Science first · shared data · careful limits
How do the live sky checks work?
The Sky Explorer requests astronomical calculations for a selected place and date, then uses the result as a real example for learning Sanskrit calendar vocabulary and selected observance rules.
NASA/JPL Horizons
The calculations come from a shared scientific service.
Open Pañcāṅga sends protected backend requests to the NASA/JPL Horizons On-Line Ephemeris System. Protected backend requests keep browsers separate from JPL. When Horizons is unavailable, the site reports that status and keeps every live result tied to the reviewed provider configuration.
A responsible allowance for live examples
The limits protect a resource shared with many other learners and researchers.
The shared gateway serializes requests and waits at least five seconds between starts.
The prototype permits up to 12 complete sky and calendar checks per internet connection each hour.
A full queue, provider problem, safety circuit, or kill switch pauses the check so provider protection remains active.
Every page in the learning forest remains available without contacting the astronomy provider.
When a live check cannot finish
A failure code tells you exactly what stopped the data request.
The Sky Explorer shows a short code with every failed check. The message beside it explains whether a request was sent, whether the problem should clear, and when to try again if a safe estimate is available.
Horizons does not document a separate set of provider failure codes. Its API documentation defines HTTP response codes and text in JSON message or errorfields. When NASA/JPL supplies one of those values, the failure details show it beside Open Pañcāṅga's own code.
Look up a sky-check failure code
An operator has paused all live sky-data requests.
The shared provider safety switch is on.
The service cannot confirm that a live request would be sent safely.
The service could not safely apply its per-visitor allowance.
This internet connection has used its current live-check allowance.
The shared provider connection is already in use.
The request could not fit within the provider's bounded waiting and pacing limits.
Earlier provider failures opened the protective safety circuit.
The protected gateway could not establish or keep a connection to NASA/JPL Horizons.
NASA/JPL Horizons did not answer within the protected time limit.
NASA/JPL Horizons returned a rate-limit response.
NASA/JPL Horizons returned a server-error response.
NASA/JPL Horizons returned a non-success response that should not be retried automatically.
NASA/JPL Horizons included an error explanation in its response.
The provider response did not contain a readable body.
The response exceeded Open Pañcāṅga's safety limit.
The response was not valid text or JSON.
The response identity, API version, or expected result field could not be verified.
The returned ephemeris table could not supply a consistent set of required observations.
The selected place and date did not contain a required sunrise, sunset, or nearby observation.
The gateway could not save the safety state needed before another provider request.
The request could not be completed or classified more specifically.
The browser did not receive a readable response from the protected gateway.
The submitted place, date, or request format was not accepted.
NASA/JPL Horizons previously declined this exact data request.
The protected service cannot safely accept another visitor record right now.
Respectful use of sources
Astronomy, calendar rules, and community announcements require different evidence.
Astronomical calculations retain their provider and method. Observance rules need recorded sources. Community-event information remains off until permission, freshness, provenance, and organizer context can be handled responsibly.