Moira 6.5.0 - Source-Bound Cosmic Catalogs

Release date: 2026-09-09

Public upgrade path: 6.4.1 to 6.5.0.

Moira 6.5.0 is an additive catalog and coordinate-surface release. It admits a curated 60-object deep-sky catalog and a typed 12-entry cosmic-reference registry without treating every astronomical "center" as the same kind of object. Existing Python signatures and REST request bodies remain valid.

In this release

• Sixty source-bound deep-sky anchors - 15 galaxies, 15 nebulae, 15 star clusters, 5 compact objects, 5 stellar remnants, and 5 confirmed exoplanet host stars. Every record carries its released SIMBAD identity and coordinate receipt; host status is separately confirmed against the NASA Exoplanet Archive.
• Honest position semantics - extended objects are represented by their catalog centers, not by claims of a unique physical point or mass center. Eligible cluster and compact-system records use only explicitly admitted SIMBAD proper motion, while host-star positions delegate to Moira's sovereign star registry. Results are geocentric directions in the true ecliptic of date.
• Twelve typed cosmic references - seven coordinate landmarks, two physical catalog objects, and three declared proxies. The formal supergalactic longitude origin remains distinct from the Virgo/M87 astrological SGC convention. Norma/ACO 3627 and Shapley/ACO 3558 are exposed as named proxies for broad structures rather than universal point centers.
• Python package surface - DeepSkyClass, DeepSkyObject, DeepSkyPosition, catalog lookup/search functions, position functions, CosmicReferenceKind, reference definition/position vessels, and reference lookup/position functions are exported from moira.
• REST surface - GET /v1/deep-sky/list, POST /v1/deep-sky/position, POST /v1/deep-sky/bulk, and POST /v1/galactic/cosmic-reference-points. The cosmic route accepts an optional semantic-kind filter. Responses preserve catalog version, source, frame, epoch, meaning, and coordinate receipts.
• Release-bound provenance - the deep-sky JSON is checked against its committed SHA-256 receipt at load time. Catalog class counts, identities, aliases, coordinate ranges, semantic classes, and citation fields fail visibly if the packaged artifacts drift.

Compatibility boundary

The historical five-entry POST /v1/galactic/reference-points contract is unchanged. No existing route, Python function signature, result vessel, default policy, planetary reduction, or kernel requirement changed. The newly added catalogs do not turn galaxies, nebulae, satellites, comets, or other moving objects into interchangeable bodies.

Validation

• Catalog integrity checks bind the 60 records to their metadata receipt and enforce the declared 15/15/15/5/5/5 class partition.
• Registry covenants enforce the 2/7/3 semantic partition, unique normalized labels, finite ICRS/J2000 directions, antipodal frame landmarks, and complete source receipts.
• Unit and server tests cover lookup, filtering, alias resolution, proper-motion policy, projection to true ecliptic of date, strict request validation, bulk missing-object policy, OpenAPI registration, and preservation of the legacy galactic route.

Not in 6.5.0

• Planetary moons, additional comets, or interstellar visitors; those require time-dependent JPL ephemerides rather than a static coordinate catalog
• A Local Group barycenter without a declared member set and mass model
• Distances, physical sizes, topocentric parallax, or atmospheric refraction for deep-sky anchors
• Interpretive doctrine, scoring, Workspace UI, or public-website UI

Install

pip install moira-astro==6.5.0

from moira import deep_sky_at, all_cosmic_references_at

m31 = deep_sky_at("M31", 2451545.0)
references = all_cosmic_references_at(2451545.0)

Read COMPATIBILITY_NOTES_6.5.0.md for the catalog-version, coordinate, and REST migration boundaries.