N2yo vs Astronomy MCP Server — MCP Server Comparison | AllMCPs
Side-by-Side Model Context Protocol Comparison
N2yo vs Astronomy MCP Server
In-depth architectural comparison of the N2yo and Astronomy MCP Server MCP servers. Compare execution transports, security boundaries, tool capabilities, quality scores, and ready-to-paste client installation snippets for Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and VS Code.
At a Glance & Executive Verdict
N2yo
Aerospace & Astrodynamics · Local stdio
Quality: 44/100 (Fair) | Auth: No auth required
Astronomy MCP Server
Aerospace & Astrodynamics · Local stdio
Quality: 53/100 (Good) | Auth: No auth required
Verdict Summary: Choose N2yo if you need specialized Aerospace & Astrodynamics tools running via a local process. Choose Astronomy MCP Server if your workspace requires Aerospace & Astrodynamics integration with local subprocess execution. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's mcpServers manifest.
Which MCP Server Should You Choose?
N
Choose N2yo when:
You need dedicated capabilities in the Aerospace & Astrodynamics domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
Track where a satellite is right now (or in the next few seconds): get its live latitude, longitude, altitude, and look-angles (azimuth/elevation) from an observer on Earth. Use this to answer "where is the ISS right now?" (NORAD id 25544) or to locate any satellite by NORAD id. Example: get_positi…
get_visual_passes
Find when a satellite will be visible to the naked eye overhead from an observer location (visual passes = bright, sunlit passes against a dark sky). Returns start/max/end times, elevation, azimuths, brightness magnitude, and duration. Use this for "when can I see the ISS pass over?" Example: get_v…
whats_above
List what satellites are currently above a location on Earth, within a given radius of the observer's zenith. Use this to answer "what satellites are overhead right now?" Optionally filter by category (e.g. 52 = Starlink, 18 = amateur radio, 1 = brightest). Example: whats_above({ lat: 40.71, lon: -…
Astronomy MCP Server Tools (7)
astronomy_get_sky_position
Ready-to-Paste Client Configurations
Paste either (or both) of these JSON server blocks into your client config file (e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json).
N2yo is categorized under Aerospace & Astrodynamics and uses a local stdio subprocess. In contrast, Astronomy MCP Server belongs to Aerospace & Astrodynamics using local stdio subprocess. Select N2yo when you need capabilities focused on aerospace & astrodynamics and Astronomy MCP Server when you require tools for aerospace & astrodynamics.
Apparent position of one body or named star for an observer and instant — equatorial (RA/Dec), horizontal (alt/az), ecliptic, plus distance, magnitude, angular diameter, phase, and constellation.
astronomy_get_rise_set
Rise, set, and culmination times for a body at a location, with maximum altitude at transit. For the Sun, also the three twilight pairs (civil/nautical/astronomical).
astronomy_get_moon_phase
Moon phase for an instant: illuminated fraction, phase name, synodic age, phase angle, and the next four quarter phases with timestamps.
astronomy_find_events
Forward search for the next occurrences of one sky-event class: eclipses, equinoxes, solstices, moon quarters, oppositions, conjunctions, greatest elongations, and apsides.
astronomy_list_visible
The one-call "what's up right now" answer: every naked-eye body (and optional bright stars) above the horizon, ranked, annotated, and gated by the Sun's altitude into daylight/twilight/dark.
astronomy_get_ephemeris
*(gated extension)* Time-series ephemeris for a small body (asteroid/comet) or spacecraft via JPL Horizons — covers what the in-process major-body set cannot. Off by default.
astronomy_get_satellite_passes
*(gated extension)* Visible passes of a satellite (by NORAD catalog number, or by a name resolved against the catalog) over an observer, from a CelesTrak GP element set propagated with SGP4 in-process. Off by default.