pyvo
Astropy affiliated package for accessing Virtual Observatory data and services
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes. PyVO is actively maintained, has low install friction, carries a permissive license, and fills a real gap for astronomers needing programmatic access to distributed VO resources. It is the standard Python tool for this task and backed by the Astropy project. No security vulnerabilities reported.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.10 or later; network access needed for most queries.
- Low install friction; pure Python wheel with only astropy and requests as runtime dependencies.
- Actively maintained with recent commits and releases since 2013, supporting current Python versions (3.10+).
License · maintenance · safety
BSD-3-Clause (permissive) — BSD-3-Clause permissive license allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions; suitable for most projects.
last release 2026-06-11 (64 days) · last repo commit 2026-08-05 · 88 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 441,991 downloads/mo, #6,638 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install pyvo
import pyvo as vo
# Query a VO service
result = vo.conesearch(ra=0, dec=0, radius=0.1)- Specific number of accessible catalogs and archives claimed in description ('thousands') not independently verified in fact sheet.
- Performance characteristics for large result sets or concurrent queries not documented in fact sheet.
What it is and what it does
PyVO is an Astropy-affiliated package that bridges Python and the Virtual Observatory ecosystem, a standardized infrastructure for sharing astronomical data and services across institutions. It abstracts away the complexity of VO protocols (like cone search, SIA, and TAP) so astronomers and developers can query remote archives, catalogs, and analysis tools as if they were local Python objects.
The package sits between your Python code and thousands of distributed VO-compliant resources worldwide. Instead of learning multiple archive APIs, you use PyVO's unified interface to discover and retrieve data—spectroscopy, images, catalogs, time series—from any participating observatory or data center. It integrates tightly with astropy and numpy, so results come back as familiar data structures ready for analysis.
Use it for
- Query multiple sky surveys for objects in a region without learning each archive's API separately.
- Build automated pipelines that fetch spectroscopic or photometric data from remote VO services.
- Prototype new VO-based analysis tools before they become formal standards.
- Combine data from distributed archives in a single Python workflow.
- Access specialized databases (time series, variable stars, exoplanet catalogs) through a uniform interface.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes.
PyVO is actively maintained, has low install friction, carries a permissive license, and fills a real gap for astronomers needing programmatic access to distributed VO resources. It is the standard Python tool for this task and backed by the Astropy project. No security vulnerabilities reported.
Install
pyvo on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction; pure Python wheel with only astropy and requests as runtime dependencies. Actively maintained with recent commits and releases since 2013, supporting current Python versions (3.10+).
Requires Python 3.10 or later; network access needed for most queries.
License in practice
BSD-3-Clause permissive license allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions; suitable for most projects.
Quickstart
pip install pyvo
import pyvo as vo
# Query a VO service
result = vo.conesearch(ra=0, dec=0, radius=0.1)Verify before relying
- Specific number of accessible catalogs and archives claimed in description ('thousands') not independently verified in fact sheet.
- Performance characteristics for large result sets or concurrent queries not documented in fact sheet.
Package facts
| License | BSD-3-Clause permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.10 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 2 packagesastropyrequests |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 64 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 441,991 / month, #6,638 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Intended Audience :: Science/ResearchOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Topic :: DatabaseTopic :: Scientific/Engineering :: AstronomyTopic :: Software Development :: Libraries |
Evidence: pyvo-1.9.1-py3-none-any.whl
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See also astroquery · pyds9 · PyAVM · regions · asdf-astropy · reproject · astropy-healpix · skyfield-data · lsst-daf-butler · specutils