.. _astroquery.simbad:

************************************
SIMBAD Queries (`astroquery.simbad`)
************************************

Getting started
===============

This module can be used to query the Simbad service. Presented below are
examples that illustrate the different types of queries that can be
formulated. If successful all the queries will return the results in an
`astropy.table.Table`_.

Query an Identifier
-------------------


This is useful if you want to query a known identifier. For instance to query
the messier object m1: 

.. code-block:: python

    >>> from astroquery.simbad import Simbad
    >>> result_table = Simbad.query_object("m1")
    >>> print(result_table)

    MAIN_ID      RA         DEC     RA_PREC DEC_PREC COO_ERR_MAJA COO_ERR_MINA COO_ERR_ANGLE COO_QUAL COO_WAVELENGTH     COO_BIBCODE    
    ------- ----------- ----------- ------- -------- ------------ ------------ ------------- -------- -------------- -------------------
    M   1 05 34 31.94 +22 00 52.2       6        6          nan          nan             0        C              R 2011A&A...533A..10L

Wildcards are supported. So for instance to query messier objects from 1
through 9:

.. code-block:: python

    >>> from astroquery.simbad import Simbad
    >>> result_table = Simbad.query_object("m [1-9]", wildcard=True)
    >>> print(result_table)

    MAIN_ID      RA         DEC     RA_PREC DEC_PREC COO_ERR_MAJA COO_ERR_MINA COO_ERR_ANGLE COO_QUAL COO_WAVELENGTH     COO_BIBCODE    
    ------- ----------- ----------- ------- -------- ------------ ------------ ------------- -------- -------------- -------------------
    M   1 05 34 31.94 +22 00 52.2       6        6          nan          nan             0        C              R 2011A&A...533A..10L
    M   2 21 33 27.02 -00 49 23.7       6        6      100.000      100.000             0        C              O 2010AJ....140.1830G
    M   3 13 42 11.62 +28 22 38.2       6        6      200.000      200.000             0        C              O 2010AJ....140.1830G
    M   4 16 23 35.22 -26 31 32.7       6        6      400.000      400.000             0        C              O 2010AJ....140.1830G
    M   5 15 18 33.22 +02 04 51.7       6        6          nan          nan             0        C              O 2010AJ....140.1830G
    M   6    17 40 20    -32 15.2       4        4          nan          nan             0        E              O 2009MNRAS.399.2146W
    M   7    17 53 51    -34 47.6       4        4          nan          nan             0        E              O 2009MNRAS.399.2146W
    M   8    18 03 37    -24 23.2       4        4    18000.000    18000.000           179        E                                   
    M   9 17 19 11.78 -18 30 58.5       6        6          nan          nan             0        D                2002MNRAS.332..441F

Wildcards are supported by other queries as well - where this is the case,
examples are presented to this end. The wildcards that are supported and their
usage across all these queries is the same. To see the available wildcards and
their functions:

.. code-block:: python

    >>> from astroquery.simbad import Simbad
    >>> Simbad.list_wildcards()
    
    * : Any string of characters (including an empty one)

    [^0-9] : Any (one) character not in the list.

    ? : Any character (exactly one character)

    [abc] : Exactly one character taken in the list. Can also be defined by a range of characters: [A-Z]

Query a region
--------------


Queries that support a cone search with a specified radius - around an
identifier or given coordinates are also supported. If an identifier is used
then it will be resolved to coordinates using online name resolving services
available in `astropy`.

.. code-block:: python

    >>> from astroquery.simbad import Simbad
    >>> result_table = Simbad.query_region("m81")
    >>> print(result_table)

                MAIN_ID                 RA           DEC      RA_PREC DEC_PREC ... COO_ERR_ANGLE COO_QUAL COO_WAVELENGTH     COO_BIBCODE    
    -------------------------- ------------- ------------- ------- -------- ... ------------- -------- -------------- -------------------
    [VV2006c] J095534.0+043546 09 55 33.9854 +04 35 46.438       8        8 ...             0        B              O 2009A&A...505..385A
    ...

When no radius is specified, the radius defaults to 20 arcmin. A radius may
also be explicitly specified - it can be entered either as a string that is
acceptable by `astropy.coordinates.Angle`_ or by using
the `Quantity` object from `astropy.units`_:

.. code-block:: python

    >>> from astroquery.simbad import Simbad
    >>> import astropy.units as u
    >>> result_table = Simbad.query_region("m81", radius=0.1 * u.deg)
    >>> # another way to specify the radius.  
    >>> result_table = Simbad.query_region("m81", radius='0d6m0s')
    >>> print(result_table)

            MAIN_ID               RA      ...     COO_BIBCODE
    ----------------------- ------------- ... -------------------
                      M  81 09 55 33.1730 ... 2004AJ....127.3587F
              [SPZ2011] ML2   09 55 32.97 ... 2011ApJ...735...26S
                  [F88] X-5   09 55 33.32 ... 2001ApJ...554..202I
              [SPZ2011] 264  09 55 32.618 ... 2011ApJ...735...26S
              [SPZ2011] ML1   09 55 33.10 ... 2011ApJ...735...26S
              [SPZ2011] ML3   09 55 33.99 ... 2011ApJ...735...26S
              [SPZ2011] ML5   09 55 33.39 ... 2011ApJ...735...26S
              [SPZ2011] ML6   09 55 32.47 ... 2011ApJ...735...26S
                        ...           ... ...                 ...
              [MPC2001]   8   09 54 45.50 ... 2001A&A...379...90M
    2MASS J09561112+6859003   09 56 11.13 ... 2003yCat.2246....0C
               [PR95] 50721  09 56 36.460 ...
                    PSK  72    09 54 54.1 ...
                    PSK 353    09 56 03.7 ...
               [BBC91] S02S    09 56 07.1 ...
                    PSK 489   09 56 36.55 ... 2003AJ....126.1286L
                    PSK   7    09 54 37.0 ...
    



If coordinates are used, then they should be entered using an `astropy.coordinates`_
object. Limited support for entering the coordinates directly as a string also
exists - only for ICRS coordinates (though these may just as well be specified
by the `astropy.coordinates.ICRSCoordinates` object)

.. code-block:: python 

    >>> from astroquery.simbad import Simbad
    >>> import astropy.coordinates as coord
    >>> # works only for ICRS coordinates:
    >>> result_table = Simbad.query_region("05h35m17.3s -05h23m28s", radius='1d0m0s')
    >>> print(result_table)

            MAIN_ID               RA      ...     COO_BIBCODE
    ----------------------- ------------- ... -------------------
                  HD  38875 05 34 59.7297 ... 2007A&A...474..653V
             TYC 9390-799-1 05 33 58.2222 ... 1998A&A...335L..65H
             TYC 9390-646-1  05 35 02.830 ... 2000A&A...355L..27H
             TYC 9390-629-1  05 35 20.419 ... 2000A&A...355L..27H
             TYC 9390-857-1  05 30 58.989 ... 2000A&A...355L..27H
            TYC 9390-1171-1 05 37 35.9623 ... 1998A&A...335L..65H
             TYC 9390-654-1  05 35 27.395 ... 2000A&A...355L..27H
             TYC 9390-656-1  05 30 43.665 ... 2000A&A...355L..27H
                        ...           ... ...                 ...
             TYC 9373-779-1  05 11 57.788 ... 2000A&A...355L..27H
             TYC 9377-513-1 05 10 43.0669 ... 1998A&A...335L..65H
             TYC 9386-135-1  05 28 24.988 ... 2000A&A...355L..27H
            TYC 9390-1786-1  05 56 34.801 ... 2000A&A...355L..27H
    2MASS J05493730-8141270   05 49 37.30 ... 2003yCat.2246....0C
             TYC 9390-157-1  05 35 55.233 ... 2000A&A...355L..27H
             PKS J0557-8122   05 57 26.80 ... 2003MNRAS.342.1117M
               PKS 0602-813    05 57 30.7 ...
    

For other coordinate systems, use the appropriate `astropy.coordinates`_ object: 

.. code-block:: python

    >>> from astroquery.simbad import Simbad
    >>> import astropy.coordinates as coord
    >>> import astropy.units as u
    >>> result_table = Simbad.query_region(coord.GalacticCoordinates(l=31.0087, b=14.0627,
    ...                                    unit=(u.deg, u.deg)), radius='0d0m2s')
    >>> print(result_table)

                MAIN_ID             RA      ... COO_WAVELENGTH     COO_BIBCODE    
    ------------------- ------------- ... -------------- -------------------
    NAME Barnard's star 17 57 48.4980 ...              O 2007A&A...474..653V



Two other options can also be specified - the epoch and the equinox. If these
are not explicitly mentioned, then the epoch defaults to J2000 and the equinox
to 2000.0. So here is a query with all the options utilized:

.. code-block:: python

    >>> from astroquery.simbad import Simbad
    >>> import astropy.coordinates as coord
    >>> import astropy.units as u
    >>> result_table = Simbad.query_region(coord.FK5Coordinates(ra=11.70, dec=10.90,
    ...                                    unit=(u.deg, u.deg)),
    ...                                    radius=0.5 * u.degree,
    ...                                    epoch='B1950',
    ...                                    equinox=1950)
    >>> print(result_table)

            MAIN_ID               RA      ...     COO_BIBCODE
    ----------------------- ------------- ... -------------------
                  PHL  6696       00 49.4 ...
                BD+10    97 00 49 25.4553 ... 2007A&A...474..653V
             TYC  607-238-1  00 48 53.302 ... 2000A&A...355L..27H
                  PHL  2998       00 49.3 ...
    2MASS J00492121+1121094  00 49 21.219 ... 2003yCat.2246....0C
            TYC  607-1135-1 00 48 46.5838 ... 1998A&A...335L..65H
    2MASX J00495215+1118527  00 49 52.154 ... 2006AJ....131.1163S
                BD+10    98 00 50 03.4124 ... 1998A&A...335L..65H
                        ...           ... ...                 ...
             TYC  607-971-1 00 47 38.0430 ... 1998A&A...335L..65H
             TYC  607-793-1  00 50 35.545 ... 2000A&A...355L..27H
    USNO-A2.0 0975-00169117  00 47 55.351 ... 2007ApJ...664...53A
             TYC  607-950-1  00 50 51.875 ... 2000A&A...355L..27H
                BD+10   100 00 51 15.0789 ... 1998A&A...335L..65H
              TYC  608-60-1  00 51 13.314 ... 2000A&A...355L..27H
             TYC  608-432-1  00 51 05.289 ... 2000A&A...355L..27H
             TYC  607-418-1  00 49 09.636 ... 2000A&A...355L..27H
    

 
Query a catalogue
-----------------

 
Queries can also be formulated to return all the objects from a catalogue. For
instance to query the ESO catalog:

.. code-block:: python

    >>> from astroquery.simbad import Simbad
    >>> result_table = Simbad.query_catalog('eso')
    >>> print(result_table)

    MAIN_ID              RA      ... COO_WAVELENGTH     COO_BIBCODE    
    ----------------------- ------------ ... -------------- -------------------
    2MASS J08300740-4325465  08 30 07.41 ...              I 2003yCat.2246....0C
    NGC  2573 01 41 35.091 ...              I 2006AJ....131.1163S
    ESO   1-2   05 04 36.8 ...                1982ESO...C......0L
    ESO   1-3 05 22 36.509 ...              I 2006AJ....131.1163S
    ESO   1-4 07 49 28.813 ...              I 2006AJ....131.1163S
    ESO   1-5 08 53 05.006 ...              I 2006AJ....131.1163S


Query a bibcode
---------------


This retrieves the reference corresponding to a bibcode.

.. code-block:: python

    >>> from astroquery.simbad import Simbad
    >>> result_table = Simbad.query_bibcode('2005A&A.430.165F')
    >>> print(result_table)

    References                                                                                                                                                             
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    2005A&A...430..165F  --  ?
    Astron. Astrophys., 430, 165-186 (2005)
    FAMAEY B., JORISSEN A., LURI X., MAYOR M., UDRY S., DEJONGHE H. and TURON C.
    Local kinematics of K and M giants from CORAVEL/Hipparcos/Tycho-2 data. Revisiting the concept of  superclusters.
    Files: (abstract)
    Notes: <Available at CDS: tablea1.dat notes.dat>

Wildcards can be used in these queries as well. So to retrieve all the bibcodes
from a given journal in a given year:

.. code-block:: python

    >>> from astroquery.simbad import Simbad
    >>> result_table = Simbad.query_bibcode('2013A&A*', wildcard=True)
    >>> print(result_table)

    References                                                                                                                                        
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    2013A&A...549A...1G  --  ?
    Astron. Astrophys., 549A, 1-1 (2013)
    GENTILE M., COURBIN F. and MEYLAN G.
    Interpolating point spread function anisotropy.
    Files: (abstract) (no object)

    2013A&A...549A...2L  --  ?
    Astron. Astrophys., 549A, 2-2 (2013)
    LEE B.-C., HAN I. and PARK M.-G.
    Planetary companions orbiting M giants HD 208527 and HD 220074.
    Files: (abstract)

    2013A&A...549A...3C  --  ?
    Astron. Astrophys., 549A, 3-3 (2013)
    COCCATO L., MORELLI L., PIZZELLA A., CORSINI E.M., BUSON L.M. and DALLA BONTA E.
    Spectroscopic evidence of distinct stellar populations in the  counter-rotating stellar disks of NGC 3593 and NGC 4550.
    Files: (abstract)

    2013A&A...549A...4S  --  ?
    Astron. Astrophys., 549A, 4-4 (2013)
    SCHAERER D., DE BARROS S. and SKLIAS P.
    Properties of z ~ 3-6 Lyman break galaxies. I. Testing star formation  histories and the SFR-mass relation with ALMA and near-IR spectroscopy.
    Files: (abstract)

    2013A&A...549A...5R  --  ?
    Astron. Astrophys., 549A, 5-5 (2013)
    RYGL K.L.J., WYROWSKI F., SCHULLER F. and MENTEN K.M.
    Initial phases of massive star formation in high infrared extinction  clouds. II. Infall and onset of star formation.
    Files: (abstract)

    2013A&A...549A...6K  --  ?
    Astron. Astrophys., 549A, 6-6 (2013)
    KAMINSKI T., SCHMIDT M.R. and MENTEN K.M.
    Aluminium oxide in the optical spectrum of VY Canis Majoris.
    Files: (abstract)


Query a bibobj
--------------


These queries can be used to retrieve all the objects that are contained in the
article specified by the bibcode:

.. code-block:: python

    >>> from astroquery.simbad import Simbad
    >>> result_table = Simbad.query_bibobj('2005A&A.430.165F')
    >>> print(result_table)

    MAIN_ID       RA          DEC      RA_PREC DEC_PREC COO_ERR_MAJA COO_ERR_MINA COO_ERR_ANGLE COO_QUAL COO_WAVELENGTH     COO_BIBCODE    
    --------- ------------ ------------ ------- -------- ------------ ------------ ------------- -------- -------------- -------------------
    NGC   524 01 24 47.707 +09 32 19.65       7        7          nan          nan             0        B              I 2006AJ....131.1163S
    NGC  3593 11 14 37.002 +12 49 04.87       7        7          nan          nan             0        B              I 2006AJ....131.1163S
    NGC  4138 12 09 29.788 +43 41 07.14       7        7          nan          nan             0        B              I 2006AJ....131.1163S
    NGC  4550 12 35 30.612 +12 13 15.44       7        7          nan          nan             0        B              I 2006AJ....131.1163S
    NGC  5179 13 29 30.875 +11 44 44.54       7        7          nan          nan             0        B              I 2006AJ....131.1163S
    NGC  5713 14 40 11.528 -00 17 21.16       7        7          nan          nan             0        B              I 2006AJ....131.1163S

Query based on any criteria 
----------------------------


Anything done in SIMBAD's `criteria interface`_ can be done via astroquery.
See that link for details of how these queries are formed.

.. code-block:: python

   >>> from astroquery.simbad import Simbad
   >>> result = Simbad.query_criteria('region(box, GAL, 0 +0, 3d 1d)', otype='SNR')
   >>> print result
          MAIN_ID             RA         DEC     RA_PREC DEC_PREC COO_ERR_MAJA COO_ERR_MINA COO_ERR_ANGLE COO_QUAL COO_WAVELENGTH     COO_BIBCODE
   --------------------- ----------- ----------- ------- -------- ------------ ------------ ------------- -------- -------------- -------------------
     EQ J174702.6-282733  17 47 02.6   -28 27 33       5        5          nan          nan             0        D                2002ApJ...565.1017S
   [L92] 174535.0-280410  17 48 44.4   -28 05 06       5        5     3000.000     3000.000             0        D
              [GWC93] 19  17 42 04.9   -30 04 04       5        5     3000.000     3000.000             1        D
         SNR G359.1-00.2    17 43 29    -29 45.9       4        4          nan          nan             0        E                2000AJ....119..207L
         SNR G000.1-00.2  17 48 42.5   -28 09 11       5        5          nan          nan             0        D                2008ApJS..177..255L
         SNR G359.9-00.9     17 45.8      -29 03       3        3          nan          nan             0
         SNR G359.4-00.1    17 44 37    -29 27.2       4        4    18000.000    18000.000             1        E
              NAME SGR D    17 48 42    -28 01.4       4        4    18000.000    18000.000             0        E
         SNR G359.1-00.5    17 45 25    -29 57.9       4        4    18000.000    18000.000             1        E
          NAME SGR D SNR     17 48.7      -28 07       3        3          nan          nan             0        E
       Suzaku J1747-2824    17 47 00    -28 24.5       4        4          nan          nan             0        E                2007ApJ...666..934C
         SNR G000.4+00.2 17 46 27.65 -28 36 05.6       6        6      300.000      300.000             1        D
         SNR G001.4-00.1  17 49 28.1   -27 47 45       5        5          nan          nan             0        D                1999ApJ...527..172Y
        GAL 000.61+00.01     17 47.0      -28 25       3        3          nan          nan             0        D
         SNR G000.9+00.1     17 47.3      -28 09       3        3          nan          nan             0        E              R 2009BASI...37...45G
         SNR G000.3+00.0  17 46 14.9   -28 37 15       5        5     3000.000     3000.000             1        D
         SNR G001.0-00.1     17 48.5      -28 09       3        3          nan          nan             0        E              R 2009BASI...37...45G
         NAME SGR A EAST    17 45 47    -29 00.2       4        4    18000.000    18000.000             1        E
   

Customizing the default settings
================================

There may be times when you wish to change the defaults that have been set for
the `Simbad` queries.  

Changing the row limit
----------------------


To fetch all the rows in the result, the row limit must be set to 0. However for some
queries, results are likely to be very large, in such cases it may be best to 
limit the rows to a smaller number. If you want to do this only for the current
python session then:

.. code-block:: python

    >>> from astroquery.simbad import Simbad
    >>> Simbad.ROW_LIMIT = 15 # now any query fetches at most 15 rows

If you would like to make your choice persistent, then you can do this by
modifying the setting in the `astroquery` configuration file.

Changing the timeout
--------------------


The timeout is the time limit in seconds for estabishing connection with the
Simbad server and by default it is set to 100 seconds. You may want to modify
this - again you can do this at run-time if you want to adjust it only for the
current session. To make it persistent, you must modify the setting in the
`astroquery` configuration file.

.. code-block:: python
  
    >>> from astroquery.simbad import Simbad
    >>> Simbad.TIMEOUT = 60 # sets the timeout to 60s

Specifying which VOTable fields to include in the result
--------------------------------------------------------


The VOTable fields that are currently returned in the result are set to
`main_id` and `coordinates`. However you can specify other fields that you
also want to be fetched in the result. To see the list of the fields:

.. code-block:: python

     >>> from astroquery.simbad import Simbad
     >>> Simbad.list_votable_fields()

               col0               col1          col2     
           ----------------- ------------ --------------
                     dim      main_id  propermotions
               dim_angle measurements        ra(opt)
             dim_bibcode       mesplx        ra_prec
                dim_incl        mespm            rot
             dim_majaxis           mk       rv_value
             

The above shows just a small snippet of the table that is returned and has all
the fields sorted lexicographically column-wise. For more information on a
particular field:

.. code-block:: python

    >>> from astroquery.simbad import Simbad
    >>> Simbad.get_field_description('ra_prec')

    right ascension precision code (0:1/10deg, ..., 8: 1/1000 arcsec)

To set additional fields to be returned in the VOTable:

.. code-block:: python
     
     >>> from astroquery.simbad import Simbad

     # see which fields are currently set

     >>> Simbad.VOTABLE_FIELDS

     ['main_id', 'coordinates']

     # To set other fields 

     >>> Simbad.set_votable_fields('mk', 'rot', 'bibcodelist(1800-2014)')
     >>> Simbad.VOTABLE_FIELDS

     ['main_id', 'coordinates', 'mk', 'rot', 'bibcodelist(1800-2014')]

You can also remove a field you have set or reset `Simbad.VOTABLE_FIELDS` to
its default value. Continuing from the above example:

.. code-block:: python

    >>> Simbad.rm_votable_fields('mk', 'coordinates')
    >>> Simbad.VOTABLE_FIELDS
     
    ['rot', 'main_id']
    
    # reset back to defaults
    
    >>> Simbad.reset_votable_fields()
    >>> Simbad.VOTABLE_FIELDS

    ['main_id', 'coordinates']

    

Reference/API
=============

.. automodapi:: astroquery.simbad
    :no-inheritance-diagram:

.. _astropy.table.Table: http://docs.astropy.org/en/latest/table/index.html
.. _astropy.coordinates.Angle: http://docs.astropy.org/en/latest/_generated/astropy.coordinates.angles.Angle.html#astropy.coordinates.angles.Angle 
.. _astropy.units: http://docs.astropy.org/en/latest/units/index.html 
.. _astropy.coordinates: http://docs.astropy.org/en/latest/coordinates/index.html

.. _criteria interface: http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbad/sim-fsam
