Commission B2 WG Designations & Nomenclature — Functional

Description

The aim of the Working Group on Designations and Nomenclature of IAU Commission B2 is to clarify existing astronomical nomenclature and to help the astronomical community to avoid potential problems when designating their sources. Especially, the WGD&N ensures that new acronyms permit the identification of astronomical objects in an unambiguous way. One essential function of the WGD&N is overseeing the Dictionary of Nomenclature of Celestial Objects outside the Solar System (about 15,000 acronyms), which is under the responsibility of the IAU WGD&N and operated by the Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS). The Dictionary of Nomenclature is the keystone of the databases NED and SIMBAD, and of the Name Resolver Sesame. For newly discovered sources or new surveys, astronomers can submit their new acronym to the WGD&N via the form on the website. The Clearing House, the active mailing list of the Working Group, screens the submissions for accuracy and conformity to the IAU Recommendations for Nomenclature. This Working Group was created in 1997.

Useful Links:

• WG Triennial Report (2021-2024) - Designations & Nomenclature
• WG Annual Report (2022) - Designations & Nomenclature
• WG Annual Report (2021) - Designations & Nomenclature
• Dictionary of Nomenclature of Celestial Objects
• Recommendations for Nomenclature
• Proposal for Registering a New Acronym

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Functional Working Groups are Working Groups whose scope and purpose are institutional and naturally extend beyond the IAU three-year cycle.

These should have a maximum automatic lifespan of 6 years. Their Functional status should be revisited at that 6-year mark by the EC and a decision should be taken on whether the Functional WG should be renewed or terminated. The Functional WG Chair would also follow the 6-year term and the renewal of the Chair would also be discussed at this time.

Working Group Web Page

Working Group Members (12)

Under

Commission B2 Data and Documentation

Chair

Cécile Loup

Observatoire Astronomique de Strasbourg, CNRS, UMR 7550
CDS, Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg
11 rue de l'Université
67000 Strasbourg
France

Phone: +33 03 68 85 24 27
Organization website: http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/

NCA adherence: France

Last updated:
November 20, 2023

Co-Chair

Marion Schmitz

CALTECH
IPAC
MS 100 22
770 S Wilson Ave
Pasadena CA 91125
California (CA)
United States

Phone: +1 626 395 1873
Organization website: http://www.caltech.edu/

NCA adherence: United States

Last updated:
November 20, 2023