JPL Horizons Ephemeris via Email                                                                                                    Last update: (19/09/2006 21:43:11 +0100)

The JPL Horizons Ephemeris generator can be accessed via several means.  The most popular is by visiting the web site at http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons.cgi but its also possible to have the ephemeris calculated and delivered by email. This page describes the process.

Firstly, compose an email to horizons@ssd.jpl.nasa.gov with the subject "JOB", then paste the parameters below in to the body, after changing the SITE_COORD and TIME_ZONE parameters. Using the standard parameter set below, will generate the apparent azimuth and elevation from your location, the speed (Km/sec) and distance in 1 way light time of the space-craft, thus enabling you to calculate the Doppler shift. The space-craft and Planets returned by this are: -79 Spitzer Space Telescope, 499 Mars, 299 Venus, -226 Rosetta Spacecraft, -98 New Horizons Spacecraft and -130 Hayabusa Spacecraft. The output is in a convenient comma delimited text file.

!$$SOF
EMAIL_ADDR = ' '
COMMAND = '-79'
	  '499'
	  '299'
 	  '-226'
 	  '-98'
 	  '-130'
OBJ_DATA = 'YES'
MAKE_EPHEM = 'YES'
TABLE_TYPE = 'OBS'
CENTER = 'coord'
REF_PLANE = 'ECLIPTIC'
COORD_TYPE = 'GEODETIC'
SITE_COORD = '350.2,52.054,0.253' <-- Change this to your LAT,LONG,Height (Km)
START_TIME = '2006-APR-25' <-- Set the start date for the Ephemeris
STOP_TIME = '2006-APR-26' <-- Set the finish date for the Ephemeris
STEP_SIZE = '5 min'
TLIST = 200*' '
QUANTITIES = '4,20,21'
REF_SYSTEM = 'J2000'
OUT_UNITS = 'KM-S'
VECT_TABLE = '3'
VECT_CORR = 'NONE'
CAL_FORMAT = 'CAL'
ANG_FORMAT = 'HMS'
APPARENT = 'AIRLESS'
TIME_ZONE = '+00:00' <-- Set your time zone
TIME_DIGITS = 'MIN'
RANGE_UNITS = 'KM'
SUPPRESS_RANGE_RATE= 'NO'
ELEV_CUT = '0'
SKIP_DAYLT = 'NO'
SOLAR_ELONG = '0,180'
AIRMASS = '38.0'
EXTRA_PREC = 'NO'
CSV_FORMAT = 'YES'
VEC_LABELS = 'NO'
ELM_LABELS = 'YES'
TP_TYPE = 'ABSOLUTE'
R_T_S_ONLY = 'NO'
CA_TABLE_TYPE= 'STANDARD'
TCA3SG_LIMIT = '14400'
CALIM_SB = '0.1'
CALIM_PL = '.1, .1, .1, .1, 1.0, 1.0, 1.0, 1.0, .1, .003'
!$$EOF