MAST ConeSearch: Multi-Mission Astronomical Catalog Service

NASA's MAST ConeSearch endpoint provides programmatic access to catalog holdings from over a dozen space astronomy missions. The service includes data from Hubble (HST), Kepler, K2, IUE, and other missions, as listed on the STScI services page. The dataset was last updated on March 13, 2026.

Use Cases

• Cross-match astronomical objects based on cone search coordinates from multiple mission catalogs.
• Build federated query tools for historical and contemporary space telescope data.
• Analyze object detection consistency across different observational missions and instruments.

Strengths

• Aggregates catalog data from over 15 distinct space astronomy missions, including major observatories like Hubble and Kepler.
• Provides a standardized programmatic endpoint (ConeSearch) for unified access to the multi-mission holdings.
• Maintained by NASA and the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), indicating authoritative provenance.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale analysis.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality and completeness require manual inspection after download.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) / Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)

Collection Method

Aggregated catalog holdings from multiple space telescope missions via the MAST archive.

Time Range

Temporal coverage spans the operational periods of the included missions (e.g., HST, Kepler, IUE).

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 18:16:29.094886; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Spatial coverage is celestial, covering observations across the sky from the listed missions.