Important
This project is active, but has been moved to cadojo/EphemerisSources.jl.
A wrapper around JPL's REST API for the HORIZONS solar system ephemeris platform!
Warning
This package is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA, JPL, Caltech, or any other organization! This is an independently written package by an astrodynamics hobbyist. See the
HorizonsAPI.jllicense file for more information about code sharing and usage!
The NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), located at the California Institute of Technology, provides a solar system ephemeris service called HORIZONS. It's fantastic! It can find and visualize periodic orbits, allow you to download position and velocity data for bodies in our solar system, list physical parameters for celestial bodies, and more!
You may utilize these tools using several methods, including through a
web interface, with telnet via
telnet ssd.jpl.nasa.gov 6775, and even through
email! You can consult the
HORIZONS documentation for more
information.
In 2021, JPL released a REST API which allows users to programatically interact with HORIZONS through HTTP requests. This API is also described in the HORIZONS documentation. This Julia package provides an interface to the HORIZONS REST API.
Note that JPL Horizons ephemeris accuracy for major planetary bodies in the solar system may have errors larger than 1000km at some times!
This package matches the precise interace, which matches the syntax of the
requests described in the HORIZONS
documentation. In addition, a
more Julian syntax for ephemeris downloading and processing is provided in a
separate interface:
HorizonsEphemeris.jl.
This package uses HTTP.jl to process
all HTTP requests and responses!