Ephemeris Generation Tool

Overview

This tool generates ephemeris data for celestial objects using the JPL Horizons system. It converts the data into the VLT (PAF) format and can save it to a file or print it to the console. The tool is designed to be used with the INO (International Observatory) coordinates.

Features

• Generates ephemeris data for specified celestial objects.
• Converts ephemeris data to VLT (PAF) format.
• Saves ephemeris data to a file.
• Prints ephemeris data to the console.

Dependencies

• astroquery: For querying the JPL Horizons system.
• datetime: For handling date and time operations.

You can install astroquery using the following command:

pip install astroquery

Usage

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/ephemeris-generation-tool.git
cd ephemeris-generation-tool

2. Run the script:

python main.py

3. Enter the required information when prompted:

• Object ID (e.g., 499 for Mars)
• Start epoch (in the format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS)
• End epoch (in the format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS)
• Step size in seconds
• Position angle in degrees

Example

Enter the object ID (e.g., 499 for Mars): 499
Enter the start epoch (YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS): 2024-07-23 00:00:00
Enter the end epoch (YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS): 2024-07-24 00:00:00
Enter the step size in seconds: 3600
Enter the position angle in degrees: 45

How It Works

Generating Ephemeris Data

The generate_ephemeris function generates ephemeris data for a specified object and time range using the JPL Horizons system.

Converting to VLT Format

The convert_to_vlt_format function converts the ephemeris data into the VLT (PAF) format.

Saving Ephemeris Data

The save_ephemeris_to_file function saves the converted ephemeris data to a file.

Printing Ephemeris Data

The print_ephemeris function prints the ephemeris data to the console.

INO Coordinates

Here is our lovely INO (International Observatory) coordinates by default:

• Latitude: 33.587 degrees
• Longitude: 51.382 degrees
• Altitude: 3.6 kilometers

License

This project is for INO(Iran National Observatory).