Explanation of References on Astrometric Observations

Astrometric observations of comets, minor planets and natural satellites that are accepted for publication in the Minor Planet Circulars (MPCs), the Minor Planet Supplement (MPSs), the Minor Planet Electronic Circulars and the IAU Circulars have a publication reference copied onto the observational record.

In the new observation format this reference is easily readable, but limitations in the current format mean that the reference has to be compressed. It is this compressed format that is described here. The information should be sufficient to allow one to convert from the compressed format to a readable format.

The compressed reference is stored in columns 73-77 of the observation record. For the purpose of this description, column 73 of the observation record will be referred to as column 1 of the designation. Similarly, column 77 of the observational record is column 5 of the designation.

1: Temporary References on MPECs

Observations that appear on MPECs have in the past had an implicit reference: the circular upon which they appeared. Since observations from these circulars were often being used in the general community without attribution, an explicit reference is now added to the observations on the circular. This is a temporary reference and is replaced by a permanent reference when the observations appear in the MPCs or MPSs.

 Col.   Purpose
  1     "E"
  2     Half-month of MPEC preparation
 3-5    Circular number within the half-month.

Example: observations appearing on MPEC 2004-P03 have the reference "EP003". Note that there is no need to store the year in the temporary designation, as acceptable observations will acquire a permanent reference upon publication in the MPCs and MPSs.

2: Permanent References

Permanent references refer to the MPCs and MPSs, as well as other journals. It is expected that users of observational data, where appropriate (and this would probably apply to all uses of the data on the web), refer explicitly to the publication source for each observation.

A: Five Digit References

Five-digit references refer to publication in the MPCs.

 Col.   Purpose
 1-5    MPC number

Example: "24133" refers to "MPC 24133".

B: Lower-case Letter + Four Digit references

These references refer to publication in the MPSs.

 Col.   Purpose
  1     Encoded value of (MPS number) DIV 10000
 2-5    (MPS number) MOD 10000

The value in column 1 is encoded by converting the MPS number to a lower-case letter as follows: CHAR(97+INT(MPS_Number/10000)). Therefore, "a" is used for MPS 1-9999, "b" for MPS 10000-19999, etc.

Examples: "j8391" refers to "MPS 98391", "a0320" refers to "MPS 320" and "k0001" refers to "MPS 100001".

C: Upper-case Letter + Four Digit References

This form of the reference covers a number of journals. The first column indicates which journal, columns 2-5 indicate on which circular in that series the observations appeared.

 Col.   Purpose
  1     Journal identifier
 2-5    Circular number

Journal identifier
   H    Harvard Announcement Card (HAC)
   I    IAU Circular (IAUC)
   M    Minor Planet Circulars (MPC)
   R    Planetenzirkular des Astronomischen Rechen-Institut (RI)

Examples: "R0034" refers to "RI 34", "I2340" refers to "IAUC 2340".

D: Two or More Letters References

This form of the reference covers most non-MPC journals. The journal identifier takes from two to five characters. If digits appear, these generally refer either to the volume or the circular number in which the observations were published.

Journal identifier
AA    V  Astronomy and Astrophysics
AB    C  Bulletin des Astrophysikalischen Observatoriums Abastumani
AC    C  Astronomisches Zirkular der Akademie der Wissenschaften der UdSSR
AE    V  Astronomical Papers prepared for the use of the American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac
AJ    V  Astronomical Journal
AN    V  Astronomische Nachrichten
AP    V  Astrophyiscal Journal Supplement
APO   V  Annales de l'Observatoire de Paris: Observations
AS    V  Acta Astronomica Sinica
AZ    V  Astronomicheskij Zhurnal
AcA   V  Acta Astronomica
As    V  Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement
BA    V  Bulletin Astronomique
BB    V  Bulletin Astronomique de l'Observatoire Royal de Belgique, Uccle
BC    V  Bulletin of the Astronomical Institutes of Czechoslovakia
BG    V  Bulletin de l'Observatoire Astronomique de Beograd
BN    I  Bulletin of the Astronomical Institutes of the Netherlands
BP    V  Bulletin de la Societe des amis des sciences et des lettres de Poznan
BZ    V  Beobachtungs-Zirkulare der Astronomischen Nachrichten
CB    I  Comet Bulletin of the Orient Astronomical Association
CC    V  Observatorio Astronomico de Cordoba, Serie Contribuciones
CD    I  Tsirkulyari Rasadkhonai Stalinobod
CK    V  Izvestiya Krymskoj Astrofizicheskoj Observatorii
CM    V  Circulaire de l'Observatoire de Marseille
CMC   V  Carlsberg Meridian Circle Publications
CO    V  Odesskij Gosudarstvennyj Universitet Izvestiya Astronomicheskoj Observattorii
CR    V  Comptes Rendus hebdomadaires de l'academie des sciences de Paris
CS    V  Soobshcheniya Gosudarstvennogo Astronomicheskogo Instituta imeni P. K. Shternberga
GOxxx Y  Greenwich Observations for the year 1xxx
HA    V  Harvard Annal
HD    V  Mitteilungen der Landessternwarte Heidelberg
HTCDR    Hipparcos-Tycho CD-ROM
IHW   D  International Halley Watch CD-ROM
Ic    V  Icarus
JB    V  Journal of the British Astronomial Association
JC    C  Japan Astronomical Study Association Circular
JO    V  Journal des Observateurs
KB    V  Bulletin of the Kwasan Observatory, Kyoto
KK    C  Kiev Komet Tsirkular
LB    C  Lick Observatory Bulletin
LO    C  Lowell Observatory Bulletin
LP    V  Publicaciones Observatorio Astronomico de La Plata
MN    V  Monthly Notices
NA    V  Annales de l'Observatoire de Nice
NC    C  Nihondaira Observatory Circular
NO    V  Publications of the U.S. Naval Observatory, Second Series
NZ    C  Nachrichtenblatt der Astronomischen Zentralstelle
OB    V  The Observatory
PA    V  Publicaations of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
PC    C  Poulkovo Observatory Circular
PD    V  Tartu Astronoonmia Observatooriumi Publikatsioonid
PK    V  Pyublikatsii Kievskoj Astronomicheskoj Observatorii
PO    I  Perth Observatory Communication
PP    I  Izvestiya Glavnoj Astronomicheskoj Observatorii v Pulkove
PT    V  Pubblicazioni del Osservatorio di Torino
PZ    C  Zirkular des Astronomischen Hauptobservatoriums Pulkowo
RA    V  Ricerche Astronomiche
RM    V  Memoirs of the Royal Astronomical Society
SA    V  Monthly Notices of the Astronomical Society of Southern Africa
SOB   V  Observatory Bulletin
TB    V  Tokyo Astronomical Bulletin
TC    C  Transval Observatory Circular
TI    V  Astronomia-Optika Institucio, Universitato de Turku, Informo
UC    C  Circular of the Union Observatory, Johannesburg
WO    V  Astronomical Observations of the U.S. Naval Observatory, Washington
WiA   V  Annalen der Sternwarte der Universitäts Wien
pM    V  Mitteilungen der Nikolai-Hauptsternwarte zu Pulkowo

where the second column is "V" for volume numbers, "C" for circular numbers, "I" for issue number, "D" for CD-ROM numbers and "Y" for years.

Examples: "AN080" refers to "AN 80", "MN008" refers to "MN 8".

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