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Minor Planet Center vs NASA APOD

Same instrument, two spec sheets — measured, not claimed.

APIMinor Planet CenterNEW—NASA APODHEALTHY—
Uptime · 30d
Uptime · 90d—%—%
Uptime · 30d—%—%
P50 · ms——
P95 · ms——
AuthnoneapiKey
CORSyesyes
HTTPSnoyes
Card requirednono
Commercial useunclearyes
Data licenseUnverified (data derived from JPL/MPC)Public domain (US Gov)
Free tierFree — limits not published1,000 req/hour with free key
Rate limitUnpublishedDEMO_KEY: 30/hour, 50/day
In directory since2026-07-052026-05-02
operationalpartialdownno data

Minor Planet Center vs NASA APOD: common questions

Which is more reliable, Minor Planet Center or NASA APOD?

On our scheduled checks, NASA APOD leads on measured uptime — Minor Planet Center at —% versus NASA APOD at —% over 90 days. These are our own probe results, not provider claims; the uptime bars above show the day-by-day record for both.

Do Minor Planet Center and NASA APOD need an API key?

Minor Planet Center needs no key, while NASA APOD requires a free API key. If you want to start calling without signup, reach for Minor Planet Center first.

Can I call Minor Planet Center and NASA APOD from the browser?

Only NASA APOD is browser-friendly — it returns CORS headers over HTTPS. Minor Planet Center needs a server-side call or proxy, so factor that into which one fits a front-end project.

Are Minor Planet Center and NASA APOD free for commercial use?

Minor Planet Center has unclear commercial terms, and NASA APOD allows commercial use on its free tier. We track service terms and the data license as separate fields — see the Commercial use and Data license rows above, and confirm both before shipping either in a paid product.