🌌 Minor Planet Center Asteroid Scraper

Extract comprehensive asteroid data from the Minor Planet Center's MPCORB.DAT database through Asterank's powerful API. Get detailed orbital parameters, physical characteristics, and observational data for over 600,000 asteroids with flexible filtering capabilities.

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✨ Why Use Minor Planet Center Asteroid Scraper?

• 🚀 Fast & Efficient - Direct API access delivers asteroid data in seconds
• 📊 Rich Data - Complete orbital parameters, physical properties, and observational history
• 🔍 Powerful Filtering - MongoDB-style queries for precise asteroid selection
• 📈 Scalable - Retrieve from 1 to thousands of asteroids in a single request
• 🎯 Reliable - Data updated nightly from the official MPC database
• 📋 Clean Output - Structured JSON data ready for research and analysis

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📥 Input Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
query	Object	❌ No	{}	MongoDB-style query to filter asteroids (e.g., {"e":{"$lt":0.1},"i":{"$lt":4},"a":{"$lt":1.5}})
limit	Integer	❌ No	100	Maximum number of asteroids to return (range: 1-1000)
proxyConfiguration	Object	❌ No	{ useApifyProxy: true }	Proxy settings to avoid rate limiting

Note: The API supports complex MongoDB-style queries with operators like $lt, $gt, $ne, $in, etc.

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📖 Usage Examples

Example 1: Get All Asteroids

Retrieve the first 100 asteroids without any filtering:

{
  "query": {},
  "limit": 100
}

Example 2: Near-Earth Asteroids

Find asteroids with semi-major axis less than 1.5 AU:

{
  "query": {
    "a": { "$lt": 1.5 }
  },
  "limit": 50
}

Example 3: Circular Orbits

Find asteroids with nearly circular orbits (low eccentricity) and low inclination:

{
  "query": {
    "e": { "$lt": 0.1 },
    "i": { "$lt": 4 }
  },
  "limit": 200
}

Example 4: Bright Asteroids

Find bright asteroids with low absolute magnitude:

{
  "query": {
    "H": { "$lt": 15 }
  },
  "limit": 100
}

Example 5: Recently Observed

Find asteroids observed in 2023 or later:

{
  "query": {
    "last_obs": { "$regex": "202[3-9]" }
  },
  "limit": 150
}

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📤 Output Data

Each asteroid result includes comprehensive orbital and physical data:

Field	Type	Description
rms	Number	RMS residual of orbital solution
epoch	String	Epoch of orbital elements
readable_des	String	Human-readable designation (e.g., "(1) Ceres")
H	Number	Absolute magnitude
num_obs	Number	Number of observations
ref	String	Reference for orbital elements
G	Number	Slope parameter
last_obs	String	Date of last observation
comp	String	Computer used for orbit calculation
M	Number	Mean anomaly
U	String	Uncertainty parameter
e	Number	Eccentricity
a	Number	Semi-major axis (AU)
om	Number	Longitude of ascending node (degrees)
pert_p	String	Perturbing planets
d	Number	Mean daily motion (degrees/day)
i	Number	Inclination (degrees)
des	String	Asteroid designation
flags	String	Processing flags
num_opp	Number	Number of oppositions observed
w	Number	Argument of perihelion (degrees)
pert_c	String	Perturbing comments

Sample Output

{
  "rms": 0.6,
  "epoch": "K134I",
  "readable_des": "(1) Ceres",
  "H": 3.34,
  "num_obs": 6342,
  "ref": "MPO247369",
  "G": 0.12,
  "last_obs": "20121203",
  "comp": "MPCLINUX  ",
  "M": 327.85412,
  "U": " ",
  "e": 0.0761669,
  "a": 2.767993,
  "om": 80.33008,
  "pert_p": "30h",
  "d": 0.2140211,
  "i": 10.59423,
  "des": "00001",
  "flags": "0000",
  "num_opp": 100,
  "w": 72.16707,
  "pert_c": "M-v"
}

Data is delivered in clean JSON format, ready to download as JSON, CSV, Excel, or integrate via API.

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🔍 Query Operators

The API supports standard MongoDB query operators:

• Comparison: $lt (less than), $gt (greater than), $lte, $gte, $ne (not equal)
• Membership: $in (in array), $nin (not in array)
• Logical: $and, $or, $not
• String: $regex (regular expression), $exists

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❓ FAQ

Q: How many asteroids are in the database?
A: Over 600,000 asteroids with data updated nightly from the MPC.

Q: What do the orbital parameters mean?
A: a = semi-major axis (AU), e = eccentricity, i = inclination (degrees), H = absolute magnitude.

Q: Can I filter by discovery date?
A: The API focuses on orbital parameters. Use the last_obs field for recent observations.

Q: Are there rate limits?
A: Yes, using Apify Proxy is recommended to avoid rate limiting from the Asterank API.

Q: Can I get data for specific asteroids?
A: Yes, use the des field with exact designation matching in your query.

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📚 Data Source

This scraper uses the Asterank API which provides access to the Minor Planet Center's MPCORB.DAT database. The MPC is the official international organization responsible for collecting observational data on minor planets (asteroids and comets).

• Data Provider: Minor Planet Center (MPC)
• API Provider: Asterank
• Update Frequency: Nightly
• Coverage: All numbered asteroids and many unnumbered objects

Perfect for astronomical research, orbital dynamics studies, and asteroid tracking applications!