GET votable
Summary: Query astronomical catalogs
Operation ID: queryCatalog
Auth: unknown
Operation ID: queryCatalog
Auth: unknown
Description
Query astronomical catalogs and return results in VOTable XML format. Supports coordinate-based searches, catalog queries, and filtered searches.
Parameters (16)
-c
(string, query, optional)
Target center: object name (resolved by SIMBAD) or coordinates in sexagesimal (e.g., '12 34' or '12:34:56 +12:34:56')
-c.bm
(string, query, optional)
Box size in arcminutes (e.g., '8x6' for 8x6 arcmin box)
-c.eq
(string, query, optional)
Equinox for coordinates (default: J2000)
Constraints: {'enum': ['J2000', 'B1950']}
-c.rd
(number, query, optional)
Search radius in degrees
Constraints: {'minimum': 0}
-c.rm
(number, query, optional)
Search radius in arcminutes
Constraints: {'minimum': 0}
-c.rs
(number, query, optional)
Search radius in arcseconds
Constraints: {'minimum': 0}
-kw
(string, query, optional)
Filter by mission or wavelength keywords
-out
(string, query, optional)
Comma-separated list of columns to return. Use column names from the catalog. Special: '_r' for distance to center, '_RAJ2000', '_DEJ2000' for computed coordinates
-out.all
(boolean, query, optional)
Return all columns from the catalog
-out.max
(integer, query, optional)
Maximum number of rows to return (default: 50, max: 50000)
Constraints: {'minimum': 1, 'maximum': 50000}
-phot
(boolean, query, optional)
Restrict to tables containing photometry
-pos
(boolean, query, optional)
Restrict to tables containing positions
-sort
(string, query, optional)
Column to sort by. Prefix with '-' for descending order
-source
(string, query, required)
Catalog/table identifier (e.g., I/239/hip_main for Hipparcos, VII/253/names for SIMBAD cross-match)
-ucd
(string, query, optional)
Filter by UCD (Unified Content Descriptor) - returns only columns with matching UCD
-words
(string, query, optional)
Search catalogs by keywords in title (alternative to -source for discovery)
Examples (2)
| Title | Type | URL | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Query astronomical catalogs | openapi-spec |
http://vizier.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/votable?-source=I/239/hip_main&-c=M31&-c.eq=J2000&-c.rm=10&-c.rd=0.5&-c.rs=60&-c.bm=10x10&-out.max=100&-out=HIP,RAICRS,DEICRS,Vmag&-sort=-Vmag&-words=hipparcos&-kw=optical&-ucd=POS_EQ_RA_MAIN |
|
| Query astronomical catalogs | probe-gate |
http://vizier.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/votable?-source=I%2F239%2Fhip_main&-c=M31&-c.eq=J2000&-c.rm=10&-c.rd=0.5&-c.rs=60&-c.bm=10x10&-out.max=100&-out=HIP%2CRAICRS%2CDEICRS%2CVmag&-sort=-Vmag&-words=hipparcos&-kw=optical&-ucd=POS_EQ_RA_MAIN |
Probe History
Status Codes
| Time | Status | Latency | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-23 10:45:51.140032 | 200 | 787ms | |
| 2026-03-23 10:10:52.149068 | 200 | 730ms | |
| 2026-03-20T03:10:19.777120 | 200 | 685ms |
Response Changes
| When | Old | New |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-23 10:10:52.149068 | be9acb7e7556 |
9f1f4a1590d3 |
| 2026-03-23 10:45:51.140032 | 9f1f4a1590d3 |
839960799a6c |