diff --git a/examples/al-displayJPG.html b/examples/al-displayJPG.html
index 5687ac13..265c5dc7 100644
--- a/examples/al-displayJPG.html
+++ b/examples/al-displayJPG.html
@@ -23,7 +23,9 @@ Image Opacity: <br/> <input id="slider" type="range" value=1 min=0 max=1 step=0.
         aladin = A.aladin('#aladin-lite-div', {target: "0 0", cooFrame: "gal"});
         
         var callback = function(ra, dec, fov) {
-            aladin.addCatalog(A.catalogFromSimbad( {ra: ra, dec: dec} , 1 , {shape: 'circle', color: '#5d5', onClick: 'showTable'}));
+            A.catalogFromSimbad( {ra: ra, dec: dec} , 1 , {shape: 'circle', color: '#5d5', onClick: 'showTable'}, (cat) => {
+                aladin.addCatalog(cat)
+            });
             // we must return true, so that the default action (set view to center of image) is performed
             return true;
         }
diff --git a/examples/al-easy-access-simbad-ned.html b/examples/al-easy-access-simbad-ned.html
index 58763704..64340aa2 100644
--- a/examples/al-easy-access-simbad-ned.html
+++ b/examples/al-easy-access-simbad-ned.html
@@ -29,7 +29,9 @@
         samp: true,
       });
 
-      aladin.addCatalog(A.catalogFromSimbad('09 55 52.4 +69 40 47', 0.1, {onClick: 'showTable', limit: 1000}));
+      A.catalogFromSimbad('09 55 52.4 +69 40 47', 0.1, {onClick: 'showTable', limit: 1000}, (cat) => {
+        aladin.addCatalog(cat)
+      });
       aladin.addCatalog(A.catalogFromNED('09 55 52.4 +69 40 47', 0.1, {onClick: 'showPopup', shape: 'plus'}));
   });
 </script>
diff --git a/src/js/A.js b/src/js/A.js
index 57aaaf3c..43fbf71d 100644
--- a/src/js/A.js
+++ b/src/js/A.js
@@ -368,8 +368,45 @@ A.catalogFromSimbad = function (target, radius, options, successCallback, errorC
     if (!('name' in options)) {
         options['name'] = 'Simbad';
     }
-    var url = URLBuilder.buildSimbadCSURL(target, radius);
-    return A.catalogFromURL(url, options, successCallback, errorCallback, false);
+
+    return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+        let coo;
+        if (target && (typeof target  === "object")) {
+            if ('ra' in target && 'dec' in target) {
+                coo = new Coo(target.ra, target.dec, 7);
+                resolve(coo)
+            }
+        } else {
+            var isObjectName = /[a-zA-Z]/.test(target);
+    
+            // Try to parse as a position
+            if (!isObjectName) {
+                coo = new Coo();
+                coo.parse(target);
+                resolve(coo);
+            } else {
+                // object name, use sesame
+                Sesame.resolve(target,
+                    function (data) { // success callback
+                        // Location given in icrs at J2000
+                        coo = new Coo(data.coo.jradeg, data.coo.jdedeg);
+                        resolve(coo)
+                    },
+                    function (data) { // errror callback
+                        if (console) {
+                            console.log("Could not resolve object name " + target);
+                            console.log(data);
+                        }
+
+                        reject(data)
+                    }
+                );
+            }
+        }
+    }).then((coo) => {
+        const url = URLBuilder.buildSimbadCSURL(coo.lon, coo.lat, radius, options)
+        return A.catalogFromURL(url, options, successCallback, errorCallback, false);
+    })
 };
 
 // API
diff --git a/src/js/URLBuilder.js b/src/js/URLBuilder.js
index abbd4172..15ecb4b5 100644
--- a/src/js/URLBuilder.js
+++ b/src/js/URLBuilder.js
@@ -29,17 +29,22 @@
  *****************************************************************************/
 import { Coo } from './libs/astro/coo.js';
 import { Utils } from './Utils';
+import { Sesame } from './Sesame.js';
+
 export let URLBuilder = (function() {    
 
     let URLBuilder = {
-        buildSimbadCSURL: function(target, radiusDegrees) {
-            if (target && (typeof target  === "object")) {
-                if ('ra' in target && 'dec' in target) {
-                    var coo = new Coo(target.ra, target.dec, 7);
-                    target = coo.format('s');
-                }
+        buildSimbadCSURL: function(ra, dec, radiusDegrees, options) {
+            let url = 'https://simbad.cds.unistra.fr/cone?RA=' + ra + '&DEC=' + dec + '&SR=' + radiusDegrees + '&RESPONSEFORMAT=votable';
+
+            if (options && options.limit) {
+                url += '&MAXREC=' + options.limit;
             }
-            return 'https://alasky.unistra.fr/cgi/simbad-flat/simbad-cs.py?target=' + encodeURIComponent(target) + '&SR=' + radiusDegrees + '&format=votable&SRUNIT=deg&SORTBY=nbref';
+
+            const orderBy = options && options.orderBy || 'nb_ref';
+            url += '&ORDER_BY=' + orderBy;
+
+            return url;
         },
 
         buildNEDPositionCSURL: function(ra, dec, radiusDegrees) {
diff --git a/src/js/gui/Box/CatalogQueryBox.js b/src/js/gui/Box/CatalogQueryBox.js
index 9256106e..e3a62a14 100644
--- a/src/js/gui/Box/CatalogQueryBox.js
+++ b/src/js/gui/Box/CatalogQueryBox.js
@@ -65,7 +65,19 @@ import { CtxMenuActionButtonOpener } from "../Button/CtxMenuOpener.js";
                         errorCallback
                     );
                 }
+                else if (params.baseURL.includes('/simbad.')) {
+                    A.catalogFromSimbad(
+                        params.ra + ' ' + params.dec,
+                        params.radiusDeg,
+                        {limit: params.limit, onClick: 'showTable'},
+                        (catalog) => {
+                            aladin.addCatalog(catalog)
+                        },
+                        errorCallback
+                    );
+                }
                 else {
+                    console.log('cone search', params.baseURL)
                     let url = params.baseURL;
                     if (! url.endsWith('?')) {
                         url += '?';