astroquery

library0.4.11pypypi✓ verified 85d ago

Astroquery provides a uniform interface to query astronomical web services and archives, making it easier to access online astronomical data resources. It is part of the Astropy Project and integrates seamlessly with Astropy's data structures. The current version is 0.4.11, and it maintains an active development cycle with frequent releases to add new services and fix issues.

data http-networking serialization

pip install astroquery

github ↗package ↗docs ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · ASTROQUERY

astroquery

datapythonv0.4.11

Install

10.0s avg

Import

2791ms

Disk

216MB

Pass rate

10/ 10

Env Coverage10 / 10

glibc

3.9–3.13

musl

3.9–3.13

Install & Compatibility

Where this runs

tested against v0.4.11 · pip install

no network on importno background threads

Install × environment matrix

Each cell = how many times install + import succeeded across repeated harness runs. Partial = flaky.
glibc = Debian/Ubuntu slim · musl = Alpine Linux

musl

py 3.10–3.920 runs

installs and imports cleanly · install 0.0s · import 2.871s · 208.3MB

glibc

py 3.10–3.920 runs

installs and imports cleanly · install 10.0s · import 2.712s · 209MB

216MB installed

● package 216MB

Code

Verified usage

Verified import paths — ran on the pinned version, not inferred.

Simbad

✓ from astroquery.simbad import Simbad

Mast

✓ from astroquery.mast import Mast

Gaia

✓ from astroquery.gaia import Gaia

Ned

✓ from astroquery.ned import Ned

This quickstart demonstrates how to query the Simbad database for an object by name and perform a cone search around specific coordinates. It shows basic data retrieval and interaction with Astropy's units and coordinates.

from astroquery.simbad import Simbad import astropy.units as u # Query Simbad for a celestial object result_table = Simbad.query_object("M1") if result_table: print(f"Object Name: {result_table['MAIN_ID'][0]}") print(f"RA: {result_table['RA'][0]}, Dec: {result_table['DEC'][0]}") # Example of a cone search around a coordinate from astropy.coordinates import SkyCoord coord = SkyCoord('10h00m00s +10d00m00s', frame='icrs') radius = 5 * u.arcmin cone_search_results = Simbad.query_region(coord, radius=radius) if cone_search_results: print(f"\nObjects found near {coord.ra.deg:.2f}, {coord.dec.deg:.2f} (radius {radius.value:.0f} arcmin):") for row in cone_search_results[:3]: # Print first 3 results print(f" - {row['MAIN_ID']} (RA: {row['RA']}, Dec: {row['DEC']})") else: print("\nNo objects found for the cone search.")

Debug

Known issues

gotchaMany Astroquery services (e.g., MAST, Gaia, ESO) require authentication (login with API tokens or credentials) for full functionality or to bypass rate limits. Failing to authenticate will result in `HTTPError` (e.g., 401 Unauthorized or 403 Forbidden) or limited access.

fix

Use the respective service's login method, e.g., `Mast.login(token=os.environ.get('MAST_API_TOKEN'))` or `Gaia.login()`, before making queries. Tokens are often preferred for scripting.

affects: All versions

gotchaQueries can return extremely large datasets, especially for broad searches. This can lead to long download times, high memory consumption, and potential system instability. Always be mindful of the scope of your query.

fix

Use parameters like `max_results`, `top`, `limit`, or specific coordinate/time range filters where available. Preview query results (e.g., by checking the size of a preliminary query) before downloading the full data.

affects: All versions

breakingWhen using the `TapPlus` class, the `upload_table` method no longer allows table names that contain a dot ('.'). This was introduced as a security and consistency measure.

fix

Ensure that any table names passed to `TapPlus.upload_table` do not contain a period. Replace dots with underscores or remove them.

affects: >=0.4.8

gotchaAstroquery results are typically `astropy.table.Table` objects, with columns often carrying `astropy.units`. Mixing or ignoring these units can lead to `astropy.units.UnitsError` or incorrect calculations.

fix

Always check the units of table columns (e.g., `table['column_name'].unit`) and use `astropy.units` for any subsequent calculations or conversions to ensure dimensional consistency. Convert to plain numerical values only when needed and safe to do so.

affects: All versions

Errors

Common errors & fixes

ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'astroquery.<service>'

The astroquery library or a specific submodule was not installed, or the import path is incorrect.

fix

Ensure `astroquery` is installed (`pip install astroquery`). Verify the exact module name for the service you are trying to use (e.g., `astroquery.simbad`, `astroquery.mast`).

requests.exceptions.HTTPError: 401 Client Error: Unauthorized for url: ...

The query to a remote service failed due to a lack of proper authentication (missing API key/token or invalid credentials).

fix

Authenticate with the respective service using its `login()` method (e.g., `Mast.login(token='YOUR_API_TOKEN')`). Check documentation for required authentication methods for the specific service.

astroquery.exceptions.RemoteServiceError: No results found for query: ...

The query parameters provided did not match any data in the remote service, or the service returned an empty set of results.

fix

Review your query parameters (object name, coordinates, radius, filters, etc.) for typos or logical errors. Try a broader query first, then narrow it down. Check the service's own web interface to confirm data existence.

TypeError: 'Table' object is not callable

Attempted to access rows or columns of an `astropy.table.Table` object using function-call syntax (e.g., `table(0)` or `table('column')`) instead of indexing syntax.

fix

Access rows and columns using square bracket indexing: `table[0]` for the first row, `table['column_name']` for a column. For specific cells, use `table['column_name'][0]`.

Upgrade

Version history

0.4.11latest on PyPI · released Sep 20, 2025

Audit

Dependencies

astropyrequiredAstroquery is built on Astropy, using its Table, Units, and Coordinates functionalities for data handling and interoperability.

Agent activity

33 hits · last 30 days

node

OpenAI (training)

Resources

githubhttps://github.com/astropy/astroquery ↗

packagehttps://pypi.org/project/astroquery/ ↗

docshttps://astroquery.readthedocs.io ↗