Questions regarding the process of assigning an identifying set of characters to an astronomical object.
Questions tagged [naming]
73 questions
18
votes
2 answers
What is the naming convention for newly discovered objects?
Often, a newly discovered star is identified by a seemingly random string of letters and numbers. I'm sure that there is some order to it, though. What is the naming convention for newly discovered astronomical objects?
I'm sure NASA doesn't ask the…
user19
8
votes
3 answers
How do scientists name space objects?
I am curious that there are lots of celestial objects (planets, comets, stars, galaxies, etc.) in space. How do we name them?
roottraveller
- 183
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4
votes
1 answer
Is "Pillars of Creation" is the name of the photograph or the name of the thing being photographed?
I'd like to resolve this naming technicality by locating an official naming authority, if one exists.
As far as I can tell, "Pillars of Creation" was the name given to the photograph that Hubble took of NGC 6611 - M16 - The Eagle Nebula. And wasn't…
Wyck
- 431
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3
votes
2 answers
Ross 128 (What does the number mean?)
I see that there are a number of stars that have a number at the end of them. Ross 128 is an example. What does this number mean?
mj_
- 133
- 2
2
votes
1 answer
HD numbers according to the positions
Which database matches HD numbers (or other names) with positions of stars? I would like to insert the list of positions. Gaia does not provide that, right? Thank you
I tried SIMBAD and obtained
Elena Greg
- 771
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1
vote
1 answer
Is having a surname which begins with the letter “A” a big advantage for a researcher in astronomy/astrophysics? Is changing our surname a good idea?
Is having a surname which begins with the letter “A” a big advantage for a researcher in astronomy/astrophysics?
If I have a surname which begins with the letter “M”, and I haven’t published any paper yet, would changing my surname to a name which…
ChronoParadox
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