NeoProgrammics / PHP Science Labs About NASA/JPL Horizons API Demos by Jay Tanner of Geneva, NY, USA - 2026 Jay.Tanner@NeoProgrammics.com

This site teaches interested students of astronomy how to connect to and make use of some of NASA/JPL's extremely powerful computational resources using the freely available PHP programming language.

• The site features several public domain demo PHP programs, with source code, that are designed to use publicly available NASA/JPL resources to perform customized astronomical computations on demand.  The PHP software is built around the NASA/JPL Horizons API in Pasadena, California, USA.
  
  
• There are also some lunar quarter phases computations based on the earlier DE405 ephemeris model spanning the years from 1600 to 2200.  This model is not yet obsolete and still has some useful applications.
  
  
• The same NASA/JPL Horizons API that powers these programs also powers the on-line public Horizons interface at: https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons/app.html
  
  
• The demo programs show users how they can create their own customized software to access the API functions more directly.
  
  
• All of the API-based software comes with complete, ready-to-run PHP (v8.2.12) public domain source code so that students of the API can study it, modify it in any way they wish and use it as a guide for creating their own customized Internet astronomy software.  It is very easy to do with PHP.
  
  
• I use an Apache web server package called XAMPP to develop the PHP software on a Windows 11 PC.  Then, after some testing, I post the demos on the web site.
  
  
• The software should be able to be run on any personal or public web site with PHP enabled. By installing a local web server with PHP enabled and with an Internet connection available to connect to the API, the software can also be run directly from the desktop via any standard web browser.  This allows for precise customization and personal from-home useage.
  
  
• Since the programs are mostly educational demos, to keep the code easy to follow, there may be a few minor bugs but nothing too critical.  The main purpose of the programs is to demonstrate how to make calls to the API via custom PHP programming.