throw a request to MPChecker

request_mpc.py

#!/usr/bin/env python
#-*- coding: utf-8 -*-
from argparse import ArgumentParser as ap
from astropy.time import Time
from astropy.coordinates import Longitude, Latitude
from pprint import pprint
from pyquery import PyQuery
import astropy.units as u
import requests, sys


mpc_url=u'https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/cgi-bin/mpcheck.cgi'

if __name__ == '__main__':
  for i, arg in enumerate(sys.argv):
    if (arg[0] == '-') and arg[1].isdigit(): sys.argv[i] = ' ' + arg

  parser = ap(description=u'test script to use MPChecker')
  parser.add_argument('ra', type=str, help=u'right ascension')
  parser.add_argument('dec', type=str, help=u'declination')
  parser.add_argument('-d', '--date', dest='date', type=Time,
                      default=Time.now(), help=u'observation date')
  parser.add_argument('-r', dest='radius', default=25.0,
                      help=u'search radius in arcmin')
  parser.add_argument('-m', dest='limmag', default=20.0,
                      help=u'limiting magnitude in the V-band')

  args = parser.parse_args()
  try:
    args.ra = Longitude(args.ra)
  except:
    args.ra = Longitude(args.ra, unit=u.hour)
  try:
    args.dec = Latitude(args.dec)
  except:
    args.dec = Latitude(args.dec, unit=u.degree)

  fday = args.date.datetime.day \
         + args.date.datetime.hour/24.0 \
         + args.date.datetime.minute/24.0/60.0 \
         + args.date.datetime.second/24.0/60.0/60.0

  params = dict(
    ## datetime
    # year: year of observation
    # month: month of observation
    # day: fractional day of observation
    year=args.date.datetime.year,
    month=args.date.datetime.month,
    day=fday,
    ## search settings
    # ra: right ascension
    # decl: declination
    # radius: search radius in arcmin
    # limit: limiting magnitude
    ra=str(args.ra.to_string(
      sep=' ',unit=u.hour,pad=True,precision=2)),
    decl=str(args.dec.to_string(
      sep=' ',unit=u.deg,pad=True,precision=1,alwayssign=False)),
    radius=args.radius,
    limit=args.limmag,
    ## misc settings
    which='pos',        # query by position
    type='p',           # plain HTML page
    oc='381',           # observatory code 381: Tokyo-Kiso
    pdes='u',           # unpacked designations
    mot='h',            # motion per hour
    tmot='s',           # separate motions
    needed='f',         # all objects
    ps='n',             # not used?
    sort='r',           # sort by RA
    TextArea=''         # remain to be empty
  )

  r = requests.post(mpc_url, data=params)

  pq = PyQuery(r.text)
  pre_text = pq('pre').html()
  if pre_text is None:
    print('no object detected')
  else:
    objects = pre_text.rstrip().split('\n')
    for n, line in enumerate(objects):
      if n<4: continue # skip header lines
      print(line.rstrip())