SIMBAD Astronomical Objects Scraper

SIMBAD Astronomical Objects Scraper

Scrape astronomical objects from SIMBAD by ADQL query, up to a million per run. Each object comes with its identifier, coordinates, magnitudes, and object type. No login or API key. Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.

SIMBAD's official query interface is built for interactive browsing, not bulk extraction. This reads the public TAP service directly, filters with an ADQL where clause, and returns each match in one fixed schema. It is the fastest way to pull a clean dataset of stars, galaxies, and other objects for research or analysis.

Who uses it	What they scrape SIMBAD for
Astronomy researchers	Building a catalog of objects in a specific region or with certain properties
Data scientists	Getting a clean dataset of celestial objects for machine learning
Educators	Downloading real astronomical data for classroom exercises
Amateur astronomers	Compiling observation lists of interesting targets

What it does

This Actor collects astronomical objects from SIMBAD using an optional ADQL where clause, and returns each one as a flat row.

• 🔭 ADQL filtering: pass a where clause to select objects by coordinates, magnitude, or type.
• 📊 Flat rows: every object is returned as a single record with consistent fields.
• 📦 Bulk export: collect up to a million objects per run and export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.

Results export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML, or straight from the API.

What you can do with SIMBAD data

🔭 Build a regional catalog.

An astronomer runs the Actor with a where clause on coordinates to get all objects within a few degrees of a target, then exports the list for follow-up observations.

📈 Train a classification model.

A data scientist collects thousands of objects with known types and magnitudes, then uses the flat dataset to train a model that predicts object classes.

🎓 Create a teaching dataset.

An educator pulls a sample of bright stars and galaxies, then gives students the CSV to practice plotting and basic statistics.

🌌 Plan an observing session.

An amateur astronomer filters for objects above a certain magnitude in a constellation, then exports the list to a phone app for the night's targets.

Why choose this scraper

	What you get
No API key	Uses the public TAP service, no registration or authentication
ADQL support	Filter by any field in the SIMBAD basic table using standard ADQL syntax
Scalable	Collect up to a million objects in a single run
Fixed schema	Every row has the same fields, ready for analysis

How it compares

No other Store actor targets SIMBAD the same way, so the honest comparison is with the alternatives teams actually weigh.

	SIMBAD Astronomical Objects Scraper	Build it in-house	By hand
Setup	Run it now, zero config	Days of engineering	None, but hours per pull
When SIMBAD changes	Maintained for you	You fix it	You re-learn the page
Proxies, retries, anti-bot	Built in	Your problem	Browser only
Output	Fixed JSON schema, CSV/Excel export	Whatever you build	Copy-paste
Cost	Pay per result	Engineering time	Analyst hours

Configure the run

Drive the Actor with an optional ADQL where clause, and set a maximum number of objects to collect per run. The Input tab lists every parameter.

A first run with the defaults:

{
  "maxItems": 10
}

A larger pull:

{
  "maxItems": 200
}

Pricing

Pay-per-result: $0.0085 per result collected. You pay only for the results written to your dataset.

Results collected	Approximate cost
100 results	$0.85
1,000 results	$8.50
10,000 results	$85.00

New Apify accounts start with $5 in free credit.

Free users

Free-plan runs return up to 10 results as a preview. Upgrade your Apify plan to collect up to 1,000,000 results per run.

Run it

1. Create a free Apify account with $5 in credit.
2. Open the SIMBAD Astronomical Objects Scraper.
3. Set your inputs and any filters, then click Start.
4. Export the results as CSV, Excel, JSON, or XML from the Dataset tab.

Run it programmatically through the Apify API (run-sync-get-dataset-items) or the ApifyClient for JavaScript and Python.

Use with AI agents (MCP)

Give an AI agent live access to SIMBAD through the Model Context Protocol. Add the Actor to Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client:

$claude mcp add --transport http apify "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=parseforge/simbad-astro-scraper"

Then prompt it in plain language to run the scraper and read back the results.

Troubleshooting

Why am I getting no results?

Check your ADQL where clause for syntax errors or overly restrictive conditions. Try running the same query directly on the SIMBAD TAP interface to see if it returns any rows.

The run stops before reaching my maxItems.

SIMBAD may have a limit on the number of rows returned per query. Try breaking your query into smaller chunks using additional filters, or reduce maxItems.

I get an error about an invalid ADQL clause.

Make sure your clause uses valid ADQL syntax and field names from the SIMBAD basic table. Refer to the SIMBAD TAP documentation for the correct field names.

The export file is empty.

If the run collected zero objects, the export will be empty. Check your where clause and maxItems setting, then rerun.

FAQ

Question	Answer
What is SIMBAD?	SIMBAD is an astronomical database of objects outside the solar system, maintained by the Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg. It contains identifiers, coordinates, magnitudes, and other data for millions of stars, galaxies, and other objects.
Do I need an API key?	No. This Actor uses the public TAP service, which does not require authentication or registration.
What is an ADQL where clause?	ADQL is a SQL-like language for querying astronomical databases. The where clause lets you filter objects by any field in the SIMBAD basic table, such as coordinates, magnitudes, or object type.
How many objects can I collect?	You can set the maximum number of objects per run, up to one million. The Actor will stop after reaching that limit.
What fields are returned for each object?	The Actor returns a fixed set of fields from the SIMBAD basic table, including identifier, coordinates, magnitudes, and object type. The exact fields are shown in the sample output.
Can I filter by object type?	Yes, you can use the ADQL where clause to filter by any field, including object type. For example, to get only galaxies, you would write a clause like otype = 'G'.
Is there a rate limit?	The Actor respects SIMBAD's service limits. If you need a very large number of objects, consider running multiple smaller queries.
Can I export the data?	Yes, the Actor can export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML, depending on your Apify plan.

Related actors

Browse the full ParseForge collection for more scrapers.

🆘 Need help? Email parseforge@protonmail.com with your run ID, your input, and what you expected.

⚠️ Disclaimer. This Actor is unofficial and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg. It collects only publicly available data. You are responsible for using the collected data in compliance with the source's terms of service and applicable data-protection laws, including GDPR, CCPA, and PIPL. Do not use it to collect personal data unlawfully.