STScI Newsletter
2021 / Volume / Issue

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MAST Staff - 2021 Sep 07

MAST is excited to introduce a new and improved way to search Hubble data! This new search form has been designed with accessibility in mind from the beginning, including color choices, font sizes, and layout. As a result, the form is compliant with 508c guidelines, and incudes descriptive text on all labels and form elements. Like the original search form, you can search for data using your web browser or through a programmatic interface (API).

Hubble Search incorporates new features and improvements, including:

  1. Real-Time Object Coordinate Look-Ups – You can enter up to 100 object names directly into the Cone Search textbox and they will resolve to coordinates in real time, as you enter them. Easily search on multiple targets without having to upload a list.
  2. Type-Ahead Form Elements – As you type in search fields (like Datasets, PI Names, and Filters/Gratings) the search form will help by suggesting matches based on what is present in the database.
  3. Find Columns By Text – No need to remember exact column names anymore! You can now type related keywords and the form will suggest options that match both column names and descriptions to help you determine which columns to query on. 
  4. Multi-Sort Search Result Table – Use multi-column sorting to re-arrange and organize your search results in very customizable ways.
  5. Download Files Through Browser – Once you have found datasets you want to download, you can select up to 100 products and download them into a zip file on your computer straight from the search form! You can select products by type or even individual files. Don’t want to download the files right now? The form will generate cURL commands that you can use to download the files one-by-one later!
  6. Show API Button – New to using APIs for scripting your searches? Fill out the search form and use the API button to get equivalent commands based on exactly what you have filled in to use later. This button can be found on both the search form and download overlay.
  7. Documentation Improvements – More details about how to use this search can be found in the wiki-style documentation which includes descriptions of every button, form element, and capability. It also has video demonstrations that show components in action (a video can be worth a thousand words).
  8. API Backwards Compatibility – For those who have used the original search form programmatically, the API for the new Hubble search has a “backwards compatible” syntax. Existing queries and scripts only need a simple domain change and the query parameters themselves can be passed as-is. Minimal software changes are needed to switch to the new search.

The new form can search and retrieve files from fully public and non-public (exclusive access) observations. If you are part of a team with access to non-public data, simply sign into your STScI account to download your files.

The new HST search will eventually replace the original form, though the two will co-exist for at least a few months to allow current MAST users to transition. The new form aims to retain all the functionality of the original while adding these new enhancements, ideally making this switch relatively straightforward.

Have any questions or feedback? We want to hear from you! Reach out by email at archive@stsci.edu or on twitter @MAST_News

Happy searching!

hst_search_form
The newly-remodeled HST search form
hst_download
Direct data downloads with additional filtering and search options