HORIZONS.jl

An interface to JPL HORIZONS system and other Solar System Dynamics APIs in Julia.

Authors

• Jorge A. Pérez Hernández, Instituto de Ciencias Físicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)
• Luis Eduardo Ramírez Montoya, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)

Comments, suggestions, and improvements are welcome and appreciated.

Installation

HORIZONS.jl is a registered Julia package and may be installed from the Julia REPL doing

] add HORIZONS

Current stable release is v0.4.1, which is compatible with Julia >= 1.6.

Usage examples

Horizons API

The horizons() function is a shortcut to the HORIZONS telnet interface prompt from the Julia REPL:

julia> using HORIZONS

julia> horizons() # get Horizons prompt from the Julia REPL
JPL Horizons, version 4.70
Type '?' for brief help, '?!' for details,
'-' for previous prompt, 'x' to exit
System news updated June 08, 2020

Horizons>

To run this function, the telnet command line utility should be locally installed and enabled.

HORIZONS.jl also has Julia functions for some of the scripts authored by Jon D. Giorgini for automated generation of small-body binary SPK files and tables. These scripts were originally written in expect, and can be found at the JPL's Solar System Dynamics group ftp server ftp://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/pub/ssd/SCRIPTS/. Below, we describe these functions smb_spk, smb_spk_ele, and vec_tbl, as well as the observer table function obs_tbl and the osculating orbital elements table function ooe_tbl.

smb_spk

The smb_spk function automates generation and downloading of Solar System small-bodies binary SPK files from HORIZONS:

using HORIZONS, Dates

# Generate a binary SPK file for asteroid 99942 Apophis covering from 2021 to 2029
local_file = smb_spk("DES = 20099942;", DateTime(2021,Jan,1), DateTime(2029,Apr,13))

isfile(local_file) # Check that the binary SPK file `local_file` exists

Binary SPK files (i.e., extension .bsp) can be read using e.g. SPICE.jl:

# ] add SPICE" # uncomment this line to add `SPICE.jl` to current environment
using SPICE, Dates
furnsh(local_file)
et = 86400*(datetime2julian(DateTime(2024,3,1)) - 2.451545e6)
pv = spkgeo(20099942, et, "J2000", 0)

smb_spk_ele

HORIZONS.jl function smb_spk_ele generates .bsp binary SPK files for small-bodies from a set of osculating orbital elements at a given epoch:

using HORIZONS, Dates

epoch = 2449526.5 # Osculating elements epoch, in Barycentric Dynamical Time (TDB)
ec = 0.6570220840219289 # Orbital eccentricity
qr = 0.5559654280797371 # Perihelion distance
tp = 2449448.890787227 # Julian date of perihelion passage
om = 78.10766874391773 # Longitude of ascending node
w = 77.40198125423228 # Argument of perihelion
inc = 24.4225258251465 # Inclination

start_time = DateTime(2021,Jan,1)
stop_time = DateTime(2022,Jan,1)

# Generate a binary SPK file for asteroid 1990 MU at `epoch`
local_file = smb_spk_ele("1990 MU", start_time, stop_time, epoch, ec, qr, tp, om, w, inc)

isfile(local_file) # Check that the binary SPK was downloaded

vec_tbl

HORIZONS.jl function vec_tbl allows the user to generate vector tables for designated objects and save the output into a file:

# Date variables for start and stop times
t_start = DateTime(2029,4,13)
t_stop = Date(2029,4,14)

# Step size (allowed types: Period, Int, String)
δt = Hour(1) # 1 hour step size

# Generate tables and save output to Apophis.txt in current directory:
vec_tbl("Apophis", t_start, t_stop, δt; FILENAME = "Apophis.txt", CENTER = "@ssb", REF_PLANE = "FRAME", OUT_UNITS = "AU-D", CSV_FORMAT = true, VEC_TABLE = 2)

Note that CENTER, REF_PLANE, etc., are keyword arguments. If they are omitted from the vec_tbl call, then they will take default values:

δt = 1 # Return only one step

# Generate tables with default values and save output to Apophis.txt in current directory:

vec_tbl("Apophis", t_start, t_stop, δt; FILENAME = "Apophis.txt")

More details about default values of keyword arguments are available in the vec_tbl docstrings.

If the output file is not specified, then vec_tbl returns the output as a String, which may be then used for further processing within Julia:

δt = "2 hours" # 2 hour step size

# Save into `apophisvt::String` the output from HORIZONS
apophisvt = vec_tbl("Apophis", t_start, t_stop, δt)

# Do stuff with `apophisvt` inside julia...

obs_tbl

HORIZONS.jl function obs_tbl allows the user to generate observer tables for designated objects and save the output into a file:

# Date variables for start and stop times
t_start = DateTime(2020,7,16, 22)
t_stop = Date(2020,7,16, 24)

# Step size (allowed types: Period, Int, String)
δt = Minute(1) # 1 minute step size

# Generate observer table for Voyager 1 as seen from the Green Bank Telescope
# and save output to Voyager1.csv in current directory:
obs_tbl("Voyager 1", t_start, t_stop, δt; FILENAME = "Voyager1.csv", CENTER = "GBT", CSV_FORMAT = true)

If the output file is not specified, then obs_tbl returns the output as a String, which may be then used for further processing within Julia.

This table summarizes the available keyword argument names, types, default values, and a brief description:

Keyword::Type	Default	Description
FILENAME::String	""	Output filename
CENTER::String	"Geocentric"	Observing site
COORD_TYPE::String	"GEODETIC"	Type of user coordinates
SITE_COORD::String	"0,0,0"	User coordinates for CENTER
QUANTITIES::String	"A"	list of quantities to return
REF_SYSTEM::String	"ICRF"	Astrometric reference frame
CAL_FORMAT::String	"CAL"	Type of date output
CAL_TYPE::String	"MIXED"	Type of calendar
ANG_FORMAT::String	"HMS"	RA/dec angle format
APPARENT::String	"AIRLESS"	Toggle refractive correction
TIME_DIGITS::String	"MINUTES"	Output time precision
TIME_ZONE::String	"+00:00"	Local time offset from UTC
RANGE_UNITS::String	"AU"	Units for range quantities
SUPPRESS_RANGE_RATE::Bool	false	Turns off delta-dot and rdot
ELEV_CUT::Real	-90.0	Elevation cutoff
SKIP_DAYLT::Bool	false	Skip when CENTER in daylight
SOLAR_ELONG::NTuple{2,Real}	(0,180)	Solar elongation bounds
AIRMASS::Real	38.0	Airmass cutoff, horizon=~38
LHA_CUTOFF::Real	0.0	Local hour angle cutoff
ANG_RATE_CUTOFF::Real	0.0	Angular rate cutoff
EXTRA_PREC::Bool	false	Output extra precision
R_T_S_ONLY::Bool	false	Only output rise/transit/set
CSV_FORMAT::Bool	false	Output in CSV format
MAKE_EPHEM::Bool	true	Generate ephemeris
OBJ_DATA::Bool	true	Include object summary

ooe_tbl

HORIZONS.jl function ooe_tbl allows the user to generate osculating orbital elements tables for designated objects and save the output into a file:

# Date variables for start and stop times
t_start = DateTime(2024,4,1)
t_start = DateTime(2024,4,2)

# Get data for a single interval (two points in time)
δt = 1

# Generate osculating orbital elements table for JWST relative to the solar
# system barycenter and save output to jwst.csv in current directory:
ooe_tbl("JWST", t_start, t_stop, δt; FILENAME = "jwst.csv", CENTER = "SSB", CSV_FORMAT = true)

More details about default values of keyword arguments are available in the ooe_tbl docstrings. NB: The HORIZONS default value for CENTER is Geocentric, but for objects in a heliocentric orbit you probably want to use CENTER="SSB" (i.e. solar system barycenter) instead.

If the output file is not specified, then ooe_tbl returns the output as a

Keyword::Type	Default	Description
FILENAME::String	""	Output filename
CENTER::String	"Geocentric"	Reference body/barycenter
REF_PLANE::String	"ECLIPTIC"	Ephemeris reference plane
COORD_TYPE::String	"GEODETIC"	Type of user coordinates
SITE_COORD::String	"0,0,0"	User coordinates for CENTER
REF_SYSTEM::String	"ICRF"	Astrometric reference frame
OUT_UNITS::String	"KM-S"	Output units (KM-S, KM-D, AU-D)
CAL_TYPE::String	"MIXED"	Type of calendar
TIME_DIGITS::String	"MINUTES"	Output time precision
CSV_FORMAT::Bool	false	Output in CSV format
ELM_LABELS::Bool	true	Include label for each element
TP_TYPE::String	"ABSOLUTE"	Type of periapsis time (Tp) .
MAKE_EPHEM::Bool	true	Generate ephemeris
OBJ_DATA::Bool	true	Include object summary

Small-Body DataBase API

HORIZONS.jl function sbdb fetchs data for a specific small-body in JPL's Small-Body DataBase (SBDB) and returns the output as a Dict{String, Any}:

# Fetch data of asteroid 433 Eros
sbdb("sstr" => "Eros")

# Fetch data of asteroid 99942 Apophis, including close-approach information
sbdb("sstr" => "Apophis", "ca-data" => "true")

Small-Body Radar Astrometry API

HORIZONS.jl function sbradar searches for radar astrometry of asteroids/commets and returns the output as a Dict{String, Any}:

# Search Apophis' radar astrometry
sbradar("spk" => "20099942")

# Add observer information
sbradar("spk" => "20099942", "observer" => "true")

License

HORIZONS.jl is licensed under the MIT "Expat" license.

Disclaimer

This software package is not affiliated, associated, authorized, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with NASA, JPL, or any of its subsidiaries or its affiliates.

Acknowledgments

JAPH is thankful to Dr. Jon Giorgini for his helpful comments and feedback towards the first release of this Julia interface to the HORIZONS system, and to Yuri D'Elia (@wavexx) for all the help with the telnet interface via Expect.jl. Special thanks to LERM (@LuEdRaMo) for the implementation of the HTTP interface to HORIZONS and JPL APIs. obs_tbl and ooe_tbl implementations are due to @david-macmahon. The HORIZONS system itself is the work of several people at JPL:

• Design/implementation :
  • Jon Giorgini
  • Don Yeomans
• Cognizant Eng.:
  • Jon Giorgini
• Major body ephemerides:
  • William Folkner (Planetary ephemerides)
  • Bob Jacobson (Satellites)
  • Marina Brozovic (Satellites)
• Contributors:
  • Alan Chamberlin (web interface, database)
  • Paul Chodas (some subroutines)
  • The NAIF group (SPICELIB) (esp. Chuck Acton, Bill Taber, Nat Bachman)

References

• JPL Solar System Dynamics APIs
• HORIZONS documentation (HTML)
• Giorgini, J.D., Yeomans, D.K., Chamberlin, A.B., Chodas, P.W., Jacobson, R.A., Keesey, M.S., Lieske, J.H., Ostro, S.J., Standish, E.M., Wimberly, R.N., "JPL's On-Line Solar System Data Service", Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol 28, No. 3, p. 1158, 1996.