NED Extragalactic Object Lookup by Name

nedobjectlookup/lookup-object

Resolves an astronomical object name (for example m31, NGC 1275 or 3C 273) with the NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database and returns NED's preferred name, the position (right ascension and declination in decimal degrees, with uncertainties and the reference), the object type and the redshift with its reference. A name NED cannot resolve is not an HTTP error: the answer carries no `Preferred` block and `ResultCode` 0 or 2 (with `Message` Unknown name), so read `ResultCode` (3 means resolved). NED data, served by Eden Engine; not an official NED product.

activeper callv1

Price

$0.0026 per call

You pay the price shown. If a call turns out to cost more than its quote, you pay the actual price, capped at twice the quote. No monthly minimum. Top-ups start at $0.50.

Data source

NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database (NED)

This research has made use of the NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database (NED), which is funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and operated by the California Institute of Technology. Served by Eden Engine; not an official NED product.

Use it

Five steps: search, inspect, learn, run, settle. No per-tool setup; your agent reaches this tool through the meta-tools it already has.

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agent

// 1. search: find the tool
omnial_search({ query: "what you need" })

// 2. inspect: price and input schema
omnial_inspect({ tool: "nedobjectlookup/lookup-object" })

// 3. learn: read the usage guide at runtime
omnial_learn({ tool: "nedobjectlookup/lookup-object" })

// 4. run: price the exact call first, then run it
omnial_execute({ tool: "nedobjectlookup/lookup-object", input: { /* see input_schema */ }, dry_run: true })
omnial_execute({ tool: "nedobjectlookup/lookup-object", input: { /* ... */ } })

// 5. settle: the call is charged when it finishes, nothing to do

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Pricing

Every charge this tool can incur.

Charge	Price
Per call	$0.0026

Updated: Oct 25, 2026

Input and output schemas

Input schema

input_schema.json

{
  "type": "object",
  "required": [
    "name"
  ],
  "properties": {
    "name": {
      "type": "string",
      "pattern": "^[A-Za-z0-9 +._:()\\[\\]-]+$",
      "maxLength": 80,
      "minLength": 1,
      "description": "Object name or catalogue designation, for example m31, NGC 1275, 3C 273 or 2MASX J00424433+4116074. Letters, digits, spaces and + . _ : ( ) [ ] - only, up to 80 characters."
    }
  },
  "additionalProperties": false
}

Output schema

output_schema.json

{
  "type": "object",
  "required": [
    "StatusCode"
  ],
  "properties": {
    "Message": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Present on some unresolved names, for example Unknown name."
    },
    "Version": {
      "type": "string"
    },
    "Supplied": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "The name as sent."
    },
    "Copyright": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "NED copyright line, passed through unchanged."
    },
    "Preferred": {
      "type": "object",
      "properties": {
        "Name": {
          "type": "string",
          "description": "NED's preferred name for the object."
        },
        "ObjType": {
          "type": "object",
          "properties": {
            "Value": {
              "type": "string",
              "description": "NED object type code, for example G (galaxy) or QSO."
            },
            "RefCode": {
              "type": [
                "string",
                "null"
              ],
              "description": "Reference code, usually null."
            }
          },
          "additionalProperties": true
        },
        "Position": {
          "type": "object",
          "properties": {
            "RA": {
              "type": "number",
              "description": "Right ascension, decimal degrees."
            },
            "Dec": {
              "type": "number",
              "description": "Declination, decimal degrees."
            },
            "RefCode": {
              "type": [
                "string",
                "null"
              ],
              "description": "Bibcode of the position's reference."
            },
            "PosAngle": {
              "type": "number"
            },
            "UncSemiMajor": {
              "type": "number"
            },
            "UncSemiMinor": {
              "type": "number"
            }
          },
          "additionalProperties": true
        },
        "Redshift": {
          "type": "object",
          "properties": {
            "Value": {
              "type": "number"
            },
            "RefCode": {
              "type": [
                "string",
                "null"
              ],
              "description": "Bibcode of the redshift's reference."
            },
            "QualityFlag": {
              "type": "string"
            },
            "Uncertainty": {
              "type": [
                "number",
                "null"
              ]
            }
          },
          "additionalProperties": true
        }
      },
      "description": "The resolved object. Absent when the name did not resolve.",
      "additionalProperties": true
    },
    "QueryTime": {
      "type": "string"
    },
    "ResultCode": {
      "type": "integer",
      "description": "3 when the name resolved; 2 for an unknown name; 0 when nothing matched."
    },
    "StatusCode": {
      "type": "integer",
      "description": "100 when the request was processed; -100 when the name was rejected."
    },
    "Interpreted": {
      "type": "object",
      "properties": {
        "Name": {
          "type": "string",
          "description": "The name as NED parsed it."
        }
      },
      "additionalProperties": true
    },
    "NameResolver": {
      "type": "string"
    }
  },
  "description": "The resolver's own JSON answer. A resolved name has `Preferred`; an unresolved one has none and says why in `ResultCode` and `Message`.",
  "additionalProperties": true
}