Astronomy & Astrophysics (A&A)

LaTeX issues

Astronomical objects: linking to databases

SIMBAD, the astronomical database, and ALADIN, the interactive deep sky mapping facility at the CDS Strasbourg, create anchors for astronomical objects cited in A&A. Object names that are tagged with the \object macro and verified will appear linked to the object information. As the one better placed to start the process and in order to help in the indexing, you should surround any astronomical object in your text, as well as in small tables with the command:

\object{objectname}

This command simply prints out its argument and adds the thus-marked element to the list of hyper-linked astronomical objects, so it should be repeated for each object.

In the referee version of your article or in the final (two-column) version, the list of your objects will automatically appear at the end (after the references). LaTeX will write an auxiliary file with the extension obj to prepare that list. Please, verify this list carefully.

Astronomical designations (also called Object Identifiers) are often confusing. We encourage you to test the stellar objects (in the *.tex file or in the *.obj file), using the sites and easy tools available at the CDS.

TeX files: http://vizier.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/Object

Obj files: http://vizier.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/Sesame

The Object Identifiers have been also collected and published by Lortet and collaborators in Dictionaries of Nomenclature of Celestial Objects outside the solar system (1994A&AS..107..193L). The information service available at http://vizier.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/Dic is the electronic look-up version of the Dictionary, which is updated on a regular basis; it provides full references and usages about for 13211 different acronyms.