GET API access to Variable Star Database
The Variable Star Database (VSD) is the collection of comparison stars plotted with our Variable Star Plotter (VSP). We have created an API for the public to query the VSD and get back photometry on those comparison stars. This is basically the same data shown in the "photometry table" option of VSP, except it is in a delimited format easily parsed by automated software. In other words, you can use this format for your own scripts/software/etc. The format may change over time, but we will attempt to keep the changes to a minimum and will add fields to the end of the format, so make it easier for you to maintain.
To access the delimited version via the GET method, put &delimited=yes in the URL, below is a sample:
The format is delimited by the pipe (|) character. The fields are:
- AUID
- RA
- Declination
- Chart Label
- U magnitude
- U Mag error
- U Mag source
- B magnitude
- B Mag error
- B Mag source
- V magnitude
- V Mag error
- V Mag source
- Rc magnitude
- Rc Mag error
- Rc Mag source
- I magnitude
- I Mag error
- I Mag source
- J magnitude
- J Mag error
- J Mag source
- H magnitude
- H Mag error
- H Mag source
- K magnitude
- K Mag error
- K Mag source
- Sloan U magnitude
- Sloan U Mag error
- Sloan U Mag source
- Sloan G magnitude
- Sloan G Mag error
- Sloan G Mag source
- Sloan R magnitude
- Sloan R Mag error
- Sloan R Mag source
- Sloan I magnitude
- Sloan I Mag error
- Sloan I Mag source
- Sloan Z magnitude
- Sloan Z Mag error
- Sloan Z Mag source
- Comments
- Chart ID
At the end of the file will be the keyword Count=.
The value of that keyword will be one of the following:
- X where X is the total number of stars in the photometry list
- 0 when we don't have have any photometry for the field in which you searched
- NA when the star name you put in the search was not resolved by VSX
Click here for information about plotting charts via the GET method and for definitions for the other keywords in the URL.
Last Updated: May 7, 2012 - 11:29am
