float64 str1 str3 ------ --------- --------- ----- ... ------- ---- ----------- 12893 1998 QS55 -- -- ... 0.0 -- 413 12893 1998 QS55 -- -- ... 0.0 -- 413 12893 1998 QS55 * 4 ... 0.0 -- 809 12893 1998 QS55 -- 4 ... 0.0 -- 809 12893 1998 QS55 -- 4 ... 0.0 -- 809 12893 1998 QS55 -- 4 ... 18.4 -- 809 ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 12893 1998 QS55 -- -- ... 18.63 c T05 12893 1998 QS55 -- -- ... 18.55 c T05 12893 1998 QS55 -- -- ... 18.3 r I41 12893 1998 QS55 -- -- ... 18.3 r I41 12893 1998 QS55 -- -- ... 18.2 r I41 12893 1998 QS55 -- -- ... 18.3 r I41
- get_observations_async(targetid, id_type=None, comettype=None, get_mpcformat=False, get_raw_response=False, get_query_payload=False, cache=True)[source]¶
Obtain all reported observations for an asteroid or a comet from the Minor Planet Center observations database.
- Parameters
- targetidint or str
Official target number or designation. If a number is provided (either as int or str), the input is interpreted as an asteroid number; asteroid designations are interpreted as such (note that a whitespace between the year and the remainder of the designation is required and no packed designations are allowed). To query a periodic comet number, you have to append
'P', e.g.,'234P'. To query any comet designation, the designation has to start with a letter describing the comet type and a slash, e.g.,'C/2018 E1'. Comet or asteroid names, Palomar-Leiden Survey designations, and individual comet fragments cannot be queried.- id_typestr, optional
Manual override for identifier type. If
None, the identifier type is derived by parsingtargetid; if this automated classification fails, it can be set manually using this parameter. Possible values are'asteroid number','asteroid designation','comet number', and'comet designation'. Default:None- get_mpcformatbool, optional
If
True, this method will return anQTablewith only a single column holding the original MPC 80-column observation format. Default:False- get_raw_responsebool, optional
If
True, this method will return the raw output from the MPC servers (json). Default:False- get_query_payloadbool, optional
Return the HTTP request parameters as a dictionary (default:
False).- cachebool, optional
If
True, queries will be cached. Default:True
- Raises
- RuntimeError
If query did not return any data.
- ValueError
If target name could not be parsed properly and target type could not be identified.
Notes
The following quantities are included in the output table
Column Name
Definition
numberofficial IAU target number (int)
desigprovisional target designation (str)
discovery(*)target discovery flag (str)
comettype(*)orbital type of comet (str)
note1(#)Note1 (str)
note2(#)Note2 (str)
epochepoch of observation (Julian Date, float)
RARA reported (J2000, deg, float)
DECdeclination reported (J2000, deg, float)
magreported magnitude (mag, float)
band(*)photometric band for
mag(str)phottype(*)comet photometry type (nuclear/total, str)
observatoryIAU observatory code (str)
(*): Column names are optional and depend on whether an asteroid or a comet has been queried.
(#): Parameters
Note1andNote2are defined here.Examples
>>> from astroquery.mpc import MPC >>> MPC.get_observations(12893) <QTable masked=True length=1401> number desig discovery note1 ... mag band observatory ... mag int64 str9 str1 str1 ... float64 str1 str3 ------ --------- --------- ----- ... ------- ---- ----------- 12893 1998 QS55 -- -- ... 0.0 -- 413 12893 1998 QS55 -- -- ... 0.0 -- 413 12893 1998 QS55 * 4 ... 0.0 -- 809 12893 1998 QS55 -- 4 ... 0.0 -- 809 12893 1998 QS55 -- 4 ... 0.0 -- 809 12893 1998 QS55 -- 4 ... 18.4 -- 809 ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 12893 1998 QS55 -- -- ... 18.63 c T05 12893 1998 QS55 -- -- ... 18.55 c T05 12893 1998 QS55 -- -- ... 18.3 r I41 12893 1998 QS55 -- -- ... 18.3 r I41 12893 1998 QS55 -- -- ... 18.2 r I41 12893 1998 QS55 -- -- ... 18.3 r I41
- get_observatory_codes(*args, **kwargs)¶
Queries the service and returns a table object.
Table of observatory codes from the IAU Minor Planet Center.
- Parameters
- get_raw_responsebool, optional
Return raw data without parsing into a table (default:
False).- cachebool, optional
Cache results or use cached results (default:
True).
- Returns
- tableA
Tableobject.
- tableA
References
Examples
>>> from astroquery.mpc import MPC >>> obs = MPC.get_observatory_codes() >>> print(obs[295]) Code Longitude cos sin Name ---- --------- -------- --------- ------------- 309 289.59569 0.909943 -0.414336 Cerro Paranal
- get_observatory_codes_async(get_raw_response=False, cache=True)[source]¶
Table of observatory codes from the IAU Minor Planet Center.
- Parameters
- get_raw_responsebool, optional
Return raw data without parsing into a table (default:
False).- cachebool, optional
Cache results or use cached results (default:
True).
- Returns
- response
requests.Response The HTTP response returned from the service.
- response
References
Examples
>>> from astroquery.mpc import MPC >>> obs = MPC.get_observatory_codes() >>> print(obs[295]) Code Longitude cos sin Name ---- --------- -------- --------- ------------- 309 289.59569 0.909943 -0.414336 Cerro Paranal
- get_observatory_location(code, cache=True)[source]¶
IAU observatory location.
- Parameters
- codestring
Three-character IAU observatory code.
- cachebool, optional
Cache observatory table or use cached results (default:
True).
- Returns
- longitudeAngle
Observatory longitude (east of Greenwich).
- cosfloat
Parallax constant
rho * cos(phi)whererhois the geocentric distance in earth radii, andphiis the geocentric latitude.- sinfloat
Parallax constant
rho * sin(phi).- namestring
The name of the observatory.
- Raises
- LookupError
If
codeis not found in the MPC table.
Examples
>>> from astroquery.mpc import MPC >>> obs = MPC.get_observatory_location('000') >>> print(obs) (<Angle 0. deg>, 0.62411, 0.77873, 'Greenwich')
- query_object(*args, **kwargs)¶
Queries the service and returns a table object.
Query around a specific object within a given mission catalog. When searching for a comet, it will return the entry with the latest epoch.
The following are valid query parameters for the MPC API search. The params list and description are from https://minorplanetcenter.net/web_service/ and are accurate as of 3/6/2018.
- Parameters
- target_typestr
Search for either a comet or an asteroid, with the two valid values being, naturally, “comet” and “asteroid”
- updated_atstr
Date-time when the Orbits table was last updated (YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ssZ). Note: the documentation lists this field as “orbit-updated-at”, but the service response contained “updated_at”, which appears to correlate and can also be used as a query parameter.
- namestr
The object’s name; e.g., Eros. This can be queried as ‘Eros’ or ‘eros’. If the object has not yet been named, this field will be ‘null’.
- numberinteger
The object’s number; e.g., 433. If the object has not yet been numbered, this field will be ‘null’.
- designationstr
The object’s provisional designation (e.g., 2014 AA) if it has not been numbered yet. If the object has been numbered, this number is its permanent designation and is what the ‘designation’ parameter will return, padded with leading zeroes for a total of 7 digits; e.g., ‘0000433’. When querying for provisional designations, because white spaces aren’t allowed in the query, escape the space with either a ‘+’ or ‘%20’; e.g., ‘2014+AA’ or ‘2014%20AA’.
- epochstr
The date/time of reference for the current orbital parameters.
- epoch_jdstr
The Julian Date of the epoch.
- period (years)str
Time it takes for the object to complete one orbit around the Sun.
- semimajor_axisstr
a, one half of the longest diameter of the orbital ellipse. (AU)
- aphelion_distancestr
The distance when the object is furthest from the Sun in its orbit. (AU)
- perihelion_distancestr
The distance when the object is nearest to the Sun in its orbit. (AU)
- perihelion_datestr
Date when the object is at perihelion, i.e., reaches its closest point to the Sun.
- perihelion_date_jdstr
The Julian Date of perihelion.
- argument_of_perihelion (°)str
ω, defines the orientation of the ellipse in the orbital plane and is the angle from the object’s ascending node to its perihelion, measured in the direction of motion. Range: 0–360°.
- ascending_node (°)str
Ω, the longitude of the ascending node, it defines the horizontal orientation of the ellipse with respect to the ecliptic, and is the angle measured counterclockwise (as seen from North of the ecliptic) from the First Point of Aries to the ascending node. Range: 0–360°.
- inclination (°)str
i, the angle between the object’s orbit and the ecliptic. Range: 0–180°.
- eccentricitystr
e, a measure of how far the orbit shape departs from a circle. Range: 0–1, with e = 0 being a perfect circle, intermediate values being ellipses ever more elongated as e increases, and e = 1 describing a parabola.
- mean_anomaly (°)str
M, is related to the position of the object along its orbit at the given epoch. Range: 0–360°.
- mean_daily_motion (°/day)str
n, a measure of the average speed of the object along its orbit.
- absolute_magnitudestr
H, apparent magnitude the object would have if it were observed from 1 AU away at zero phase, while it was 1 AU away from the Sun. Note this is geometrically impossible and is equivalent to observing the object from the center of the Sun.
- phase_slopestr
G, slope parameter as calculated or assumed by the MPC. The slope parameter is a measure of how much brighter the object gets as its phase angle decreases. When not known, a value of G = 0.15 is assumed.
- orbit_typeinteger
Asteroids are classified from a dynamics perspective by the area of the Solar System in which they orbit. A number identifies each orbit type. 0: Unclassified (mostly Main Belters) 1: Atiras 2: Atens 3: Apollos 4: Amors 5: Mars Crossers 6: Hungarias 7: Phocaeas 8: Hildas 9: Jupiter Trojans 10: Distant Objects
- delta_v (km/sec)float
Δv, an estimate of the amount of energy necessary to jump from LEO (Low Earth Orbit) to the object’s orbit.
- tisserand_jupiterfloat
TJ, Tisserand parameter with respect to Jupiter, which is a quasi-invariant value for each object and is frequently used to distinguish objects (typically TJ > 3) from Jupiter-family comets (typically 2 < TJ < 3).
- neobool
value = 1 flags Near Earth Objects (NEOs).
- km_neobool
value = 1 flags NEOs larger than ~1 km in diameter.
- phabool
value = 1 flags Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs).
- mercury_moidfloat
Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance with respect to Mercury. (AU)
- venus_moidfloat
Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance with respect to Venus. (AU)
- earth_moidfloat
Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance with respect to Earth. (AU)
- mars_moidfloat
Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance with respect to Mars. (AU)
- jupiter_moidfloat
Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance with respect to Jupiter. (AU)
- saturn_moidfloat
Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance with respect to Saturn. (AU)
- uranus_moidfloat
Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance with respect to Uranus. (AU)
- neptune_moidfloat
Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance with respect to Neptune. (AU)
- Returns
- tableA
Tableobject.
- tableA
- query_object_async(target_type, get_query_payload=False, *args, **kwargs)[source]¶
Query around a specific object within a given mission catalog. When searching for a comet, it will return the entry with the latest epoch.
The following are valid query parameters for the MPC API search. The params list and description are from https://minorplanetcenter.net/web_service/ and are accurate as of 3/6/2018.
- Parameters
- target_typestr
Search for either a comet or an asteroid, with the two valid values being, naturally, “comet” and “asteroid”
- updated_atstr
Date-time when the Orbits table was last updated (YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ssZ). Note: the documentation lists this field as “orbit-updated-at”, but the service response contained “updated_at”, which appears to correlate and can also be used as a query parameter.
- namestr
The object’s name; e.g., Eros. This can be queried as ‘Eros’ or ‘eros’. If the object has not yet been named, this field will be ‘null’.
- numberinteger
The object’s number; e.g., 433. If the object has not yet been numbered, this field will be ‘null’.
- designationstr
The object’s provisional designation (e.g., 2014 AA) if it has not been numbered yet. If the object has been numbered, this number is its permanent designation and is what the ‘designation’ parameter will return, padded with leading zeroes for a total of 7 digits; e.g., ‘0000433’. When querying for provisional designations, because white spaces aren’t allowed in the query, escape the space with either a ‘+’ or ‘%20’; e.g., ‘2014+AA’ or ‘2014%20AA’.
- epochstr
The date/time of reference for the current orbital parameters.
- epoch_jdstr
The Julian Date of the epoch.
- period (years)str
Time it takes for the object to complete one orbit around the Sun.
- semimajor_axisstr
a, one half of the longest diameter of the orbital ellipse. (AU)
- aphelion_distancestr
The distance when the object is furthest from the Sun in its orbit. (AU)
- perihelion_distancestr
The distance when the object is nearest to the Sun in its orbit. (AU)
- perihelion_datestr
Date when the object is at perihelion, i.e., reaches its closest point to the Sun.
- perihelion_date_jdstr
The Julian Date of perihelion.
- argument_of_perihelion (°)str
ω, defines the orientation of the ellipse in the orbital plane and is the angle from the object’s ascending node to its perihelion, measured in the direction of motion. Range: 0–360°.
- ascending_node (°)str
Ω, the longitude of the ascending node, it defines the horizontal orientation of the ellipse with respect to the ecliptic, and is the angle measured counterclockwise (as seen from North of the ecliptic) from the First Point of Aries to the ascending node. Range: 0–360°.
- inclination (°)str
i, the angle between the object’s orbit and the ecliptic. Range: 0–180°.
- eccentricitystr
e, a measure of how far the orbit shape departs from a circle. Range: 0–1, with e = 0 being a perfect circle, intermediate values being ellipses ever more elongated as e increases, and e = 1 describing a parabola.
- mean_anomaly (°)str
M, is related to the position of the object along its orbit at the given epoch. Range: 0–360°.
- mean_daily_motion (°/day)str
n, a measure of the average speed of the object along its orbit.
- absolute_magnitudestr
H, apparent magnitude the object would have if it were observed from 1 AU away at zero phase, while it was 1 AU away from the Sun. Note this is geometrically impossible and is equivalent to observing the object from the center of the Sun.
- phase_slopestr
G, slope parameter as calculated or assumed by the MPC. The slope parameter is a measure of how much brighter the object gets as its phase angle decreases. When not known, a value of G = 0.15 is assumed.
- orbit_typeinteger
Asteroids are classified from a dynamics perspective by the area of the Solar System in which they orbit. A number identifies each orbit type. 0: Unclassified (mostly Main Belters) 1: Atiras 2: Atens 3: Apollos 4: Amors 5: Mars Crossers 6: Hungarias 7: Phocaeas 8: Hildas 9: Jupiter Trojans 10: Distant Objects
- delta_v (km/sec)float
Δv, an estimate of the amount of energy necessary to jump from LEO (Low Earth Orbit) to the object’s orbit.
- tisserand_jupiterfloat
TJ, Tisserand parameter with respect to Jupiter, which is a quasi-invariant value for each object and is frequently used to distinguish objects (typically TJ > 3) from Jupiter-family comets (typically 2 < TJ < 3).
- neobool
value = 1 flags Near Earth Objects (NEOs).
- km_neobool
value = 1 flags NEOs larger than ~1 km in diameter.
- phabool
value = 1 flags Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs).
- mercury_moidfloat
Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance with respect to Mercury. (AU)
- venus_moidfloat
Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance with respect to Venus. (AU)
- earth_moidfloat
Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance with respect to Earth. (AU)
- mars_moidfloat
Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance with respect to Mars. (AU)
- jupiter_moidfloat
Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance with respect to Jupiter. (AU)
- saturn_moidfloat
Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance with respect to Saturn. (AU)
- uranus_moidfloat
Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance with respect to Uranus. (AU)
- neptune_moidfloat
Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance with respect to Neptune. (AU)
- query_objects(*args, **kwargs)¶
Queries the service and returns a table object.
Query around a specific object within a given mission catalog
The following are valid query parameters for the MPC API search. The params list and description are from https://minorplanetcenter.net/web_service/ and are accurate as of 3/6/2018:
- Parameters
- target_typestr
Search for either a comet or an asteroid, with the two valid values being, naturally, “comet” and “asteroid”
- updated_atstr
Date-time when the Orbits table was last updated (YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ssZ). Note: the documentation lists this field as “orbit-updated-at”, but the service response contained “updated_at”, which appears to correlate and can also be used as a query parameter.
- namestr
The object’s name; e.g., Eros. This can be queried as ‘Eros’ or ‘eros’. If the object has not yet been named, this field will be ‘null’.
- numberinteger
The object’s number; e.g., 433. If the object has not yet been numbered, this field will be ‘null’.
- designationstr
The object’s provisional designation (e.g., 2014 AA) if it has not been numbered yet. If the object has been numbered, this number is its permanent designation and is what the ‘designation’ parameter will return, padded with leading zeroes for a total of 7 digits; e.g., ‘0000433’. When querying for provisional designations, because white spaces aren’t allowed in the query, escape the space with either a ‘+’ or ‘%20’; e.g., ‘2014+AA’ or ‘2014%20AA’.
- epochstr
The date/time of reference for the current orbital parameters.
- epoch_jdstr
The Julian Date of the epoch.
- period (years)str
Time it takes for the object to complete one orbit around the Sun.
- semimajor_axisstr
a, one half of the longest diameter of the orbital ellipse. (AU)
- aphelion_distancestr
The distance when the object is furthest from the Sun in its orbit. (AU)
- perihelion_distancestr
The distance when the object is nearest to the Sun in its orbit. (AU)
- perihelion_datestr
Date when the object is at perihelion, i.e., reaches its closest point to the Sun.
- perihelion_date_jdstr
The Julian Date of perihelion.
- argument_of_perihelion (°)str
ω, defines the orientation of the ellipse in the orbital plane and is the angle from the object’s ascending node to its perihelion, measured in the direction of motion. Range: 0–360°.
- ascending_node (°)str
Ω, the longitude of the ascending node, it defines the horizontal orientation of the ellipse with respect to the ecliptic, and is the angle measured counterclockwise (as seen from North of the ecliptic) from the First Point of Aries to the ascending node. Range: 0–360°.
- inclination (°)str
i, the angle between the object’s orbit and the ecliptic. Range: 0–180°.
- eccentricitystr
e, a measure of how far the orbit shape departs from a circle. Range: 0–1, with e = 0 being a perfect circle, intermediate values being ellipses ever more elongated as e increases, and e = 1 describing a parabola.
- mean_anomaly (°)str
M, is related to the position of the object along its orbit at the given epoch. Range: 0–360°.
- mean_daily_motion (°/day)str
n, a measure of the average speed of the object along its orbit.
- absolute_magnitudestr
H, apparent magnitude the object would have if it were observed from 1 AU away at zero phase, while it was 1 AU away from the Sun. Note this is geometrically impossible and is equivalent to observing the object from the center of the Sun.
- phase_slopestr
G, slope parameter as calculated or assumed by the MPC. The slope parameter is a measure of how much brighter the object gets as its phase angle decreases. When not known, a value of G = 0.15 is assumed.
- orbit_typeinteger
Asteroids are classified from a dynamics perspective by the area of the Solar System in which they orbit. A number identifies each orbit type. 0: Unclassified (mostly Main Belters) 1: Atiras 2: Atens 3: Apollos 4: Amors 5: Mars Crossers 6: Hungarias 7: Phocaeas 8: Hildas 9: Jupiter Trojans 10: Distant Objects
- delta_v (km/sec)float
Δv, an estimate of the amount of energy necessary to jump from LEO (Low Earth Orbit) to the object’s orbit.
- tisserand_jupiterfloat
TJ, Tisserand parameter with respect to Jupiter, which is a quasi-invariant value for each object and is frequently used to distinguish objects (typically TJ > 3) from Jupiter-family comets (typically 2 < TJ < 3).
- neobool
value = 1 flags Near Earth Objects (NEOs).
- km_neobool
value = 1 flags NEOs larger than ~1 km in diameter.
- phabool
value = 1 flags Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs).
- mercury_moidfloat
Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance with respect to Mercury. (AU)
- venus_moidfloat
Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance with respect to Venus. (AU)
- earth_moidfloat
Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance with respect to Earth. (AU)
- mars_moidfloat
Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance with respect to Mars. (AU)
- jupiter_moidfloat
Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance with respect to Jupiter. (AU)
- saturn_moidfloat
Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance with respect to Saturn. (AU)
- uranus_moidfloat
Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance with respect to Uranus. (AU)
- neptune_moidfloat
Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance with respect to Neptune. (AU)
- limitinteger
Limit the number of results to the given value
- Returns
- tableA
Tableobject.
- tableA
- query_objects_async(target_type, get_query_payload=False, *args, **kwargs)[source]¶
Query around a specific object within a given mission catalog
The following are valid query parameters for the MPC API search. The params list and description are from https://minorplanetcenter.net/web_service/ and are accurate as of 3/6/2018:
- Parameters
- target_typestr
Search for either a comet or an asteroid, with the two valid values being, naturally, “comet” and “asteroid”
- updated_atstr
Date-time when the Orbits table was last updated (YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ssZ). Note: the documentation lists this field as “orbit-updated-at”, but the service response contained “updated_at”, which appears to correlate and can also be used as a query parameter.
- namestr
The object’s name; e.g., Eros. This can be queried as ‘Eros’ or ‘eros’. If the object has not yet been named, this field will be ‘null’.
- numberinteger
The object’s number; e.g., 433. If the object has not yet been numbered, this field will be ‘null’.
- designationstr
The object’s provisional designation (e.g., 2014 AA) if it has not been numbered yet. If the object has been numbered, this number is its permanent designation and is what the ‘designation’ parameter will return, padded with leading zeroes for a total of 7 digits; e.g., ‘0000433’. When querying for provisional designations, because white spaces aren’t allowed in the query, escape the space with either a ‘+’ or ‘%20’; e.g., ‘2014+AA’ or ‘2014%20AA’.
- epochstr
The date/time of reference for the current orbital parameters.
- epoch_jdstr
The Julian Date of the epoch.
- period (years)str
Time it takes for the object to complete one orbit around the Sun.
- semimajor_axisstr
a, one half of the longest diameter of the orbital ellipse. (AU)
- aphelion_distancestr
The distance when the object is furthest from the Sun in its orbit. (AU)
- perihelion_distancestr
The distance when the object is nearest to the Sun in its orbit. (AU)
- perihelion_datestr
Date when the object is at perihelion, i.e., reaches its closest point to the Sun.
- perihelion_date_jdstr
The Julian Date of perihelion.
- argument_of_perihelion (°)str
ω, defines the orientation of the ellipse in the orbital plane and is the angle from the object’s ascending node to its perihelion, measured in the direction of motion. Range: 0–360°.
- ascending_node (°)str
Ω, the longitude of the ascending node, it defines the horizontal orientation of the ellipse with respect to the ecliptic, and is the angle measured counterclockwise (as seen from North of the ecliptic) from the First Point of Aries to the ascending node. Range: 0–360°.
- inclination (°)str
i, the angle between the object’s orbit and the ecliptic. Range: 0–180°.
- eccentricitystr
e, a measure of how far the orbit shape departs from a circle. Range: 0–1, with e = 0 being a perfect circle, intermediate values being ellipses ever more elongated as e increases, and e = 1 describing a parabola.
- mean_anomaly (°)str
M, is related to the position of the object along its orbit at the given epoch. Range: 0–360°.
- mean_daily_motion (°/day)str
n, a measure of the average speed of the object along its orbit.
- absolute_magnitudestr
H, apparent magnitude the object would have if it were observed from 1 AU away at zero phase, while it was 1 AU away from the Sun. Note this is geometrically impossible and is equivalent to observing the object from the center of the Sun.
- phase_slopestr
G, slope parameter as calculated or assumed by the MPC. The slope parameter is a measure of how much brighter the object gets as its phase angle decreases. When not known, a value of G = 0.15 is assumed.
- orbit_typeinteger
Asteroids are classified from a dynamics perspective by the area of the Solar System in which they orbit. A number identifies each orbit type. 0: Unclassified (mostly Main Belters) 1: Atiras 2: Atens 3: Apollos 4: Amors 5: Mars Crossers 6: Hungarias 7: Phocaeas 8: Hildas 9: Jupiter Trojans 10: Distant Objects
- delta_v (km/sec)float
Δv, an estimate of the amount of energy necessary to jump from LEO (Low Earth Orbit) to the object’s orbit.
- tisserand_jupiterfloat
TJ, Tisserand parameter with respect to Jupiter, which is a quasi-invariant value for each object and is frequently used to distinguish objects (typically TJ > 3) from Jupiter-family comets (typically 2 < TJ < 3).
- neobool
value = 1 flags Near Earth Objects (NEOs).
- km_neobool
value = 1 flags NEOs larger than ~1 km in diameter.
- phabool
value = 1 flags Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs).
- mercury_moidfloat
Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance with respect to Mercury. (AU)
- venus_moidfloat
Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance with respect to Venus. (AU)
- earth_moidfloat
Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance with respect to Earth. (AU)
- mars_moidfloat
Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance with respect to Mars. (AU)
- jupiter_moidfloat
Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance with respect to Jupiter. (AU)
- saturn_moidfloat
Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance with respect to Saturn. (AU)
- uranus_moidfloat
Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance with respect to Uranus. (AU)
- neptune_moidfloat
Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance with respect to Neptune. (AU)
- limitinteger
Limit the number of results to the given value