Error when using astroquery.imcce.Skybot with large radius at specific coord

[Eririf]

astroquery.__version__ = 0.4.10
astropy.__version__ = 6.1.7

from astroquery.imcce import Skybot
import astropy.units as u
from astropy.time import Time

skybot = Skybot()
skybot.cone_search((81.32056074, 7.38362643),3*u.deg,Time('2025-01-02T21:07:06.762'))
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
InconsistentTableError                    Traceback (most recent call last)
Cell In[16], line 3
      1 from astroquery.imcce import Skybot
      2 skybot = Skybot()
----> 3 skybot.cone_search((81.32056074, 7.38362643),3*u.deg,Time('2025-01-02T21:07:06.762'))

File ~/.local/lib/python3.10/site-packages/astroquery/utils/class_or_instance.py:25, in class_or_instance.__get__.<locals>.f(*args, **kwds)
     23 def f(*args, **kwds):
     24     if obj is not None:
---> 25         return self.fn(obj, *args, **kwds)
     26     else:
     27         return self.fn(cls, *args, **kwds)

File ~/.local/lib/python3.10/site-packages/astroquery/utils/process_asyncs.py:29, in async_to_sync.<locals>.create_method.<locals>.newmethod(self, *args, **kwargs)
     27 if kwargs.get('get_query_payload') or kwargs.get('field_help'):
     28     return response
---> 29 result = self._parse_result(response, verbose=verbose)
     30 self.table = result
     31 return result

File ~/.local/lib/python3.10/site-packages/astroquery/imcce/core.py:632, in SkybotClass._parse_result(self, response, verbose)
    629     raise RuntimeError(response_txt[-1])
    631 names = response_txt[0].replace('# ', '').strip().split(' | ')
--> 632 results = ascii.read(response_txt[1:], delimiter='|',
    633                      names=names, fast_reader=False)
    634 results = QTable(results)
    636 # convert coordinates to degrees

File ~/.local/lib/python3.10/site-packages/astropy/utils/decorators.py:603, in deprecated_renamed_argument.<locals>.decorator.<locals>.wrapper(*args, **kwargs)
    600             msg += f"\n        Use {alternative} instead."
    601         warnings.warn(msg, warning_type, stacklevel=2)
--> 603 return function(*args, **kwargs)

File ~/.local/lib/python3.10/site-packages/astropy/utils/decorators.py:603, in deprecated_renamed_argument.<locals>.decorator.<locals>.wrapper(*args, **kwargs)
    600             msg += f"\n        Use {alternative} instead."
    601         warnings.warn(msg, warning_type, stacklevel=2)
--> 603 return function(*args, **kwargs)

    [... skipping similar frames: deprecated_renamed_argument.<locals>.decorator.<locals>.wrapper at line 603 (2 times)]

File ~/.local/lib/python3.10/site-packages/astropy/utils/decorators.py:603, in deprecated_renamed_argument.<locals>.decorator.<locals>.wrapper(*args, **kwargs)
    600             msg += f"\n        Use {alternative} instead."
    601         warnings.warn(msg, warning_type, stacklevel=2)
--> 603 return function(*args, **kwargs)

File ~/.local/lib/python3.10/site-packages/astropy/io/ascii/ui.py:409, in read(table, guess, **kwargs)
    403             new_kwargs["guess_html"] = _probably_html(table)
    405 # Get the table from guess in ``dat``.  If ``dat`` comes back as None
    406 # then there was just one set of kwargs in the guess list so fall
    407 # through below to the non-guess way so that any problems result in a
    408 # more useful traceback.
--> 409 dat = _guess(table, new_kwargs, format, fast_reader)
    410 if dat is None:
    411     guess = False

File ~/.local/lib/python3.10/site-packages/astropy/io/ascii/ui.py:683, in _guess(table, read_kwargs, format, fast_reader)
    671 msg = [
    672     "",
    673     "************************************************************************",
   (...)
    680     "************************************************************************",
    681 ]
    682 lines.extend(msg)
--> 683 raise core.InconsistentTableError("\n".join(lines)) from None

InconsistentTableError: 
ERROR: Unable to guess table format with the guesses listed below:
reader_cls:Ecsv delimiter: '|' fast_reader: {'enable': False} fill_values: [('', '0')] names: ['Num', 'Name', 'RA(h)', 'DE(deg)', 'Class', 'Mv', 'Err(arcsec)', 'd(arcsec)', 'dRA(arcsec/h)', 'dDEC(arcsec/h)', 'Dg(ua)', 'Dh(ua)', 'Phase(deg)', 'SunElong(deg)', 'x(au)', 'y(au)', 'z(au)', 'vx(au/d)', 'vy(au/d)', 'vz(au/d)', 'Ref. Epoch(JD)'] strict_names: True
reader_cls:FixedWidthTwoLine delimiter: '|' fast_reader: {'enable': False} fill_values: [('', '0')] names: ['Num', 'Name', 'RA(h)', 'DE(deg)', 'Class', 'Mv', 'Err(arcsec)', 'd(arcsec)', 'dRA(arcsec/h)', 'dDEC(arcsec/h)', 'Dg(ua)', 'Dh(ua)', 'Phase(deg)', 'SunElong(deg)', 'x(au)', 'y(au)', 'z(au)', 'vx(au/d)', 'vy(au/d)', 'vz(au/d)', 'Ref. Epoch(JD)'] strict_names: True
reader_cls:RST delimiter: '|' fast_reader: {'enable': False} fill_values: [('', '0')] names: ['Num', 'Name', 'RA(h)', 'DE(deg)', 'Class', 'Mv', 'Err(arcsec)', 'd(arcsec)', 'dRA(arcsec/h)', 'dDEC(arcsec/h)', 'Dg(ua)', 'Dh(ua)', 'Phase(deg)', 'SunElong(deg)', 'x(au)', 'y(au)', 'z(au)', 'vx(au/d)', 'vy(au/d)', 'vz(au/d)', 'Ref. Epoch(JD)'] strict_names: True
reader_cls:Basic delimiter: '|' fast_reader: {'enable': False} fill_values: [('', '0')] names: ['Num', 'Name', 'RA(h)', 'DE(deg)', 'Class', 'Mv', 'Err(arcsec)', 'd(arcsec)', 'dRA(arcsec/h)', 'dDEC(arcsec/h)', 'Dg(ua)', 'Dh(ua)', 'Phase(deg)', 'SunElong(deg)', 'x(au)', 'y(au)', 'z(au)', 'vx(au/d)', 'vy(au/d)', 'vz(au/d)', 'Ref. Epoch(JD)'] strict_names: True
reader_cls:Rdb delimiter: '|' fast_reader: {'enable': False} fill_values: [('', '0')] names: ['Num', 'Name', 'RA(h)', 'DE(deg)', 'Class', 'Mv', 'Err(arcsec)', 'd(arcsec)', 'dRA(arcsec/h)', 'dDEC(arcsec/h)', 'Dg(ua)', 'Dh(ua)', 'Phase(deg)', 'SunElong(deg)', 'x(au)', 'y(au)', 'z(au)', 'vx(au/d)', 'vy(au/d)', 'vz(au/d)', 'Ref. Epoch(JD)'] strict_names: True
reader_cls:Tab delimiter: '|' fast_reader: {'enable': False} fill_values: [('', '0')] names: ['Num', 'Name', 'RA(h)', 'DE(deg)', 'Class', 'Mv', 'Err(arcsec)', 'd(arcsec)', 'dRA(arcsec/h)', 'dDEC(arcsec/h)', 'Dg(ua)', 'Dh(ua)', 'Phase(deg)', 'SunElong(deg)', 'x(au)', 'y(au)', 'z(au)', 'vx(au/d)', 'vy(au/d)', 'vz(au/d)', 'Ref. Epoch(JD)'] strict_names: True
reader_cls:Cds delimiter: '|' fast_reader: {'enable': False} fill_values: [('', '0')] names: ['Num', 'Name', 'RA(h)', 'DE(deg)', 'Class', 'Mv', 'Err(arcsec)', 'd(arcsec)', 'dRA(arcsec/h)', 'dDEC(arcsec/h)', 'Dg(ua)', 'Dh(ua)', 'Phase(deg)', 'SunElong(deg)', 'x(au)', 'y(au)', 'z(au)', 'vx(au/d)', 'vy(au/d)', 'vz(au/d)', 'Ref. Epoch(JD)'] strict_names: True
reader_cls:Mrt delimiter: '|' fast_reader: {'enable': False} fill_values: [('', '0')] names: ['Num', 'Name', 'RA(h)', 'DE(deg)', 'Class', 'Mv', 'Err(arcsec)', 'd(arcsec)', 'dRA(arcsec/h)', 'dDEC(arcsec/h)', 'Dg(ua)', 'Dh(ua)', 'Phase(deg)', 'SunElong(deg)', 'x(au)', 'y(au)', 'z(au)', 'vx(au/d)', 'vy(au/d)', 'vz(au/d)', 'Ref. Epoch(JD)'] strict_names: True
reader_cls:Daophot delimiter: '|' fast_reader: {'enable': False} fill_values: [('', '0')] names: ['Num', 'Name', 'RA(h)', 'DE(deg)', 'Class', 'Mv', 'Err(arcsec)', 'd(arcsec)', 'dRA(arcsec/h)', 'dDEC(arcsec/h)', 'Dg(ua)', 'Dh(ua)', 'Phase(deg)', 'SunElong(deg)', 'x(au)', 'y(au)', 'z(au)', 'vx(au/d)', 'vy(au/d)', 'vz(au/d)', 'Ref. Epoch(JD)'] strict_names: True
reader_cls:SExtractor delimiter: '|' fast_reader: {'enable': False} fill_values: [('', '0')] names: ['Num', 'Name', 'RA(h)', 'DE(deg)', 'Class', 'Mv', 'Err(arcsec)', 'd(arcsec)', 'dRA(arcsec/h)', 'dDEC(arcsec/h)', 'Dg(ua)', 'Dh(ua)', 'Phase(deg)', 'SunElong(deg)', 'x(au)', 'y(au)', 'z(au)', 'vx(au/d)', 'vy(au/d)', 'vz(au/d)', 'Ref. Epoch(JD)'] strict_names: True
reader_cls:Ipac delimiter: '|' fast_reader: {'enable': False} fill_values: [('', '0')] names: ['Num', 'Name', 'RA(h)', 'DE(deg)', 'Class', 'Mv', 'Err(arcsec)', 'd(arcsec)', 'dRA(arcsec/h)', 'dDEC(arcsec/h)', 'Dg(ua)', 'Dh(ua)', 'Phase(deg)', 'SunElong(deg)', 'x(au)', 'y(au)', 'z(au)', 'vx(au/d)', 'vy(au/d)', 'vz(au/d)', 'Ref. Epoch(JD)'] strict_names: True
reader_cls:Latex delimiter: '|' fast_reader: {'enable': False} fill_values: [('', '0')] names: ['Num', 'Name', 'RA(h)', 'DE(deg)', 'Class', 'Mv', 'Err(arcsec)', 'd(arcsec)', 'dRA(arcsec/h)', 'dDEC(arcsec/h)', 'Dg(ua)', 'Dh(ua)', 'Phase(deg)', 'SunElong(deg)', 'x(au)', 'y(au)', 'z(au)', 'vx(au/d)', 'vy(au/d)', 'vz(au/d)', 'Ref. Epoch(JD)'] strict_names: True
reader_cls:AASTex delimiter: '|' fast_reader: {'enable': False} fill_values: [('', '0')] names: ['Num', 'Name', 'RA(h)', 'DE(deg)', 'Class', 'Mv', 'Err(arcsec)', 'd(arcsec)', 'dRA(arcsec/h)', 'dDEC(arcsec/h)', 'Dg(ua)', 'Dh(ua)', 'Phase(deg)', 'SunElong(deg)', 'x(au)', 'y(au)', 'z(au)', 'vx(au/d)', 'vy(au/d)', 'vz(au/d)', 'Ref. Epoch(JD)'] strict_names: True
reader_cls:CommentedHeader delimiter: '|' fast_reader: {'enable': False} fill_values: [('', '0')] names: ['Num', 'Name', 'RA(h)', 'DE(deg)', 'Class', 'Mv', 'Err(arcsec)', 'd(arcsec)', 'dRA(arcsec/h)', 'dDEC(arcsec/h)', 'Dg(ua)', 'Dh(ua)', 'Phase(deg)', 'SunElong(deg)', 'x(au)', 'y(au)', 'z(au)', 'vx(au/d)', 'vy(au/d)', 'vz(au/d)', 'Ref. Epoch(JD)'] quotechar: '"' strict_names: True
reader_cls:CommentedHeader delimiter: '|' fast_reader: {'enable': False} fill_values: [('', '0')] names: ['Num', 'Name', 'RA(h)', 'DE(deg)', 'Class', 'Mv', 'Err(arcsec)', 'd(arcsec)', 'dRA(arcsec/h)', 'dDEC(arcsec/h)', 'Dg(ua)', 'Dh(ua)', 'Phase(deg)', 'SunElong(deg)', 'x(au)', 'y(au)', 'z(au)', 'vx(au/d)', 'vy(au/d)', 'vz(au/d)', 'Ref. Epoch(JD)'] quotechar: "'" strict_names: True
reader_cls:Basic delimiter: '|' fast_reader: {'enable': False} fill_values: [('', '0')] names: ['Num', 'Name', 'RA(h)', 'DE(deg)', 'Class', 'Mv', 'Err(arcsec)', 'd(arcsec)', 'dRA(arcsec/h)', 'dDEC(arcsec/h)', 'Dg(ua)', 'Dh(ua)', 'Phase(deg)', 'SunElong(deg)', 'x(au)', 'y(au)', 'z(au)', 'vx(au/d)', 'vy(au/d)', 'vz(au/d)', 'Ref. Epoch(JD)'] quotechar: '"' strict_names: True
reader_cls:Basic delimiter: '|' fast_reader: {'enable': False} fill_values: [('', '0')] names: ['Num', 'Name', 'RA(h)', 'DE(deg)', 'Class', 'Mv', 'Err(arcsec)', 'd(arcsec)', 'dRA(arcsec/h)', 'dDEC(arcsec/h)', 'Dg(ua)', 'Dh(ua)', 'Phase(deg)', 'SunElong(deg)', 'x(au)', 'y(au)', 'z(au)', 'vx(au/d)', 'vy(au/d)', 'vz(au/d)', 'Ref. Epoch(JD)'] quotechar: "'" strict_names: True
reader_cls:NoHeader delimiter: '|' fast_reader: {'enable': False} fill_values: [('', '0')] names: ['Num', 'Name', 'RA(h)', 'DE(deg)', 'Class', 'Mv', 'Err(arcsec)', 'd(arcsec)', 'dRA(arcsec/h)', 'dDEC(arcsec/h)', 'Dg(ua)', 'Dh(ua)', 'Phase(deg)', 'SunElong(deg)', 'x(au)', 'y(au)', 'z(au)', 'vx(au/d)', 'vy(au/d)', 'vz(au/d)', 'Ref. Epoch(JD)'] quotechar: '"' strict_names: True
reader_cls:NoHeader delimiter: '|' fast_reader: {'enable': False} fill_values: [('', '0')] names: ['Num', 'Name', 'RA(h)', 'DE(deg)', 'Class', 'Mv', 'Err(arcsec)', 'd(arcsec)', 'dRA(arcsec/h)', 'dDEC(arcsec/h)', 'Dg(ua)', 'Dh(ua)', 'Phase(deg)', 'SunElong(deg)', 'x(au)', 'y(au)', 'z(au)', 'vx(au/d)', 'vy(au/d)', 'vz(au/d)', 'Ref. Epoch(JD)'] quotechar: "'" strict_names: True
reader_cls:Basic delimiter: '|' fast_reader: {'enable': False} fill_values: [('', '0')] names: ['Num', 'Name', 'RA(h)', 'DE(deg)', 'Class', 'Mv', 'Err(arcsec)', 'd(arcsec)', 'dRA(arcsec/h)', 'dDEC(arcsec/h)', 'Dg(ua)', 'Dh(ua)', 'Phase(deg)', 'SunElong(deg)', 'x(au)', 'y(au)', 'z(au)', 'vx(au/d)', 'vy(au/d)', 'vz(au/d)', 'Ref. Epoch(JD)']

************************************************************************
** ERROR: Unable to guess table format with the guesses listed above. **
**                                                                    **
** To figure out why the table did not read, use guess=False and      **
** fast_reader=False, along with any appropriate arguments to read(). **
** In particular specify the format and any known attributes like the **
** delimiter.                                                         **
************************************************************************

Im not sure that the problem happens in astroquery or skybot? The problem would disappear when using smaller radius or other coordinate :)

[bsipocz]

I'll have to look into this, but just looking at your traceback I'm fairly certain that we get an error response back from the server and the parsing machinery chokes up on it.

[Eririf]

Thanks!
I tried the skybot api directly with same parameter, it works well
https://ssp.imcce.fr/webservices/skybot/api/conesearch.php?RA=81.32056074&DEC=7.38362643&TIME=2025-01-02%2021:07:06.762&SR=3

[mkelley]

So, I don't have a solution yet, but I do have some more information.

The URL that astroquery is using: http://vo.imcce.fr/webservices/skybot/skybotconesearch_query.php?-ra=81.32056074&-dec=7.38362643&-rd=3.0&-ep=2460678.379939375&-loc=500&-filter=120.0&-objFilter=111&-refsys=EQJ2000&-output=all&-mime=text

It is read in via:

results = ascii.read(response_txt[1:], delimiter='|', names=names, fast_reader=False)

I saved the result to a file and it looks fine. I can read it in with:

ascii.read("/tmp/skybotconesearch_query.txt")

and

ascii.read("/tmp/skybotconesearch_query.txt", delimiter='|')

but astropy fails as above when I turn off the fast reader:

In [8]: ascii.read("/tmp/skybotconesearch_query.txt", delimiter='|', fast_reader=False)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
InconsistentTableError                    Traceback (most recent call last)
...
InconsistentTableError: 
ERROR: Unable to guess table format with the guesses listed below:
reader_cls:Ecsv delimiter: '|' fast_reader: {'enable': False} fill_values: [('', '0')] strict_names: True
...

[bsipocz]

Yes, my gut feeling was wrong about it being a server error, and this is a failure in the second typical pain points of parsing issues with a somewhat atypical (unexpected) but valid response.

[bsipocz]

Given #3286 I would not jump in a separate fix here, but would make sure that this example passes with that PR.

(as you see there are a couple of ourstanding issues on that PR, any insight @mkelley would be appreciated).

[bsipocz]

OK, so this is still an issue with the new API.

[bsipocz]

Thanks @mkelley for the investigation. I would suggest removing the fast_reader=False option then and rely on the default. Historically there have been a lot of issues with that, but hopefully a lot has been sorted out.

And I would upstream this issue as astropy should be able to read the response table.

The problematic line btw is 738 for the object of 229762 Gǃkúnǁʼhòmdímà, which is nothing but special characters.

the line in question is:

[" 229762 | G!kun||'homdima | 05 25 8.6555 | +04 29 34.137 | KBO>Detached | 19.6 | 0.025 | 10416.492 | -2.8975 | 0.438 | 39.58862639305 | 40.45223173852 | 0.66 | 151.78 | 5.793699842 | 39.895403136 | 3.475515719 | -0.003109473 | -0.000340803 | 0.000934356 | 2460670 "]

[bsipocz]

Never mind, the fast reader just swallows everything that comes after the problematic line without raising an exception. So it's in fact not one but a double bug upstream.

cc @taldcroft

[bsipocz]

OK, well, staring this a little bit longer, this feels to be more and more a SkyBot bug for the text responseformat where the response is returned using "|" as delimiter, however in this case the object name also contains "|" as a transcription of the non-ascii character inGǃkúnǁʼhòmdímà

https://ssp.imcce.fr/webservices/skybot/api/conesearch.php?RA=81.2833&DEC=4.49278&TIME=2025-01-02%2021:07:06.762&RESPONSEFORMAT=text&SR=0.1

So for that I would ping @darkmoloko to fix the encoding (or if either of you @Eririf or @mkelley could report it through the usual imcce channels); and for us I would suggest to switch to use another response format e.g. votable or json so we can properly parse it.

[keflavich]

For anyone confused as I was: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/229762_G%C7%83k%C3%BAn%C7%81%CA%BCh%C3%B2md%C3%ADm%C3%A0

[bsipocz]

Oh, yes, sorry, should have linked that Wikipedia. Anyway, good old issue of encoding goes wrong.

However, using votable I get the reasonable result of

<Table length=3>
 num         name           ra            de            class        ...      jdref         _raj2000     _decj2000                               externallink                            
                          h:m:s         d:m:s                        ...        d             deg           deg                                                                          
 str6       str32         str13         str13           str24        ...     float64        float64       float64                                   object                               
------ --------------- ------------ ------------- ------------------ ... --------------- ------------- ------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------
229762 G!kun||'homdima 05 25 8.6589 +04 29 34.126       KBO>Detached ...       2460670.0  81.286078818   4.492812894 https://ssp.imcce.fr/webservices/ssodnet/api/ssocard/G!kun||'homdima
     -      2007 TE366 05 25 7.4902 +04 28 28.085       Mars-Crosser ...       2460670.0  81.281209337   4.474468079      https://ssp.imcce.fr/webservices/ssodnet/api/ssocard/2007_TE366
523748      2014 UP224 05 25 1.5936  +04 31 8.605 KBO>Classical>Main ...       2460670.0  81.256640102   4.519056863      https://ssp.imcce.fr/webservices/ssodnet/api/ssocard/2014_UP224
```, however using votable I get somewhat different column names and number of columns out of the box.

[Eririf]

Unfortunately, Astronomers who found the asteroid would name it as whatever they want lol. SkyBot just copy the asteroid information from MPC.
https://minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_object?utf8=%E2%9C%93&object_id=229762
I have found the same problem at various coordinates.🙄