SCS

Simple Cone Search

Version 1.0 IVOA Recommendation

Overview

Simple Cone Search (SCS) is an IVOA standard that enables discovery of catalog data based on celestial position. It provides a simple HTTP interface for performing spatial queries around a specified Right Ascension and Declination, returning all objects within a specified search radius.

  • Cone search queries by celestial position (RA/DEC)
  • Configurable search radius
  • VOTable response format support
  • Optional filtering by maximum records
  • Verbosity level control for response detail

Try It Out

Use the form below to query the SCS service.

Right Ascension of the search cone center in decimal degrees (0-360).
Declination of the search cone center in decimal degrees (-90 to +90).
Search radius in degrees. Typically between 0.01 and 180 degrees.
The desired response format (default is VOTable).
The maximum number of records to return. A value of 0 means unlimited.
Verbosity level (1=minimal, 2=normal, 3=full). Default is 2.

Query Parameters

The SCS service accepts the following parameters:

Parameter Type Required Description
RA float Required Right Ascension of the search cone center in decimal degrees (0-360).
DEC float Required Declination of the search cone center in decimal degrees (-90 to +90).
SR float Required Search radius in degrees. Typically between 0.01 and 180 degrees.
RESPONSEFORMAT string Optional The desired response format (default is VOTable).
MAXREC integer Optional The maximum number of records to return. A value of 0 means unlimited.
VERB integer Optional Verbosity level (1=minimal, 2=normal, 3=full). Default is 2.

API Endpoints

GET POST /api/scs/conesearch

Main query endpoint for Simple Cone Search queries.