Both methods provide equivalent results.
SsODNet.quaero is the core engine of SsODNet.
Its REST API allows to search for objects via
a query string
“mini-language”. The output response is formatted in the JSON data-interchange format.
SsODNet.quaero is dedicated to developers who want to implement a solar system object resolver
in their application (search for objects, name auto completion).
Read quaero documentation for more information.
SsODNet.resolver is the top-level
application dedicated to users. It allows to search for objects and to retrieve theirs coordinates in a single
request. The output response is written in various format (VOTable, JSON, text). Its Web service API can also be used
to implement a service on the client side.
The resolution of the name of a solar system object or an extrasolar planet can be achieved from its
official or provisional designation, or its number. The general syntaxe to request objects in
SsODNet.resolver is the following:
[<prefix>:][<operator>:]<name>
where <prefix> is one of the target types defined in the SsODNet data-model,
where <operator> is one of the recognized operators:
EQUAL (or =), LIKE or EXPR, and
where <name> is the number or the official or provisionnal designation of the target.
The list of possible values of <prefix> is:
a | Asteroid | p | Planet |
c | Comet | s | Satellite |
dp | Dwarf planet | sc | Spacecraft |
e | Exoplanet | sj | Spacejunk |
The prefix and operator elements can be ommitted.
In this case the name of the target is matched considering its exact name among all the known objects by
string matching (operator EQUAL), which is case insensitive, uses the UTF-8 set of characters, and ignores
trailing blanks (space, tab and new line) and underscore. For example, a request -name=SsoName
will search for a target with name or aliase exactly equal to SsoName.
Examples:
By adding a prefix to the name, the search can be limited to a given type of target.
Examples:
The special prefix id can also be used to resolve the true name of a target,
i.e. the name given in the id field of the response.
Examples:
To search for a target based on part of a name, you must use the operator LIKE.
In this case the name is broken into atoms that are matched with the names and aliases of the SsODNet knowledge
database. You can also use a prefix to limit the search to a given type of object.
Examples:
The operator EXPR might be used to build complex requests embedding wild-card, regular expression, fuzziness, etc.
In this case the name part of the request is transmitted to the SsODNet.quaero engine to match the expression to a pattern,
to search for similar terms, to exclude names, etc. This kind of request must be used with caution because such query can
be particularly heavy, in particular if you request the celestial coordinates of the objects. For example a request based on
pattern "EXPR:1998 ax4" retrieves more than 30 000 objects! Be aware that with the EXPR operator,
the prefix is not decoded, and thus, to limit the search to a given type of objets, it must be explicitely written in the request.
Examples:
For more information on how to compose requests, read the Extended search section of SsODNet.quaero
documentation.
The epoch must be formatted as a textual english date (in accordance with the
GNU syntax of dates),
or a julian day or an ISO 8601 date.
Examples (non exhaustive) of valid dates:
- now
- 2006-01-27T1:53:34
- 2453762.529467592
- 10 September 2000
- +1 day
- +1 week 2 days 4 hours 2 seconds
- next Thursday
- last Monday
The ephemeris of a Sso can be computed at any epoch in the period 973-06-04 12h (2076601.0) to 3026-07-25 12h (2826489.0).
The timescale is UTC.
Restriction: the seconds must be an integer number in the ISO format. For a time
resolution better than a second, please use the julian period.
Tolerance: the character 'T' of the ISO 8601 format can be omitted.