Caltech Edu NASA Exoplanet Archive TAP API
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Official vendor OpenAPI document · agent-readyAnalyticsBusiness Intelligencenone7 EndpointsREST
Install Jentic One Beta
Connect the NASA Exoplanet Archive TAP API to your agent
Jentic One is a self-hosted execution layer for AI agents. It lets your agent call the NASA Exoplanet Archive TAP API, or any other public or private API you need. You set the rules, the agent never sees your credentials, and every call is logged.
Two steps, two machines. Install the instance in a safe environment, then register your agent from wherever it runs.
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Step 1: Jentic One Host machine
# On the machine that will host your Jentic One instance:
curl -fsSL "https://jentic.com/install.sh?src=apis&api=%2Fapis%2Fcaltech.edu%2Fcaltech" | sh2
Step 2: Agent machine
# On the machine where your agent runs (keep this separate from the instance):
curl -fsSL "https://jentic.com/install.sh?src=apis&api=%2Fapis%2Fcaltech.edu%2Fcaltech" | sh
jentic register # connects your agent to your Jentic One instanceJentic One is in public beta. The setup above keeps your agent separate from the instance, which is what you want before using real credentials: an agent running as the same OS user as Jentic One can read its stored keys directly. Just evaluating? A single local install is fine to start. See the secure deployment guide for the tiers.
Capabilities
What an agent can do with NASA Exoplanet Archive TAP API.
Run a synchronous ADQL query against the archive over TAP
Submit an asynchronous ADQL query as a job
Retrieve an asynchronous job and its results by job id
List the tables available through the TAP service
Pull rows from a named table with column, filter, and cone-search options
Use Cases
Patterns agents use NASA Exoplanet Archive TAP API for, with concrete tasks.
★ AI agent astronomy data query
An AI agent answering questions about exoplanets can pull grounded rows from the archive on demand. Through Jentic the agent searches by intent and runs an ADQL query, receiving structured table rows it can cite rather than relying on memory. No credential is involved, so the agent reads open scientific data directly.
Use Jentic to search 'query the exoplanet archive', call GET /TAP/sync with an ADQL query and format json, and return the matching planet rows.
Asynchronous bulk query
A large query that would time out synchronously can run as a job. The agent submits an async query, then retrieves the job and its results by job id once it completes, letting a data workflow pull large result sets without holding a connection open.
Submit a query via POST /TAP/async, poll GET /TAP/async/{jobId}, then read the rows from GET /TAP/async/{jobId}/results/result.
Cone search by sky position
A positional lookup finds records near a point on the sky. The agent calls the legacy nstedAPI endpoint with a table name, a right-ascension and declination, and a radius to return rows within that region for a targeted survey.
Call GET /cgi-bin/nstedAPI/nph-nstedAPI with a table, ra, dec, and radius to return rows near that sky position.
Key Endpoints
7 endpoints — the nasa exoplanet archive tap api queries the archive's tables of confirmed planets and related astronomical data.
METHOD
PATH
DESCRIPTION
GET
/TAP/sync
Run a synchronous ADQL query
POST
/TAP/async
Submit an asynchronous ADQL query job
GET
/TAP/async/{jobId}
Get an async job by id
GET
/TAP/async/{jobId}/results/result
Get the results of an async job
GET
/TAP/tables
List the available tables
GET
Why Jentic?
What agents get from Jentic-routed access to this vendor.
Setup
The Exoplanet Archive TAP endpoints declare no credential in their spec, so there is nothing to authenticate by hand. Through Jentic you install once, import the archive from the API Directory, and your agent runs ADQL queries against exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu.
Permission scoping
The archive carries the query in the request parameters rather than the URL path, so a rule bounds which operations your agent may call. You allow the read-only query and table-list operations and leave async job submission out unless you add it.
Credential isolation
These endpoints require no credential in their OpenAPI spec, so there is nothing to hold. Your agent reads open scientific data, and no secret ever enters its prompt, logs, or context.
Intent-based discovery
Agents search Jentic by intent such as 'query exoplanets' or 'list available tables', and Jentic returns the matching TAP operation with its input schema so the agent runs the right query without browsing the reference docs.
Related APIs
Alternatives and complements available in the Jentic catalogue.
FAQs
Specific to using NASA Exoplanet Archive TAP API through Jentic.
Is there a NASA Exoplanet Archive TAP API MCP server?
You don't need an MCP server to give your agent the Exoplanet Archive. Jentic connects it directly from the API Directory: import it and your agent calls the query operations. That keeps your agent's context free of an extra server's tool definitions.
What authentication does the NASA Exoplanet Archive TAP API use?
None. Its OpenAPI spec declares no authentication, so the query endpoints are open. Through Jentic your agent calls them directly, and there is no secret to hold or inject.
Can I query exoplanet data with the NASA Exoplanet Archive TAP API?
Yes. GET /TAP/sync runs a synchronous ADQL query and returns matching rows, and GET /TAP/tables lists the tables you can query so you compose a valid query against the right one.
How do I run a query through Jentic?
Search Jentic for 'query the exoplanet archive', load the input schema, and execute GET /TAP/sync with an ADQL query. To run it on your own infrastructure, install Jentic One from its GitHub repo.
Can I limit what my agent is allowed to do with the NASA Exoplanet Archive TAP API?
Yes. Write a rule that allows only the synchronous-query and table-list operations, so the agent can read data and discover tables and nothing else, and every call it makes is logged. Submitting async jobs stays out unless you add that operation.
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