<p>USNO (the United States Naval Observatory) generates positions for the celestial bodies (planets, moons,stars) and provides them in the form of <code>.bsp</code> files and their Astronomical Almanac.</p>
<p>Is there any alternative open publication produced by EU or other big countries?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-23T00:46:56.173Z
Can you clarify your reference to .bsp files?   What is that format?   I’ve never seen it used for astronomical data.  The only reference I can find online for the `.bsp` file extension is for Quake game engine map files, so I assume you must be referring to something else.
Eric Jensen
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-23T04:15:09.400Z
@ELNJ the [JPL Development Ephemerides](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jet_Propulsion_Laboratory_Development_Ephemeris) are in `.bsp` format, see also [1](https://naif.jpl.nasa.gov/naif/utilities_PC_Linux_32bit.html), [2](https://naif.jpl.nasa.gov/pub/naif/generic_kernels/spk/satellites/)
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-23T04:18:22.657Z
this question was also [posted in Space Exploration SE](https://space.stackexchange.com/q/45496/12102) where comments are also being posted, recommend it be closed quickly on one of these sites.
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-23T08:30:19.780Z
@uhoh close there, keep here
sigrlami
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-23T12:34:33.583Z
@uhoh Thanks for clarifying - looks like there is more file format info [here](https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/12506/what-is-the-exact-format-of-the-jpl-ephemeris-files).    But if those are *ephemeris* files, I'm still a little unclear on what is being asked here.  So I guess the question is really asking whether there are non-U.S. sources of planetary ephemerides, and perhaps tabulations of positions (e.g. for a year) - and it's really primarily about solar system bodies, even though stars are mentioned.  Is that correct?
Eric Jensen
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-23T12:51:52.103Z
@ELNJ yes, you're correct. The only calculations I found from US and Russia
sigrlami
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-26T08:47:15.863Z
You should add France to your list. The top three organizations regarding modeling the solar system are, in no particular order, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, the Institute of Applied Astronomy in St. Petersburg, Russia, and the Observatory of Paris in France. Note well: The USNO is not in that list.
David Hammen
<observational-astronomy><data-analysis>
What observatories provide data similar to USNO?
sigrlami
# What observatories provide data similar to USNO?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-07-22)

USNO (the United States Naval Observatory) generates positions for the celestial bodies (planets, moons,stars) and provides them in the form of `.bsp` files and their Astronomical Almanac.

Is there any alternative open publication produced by EU or other big countries?

**Tags:** observational-astronomy, data-analysis

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Can you clarify your reference to .bsp files?   What is that format?   I’ve never seen it used for astronomical data.  The only reference I can find online for the `.bsp` file extension is for Quake game engine map files, so I assume you must be referring to something else.  
> **username_2**: @ELNJ the [JPL Development Ephemerides](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jet_Propulsion_Laboratory_Development_Ephemeris) are in `.bsp` format, see also [1](https://naif.jpl.nasa.gov/naif/utilities_PC_Linux_32bit.html), [2](https://naif.jpl.nasa.gov/pub/naif/generic_kernels/spk/satellites/)  
> **username_2**: this question was also [posted in Space Exploration SE](https://space.stackexchange.com/q/45496/12102) where comments are also being posted, recommend it be closed quickly on one of these sites.  
> **username_0**: @username_2 close there, keep here  
> **username_1**: @username_2 Thanks for clarifying - looks like there is more file format info [here](https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/12506/what-is-the-exact-format-of-the-jpl-ephemeris-files).    But if those are *ephemeris* files, I'm still a little unclear on what is being asked here.  So I guess the question is really asking whether there are non-U.S. sources of planetary ephemerides, and perhaps tabulations of positions (e.g. for a year) - and it's really primarily about solar system bodies, even though stars are mentioned.  Is that correct?  
> **username_0**: @ELNJ yes, you're correct. The only calculations I found from US and Russia  
> **username_3**: You should add France to your list. The top three organizations regarding modeling the solar system are, in no particular order, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, the Institute of Applied Astronomy in St. Petersburg, Russia, and the Observatory of Paris in France. Note well: The USNO is not in that list.  

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## 0 answers

