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This is a compilation of initialisms and acronyms commonly used in astronomy. Most are drawn from professional astronomy, and are used quite frequently in scientific publications. A few are frequently used by the general public or by amateur astronomers.
Initially, the names given to minor planets followed the same pattern as the other planets: names from Greek or Roman myths, with a preference for female names. With the discovery in 1898 of the first body found to cross the orbit of Mars, a different choice was deemed appropriate, and 433 Eros was chosen.
This is a compilation of symbols commonly used in astronomy, particularly professional astronomy. Age (stellar) ... List of astronomy acronyms; Astronomical symbols;
This glossary of astronomy is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to astronomy and cosmology, their sub-disciplines, and related fields. Astronomy is concerned with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth. The field of astronomy features an extensive vocabulary and a ...
[a] Traditional astronomy tends to group stars into constellations or asterisms and give proper names to those, not to individual stars. Many star names are, in origin, descriptive of the part in the constellation they are found in; thus Phecda , a corruption of Arabic فخذ الدب ( fakhdh ad-dubb , 'thigh of the bear').
Pluto's name and symbol were announced by the discoverers on May 1, 1930. [92] The symbol, a monogram of the letters PL, could be interpreted to stand for Pluto or for Percival Lowell , the astronomer who initiated Lowell Observatory 's search for a planet beyond the orbit of Neptune.
Name based on the brightest galaxy in the group when that name is commonly used for identification (e.g. the M81 Group); this is only applicable to groups of galaxies within approximately 50 Mpc; The most commonly-used catalog number (e.g. Abell 3266) Note that group and cluster names are proper nouns.
SAIT is the acronym of the Societa Astronomica Italiana (Italian Society of Astronomy). Founded in Palermo in 1871 under the name Italian Society of Spectroscopists, it was the first professional association specializing in “physical astronomy” and its Memorie (1872) is considered the world's first astrophysics journal.