Telarchive is a Python-based command-line utility for doing quick searches of multiple astronomical telescope data archives -- specifically, to determine if a particular target or location on the sky has been observed or not. If the archive makes such information available, then brief summaries of what kinds of data (e.g., imaging versus spectroscopy, instruments used) are included.
Targets can be searched for using standard astronomical names (using SIMBAD for name resolution) or via RA,Dec coordinates (coordinates can be in sexagesimal -- e.g. "hh mm ss dd mm ss" -- or decimal-degree formats).
Example of use:
$ telarchive 'NGC 4321'
SIMBAD (Simbad 4, France): Found object coordinates: RA = 12 22 54.899, Dec = +15 49 20.57
Searching archives for NGC 4321 (RA = 12 22 54.899, dec = +15 49 20.57), with search box = 4.0 arcmin...
CFHT Archive: Data exists! (269 observations found)
MegaPrime (223), HRCAM (46)
UKIRT Archive: Data exists! (58 observations found)
UFTI (58)
Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (MAST): Data exists! (155 observations found)
FUSE (1); HUT (1); IUE (40); SWIFTUVOT (106); UIT (6); XMM-OM (1)
Gemini Science Archive: No data found.
AAT Archive: Data exists! (41 observations found)
-- 22 images, 21 spectra, 0 polarimetry
Spitzer archive: Data exists! (31 records found)
5 iracmap, 5 irsmap, 4 irspeakup, 2 mipsscan, 1 mipssed, 12 iracmapp, 2 irsstare
ING Archive (La Palma): Data exists! (253 observations found)
117 images, 136 spectra
WHT -- AF2 (17), ISIS (62), LIRIS (25), PFIP (10), PNS (9), SAURON (52), TAURUS (5); INT -- WFC (71); JKT -- JAG (2)
HST archive: Data exists! (285 records found)
37 ACS, 45 STIS, 14 WFPC, 6 WFC3, 170 WFPC2, 7 FOS, 6 FOC
ESO Archive: Data exists! (765 observations found)
109 continuum, 45 spectra, 318 images, 40 mos, 60 polarimetry, 126 spectrum,nodding, 21 ifu, 38 echelle, 8 image,pre
APEXBOL (109), EMMI (29), FORS1 (109), HAWKI (48), ISAAC (126), MUSE (1), EMMI/1.57 (9), SOFI (225), WFI (4)
SMOKA (Subaru Mitaka Okayama Kiso Archive): Data exists! (1154 observations found)
Subaru -- FOCAS (10), Subaru -- MOIRCS (60), Kiso -- 1k CCD (30), Kiso -- 2k CCD (155), Okayama -- SNG (8), MITSuME -- OAO (891)
Sloan Digital Sky Survey (DR7+DR12): Data exists!
1 DR7 field; 6 DR12 fields; 0 spectra (within 0.10 arcmin of search center)
Telarchive should work with both versions 2 and 3 of Python. (It has been tested with Python 2.7, 3.5, and 3.6.)
Telarchive includes an auxiliary command-line utility for retrieving
SDSS imaging data called fetchsdss.
The following command will search for SDSS images (both DR7 and DR12) containing NGC 2950, without downloading anything
$ do_fetchsdss.py "NGC 2950" --nodata
Doing coordinate lookup for "ngc 2950"...
SIMBAD (Simbad 4, France): Found object coordinates: RA = 09 42 35.116, Dec = +58 51 04.39
Querying SDSS DR7 Data Archive Server for availability...
(no files will be retrieved)...
server response = Imaging data exists!
(run, rerun, camcol, field = 1345 41 3 234)
Querying SDSS DR12 Science Archive Server for availability...
(no files will be retrieved)...
server response = DR12 imaging data exists!
(run, camcol, field = 1331 4 259)
(run, camcol, field = 1345 3 235)
(run, camcol, field = 1302 3 249)
(run, camcol, field = 1345 3 234)
(run, camcol, field = 1302 3 248)
(run, camcol, field = 1345 3 233)
6 separate DR12 fields found
Done!
To download the full set of ugriz DR7 images, saving them with the prefix "n2950"
(yielding images with names n2950u_1345-234.fits.gz, etc.)
$ do_fetchsdss.py "NGC 2950" --nodr12 -o n2950
To download just (run, camcol, field = 1331 4 259) from the DR12 images:
$ do_fetchsdss.py --ref="1331 4 259" -o n2950
You can also download just a subset of the individual-filter images (e.g., just
the g image), or search using celestial coordinates instead of an object name;
use do_fetchsdss.py -h to see the full set of options.
There is also a separate command-line utility for finding and retrieving
SDSS spectroscopy. As an example, the following will search for SDSS
spectroscopy within 0.1 arcmin of NGC 4889, and download the FITS file
for the spectrum (if it exists), saving it with the prefix n4889:
$ do_fetchsdss_spectra.py 'ngc 4889' --output=n4889
Telarchive is a Python package which can be downloaded from here,
and can also be installed via pip, e.g.
$ pip install telarchive