Designations of astronomical objects are often confusing.
Astronomical designations (also called Object
Identifiers
) have been
collected and published by Lortet and collaborators in
Dictionaries of Nomenclature of Celestial Objects
outside the solar system
(
B
iblio
).
This
Info service
is the electronic look-up version of the
Dictionary
which is updated on a regular basis;
it provides full references and usages about 25638 different acronyms.
To
find out the meaning of specific acronyms or related references,
choose and fill the form below; the words you type in the box
are
anded
, i.e. the acronyms matching
all words
will be displayed.
|
How to refer to a source or designate a new one
is a short document from the Task Group on Astronomical Designations of
IAU Commission B2
which provides basic advices in this topic.
A more extensive
Specifications concerning designations for
astronomical radiation sources outside the solar system
document gives more complete definitions and examples.
| If you are preparing a new catalogue,
we wish to encourage to
register for an acronym
,
preferably
before
your new objects become referenced (even informally).
|
This service is mirrored at:
Tokyo, Japan
⋅
CFA/Harvard, USA