TPE uses celestial target data to help identify astronomical objects and support planning calculations such as target position, altitude/azimuth, visibility, framing, and timing.
This page explains where that data comes from, how it is used, and how we handle attribution and open-data licence obligations.
Primary source: SIMBAD / CDS
Some celestial target records used by TPE are derived from SIMBAD, the astronomical database operated by the Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS), Strasbourg, France.
SIMBAD provides astronomical object identifiers and selected object data used to recognise and resolve celestial targets. We retrieve SIMBAD records as needed and store SIMBAD-derived records in a private service database for technical integration, caching, indexing, and querying.
Photo Ephemeris is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by CDS or SIMBAD.
Licence notice
SIMBAD-derived database content is used under the Open Database Licence (ODbL).
Contains information from SIMBAD, operated by CDS, which is made available under the Open Database Licence (ODbL).
The ODbL allows use, sharing, and adaptation of covered database material, subject to attribution, licence notice, and share-alike requirements for adapted databases.
How we use the data
TPE uses SIMBAD-derived target data to support astronomical planning features, including:
- identifying celestial objects;
- resolving object names and aliases;
- associating targets with coordinates and object metadata;
- calculating apparent position, altitude, azimuth, visibility, and related planning information.
The astronomical calculations, search tools, visualisations, user interface, API implementation, and application code are created by TPE. SIMBAD supplies source database records; TPE computes planning results from those records together with time, location, terrain, atmospheric, and user-supplied inputs.
Additional target data and enrichment
We may also use additional celestial target information from other sources, including public web sources, open datasets, manual review, and automated research workflows.
This additional data is stored separately from SIMBAD-derived records. It may include fields such as planning-oriented descriptions, display categories, approximate angular size, photographic suitability, curated target lists, or other application-specific metadata.
Where additional data is derived from third-party sources, we record source and provenance information internally and apply the relevant licence or attribution requirements for that source.
Unless specifically stated, additional data enrichment performed by us is not part of the SIMBAD-derived database layer.
SIMBAD-derived data download
We provide a machine-readable extract of the astronomical object records we cache from the SIMBAD database, published under the Open Database Licence, so the derived dataset and the changes we made to it are openly available.
Downloads
| File | Description |
|---|---|
| objects.ndjson | Canonical export – one JSON object per line, with cross-reference identifiers nested. |
| objects.csv | Flat table, one row per object. |
| identifiers.csv | Flat table, one row per identifier; the source_id column links back to objects.csv. |
| manifest (JSON) | Dataset metadata: licence, source, current record counts, and download URLs. |
The files are generated from the live catalogue, so they are always current.
Licence: Open Database Licence (ODbL)
Accuracy and limitations
Celestial target data may include approximations, catalogue conventions, historical identifiers, cross-identifications, and values that vary between sources. Object names, classifications, coordinates, magnitudes, apparent sizes, and other fields may be revised over time.
TPE uses this data for photography planning and visualisation. It should not be treated as an authoritative scientific catalogue, navigation system, safety system, or substitute for consulting the original astronomical data sources.
Attribution
We gratefully acknowledge the use of SIMBAD, operated by the Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS), Strasbourg, France.
Please see:
- SIMBAD, Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS)
- Open Database Licence (ODbL)
This research has made use of the SIMBAD database, operated at CDS, Strasbourg, France. 2000,A&AS,143,9 , “ The SIMBAD astronomical database ”, Wenger et al.
Contact
Questions about TPE data sources, attribution, or licensing may be sent through our support/contact channel.
