Source designations for objects in WISE Catalogs and Databases conform to the recommendations outlined in International Astronomical Union's specifications concerning designations for astronomical radiation sources outside the solar system. Source designations should be given as:
WISExy Jhhmmss.ss±ddmmss.s
The decimal parts of the RA seconds and Declination arcseconds are truncated rather than rounded, per the IAU recommendation. The coordinate sequence is the sexagesimal J2000-equinox RA and Declination, hence the "J" designator.
CAUTION: Coordinates extracted from the designation column are less precise than those given in the right ascension and declination columns of the source Catalog and Databases. The use of designation coordinates will result in a maximum (unsigned) error of 0.0996" in declination and a maximum (unsigned degree) error of 0.1488" in right ascension.
The WISE part of the acronym is used to identify source information derived from WISE data. The xy part of the acronym distinguishes the data processing provenance and exact data products from which the source information is drawn. The set of acronyms are as follows:
| Acronym | Catalog/Database |
| For objects derived from first-pass WISE data processing | |
| WISEPa | For objects in the Preliminary Release Source Catalog |
| WISEPFa | For objects in the Preliminary Release Single-Exposure Source Working Database |
| WISEPAb | For objects in the first-pass processing Atlas Tile Source Working Database |
| WISEPCb | For objects in the first-pass processing operations Coadd Source Working Database |
| WISEWFc | For objects in the NEOWISE Post-Cryo Preliminary Release Single-Exposure Source Working Database |
| For objects derived from second-pass WISE data processing | |
| WISE | For objects in the All-Sky Release Source Catalog |
| WISER | For objects in the All-Sky Release Reject Table |
| WISEAF | For objects in the All-Sky Release Single-Exposure Source Working Database |
| WISET | For objects in the 3-Band Cryo Source Working Database |
| WISETF | For objects in the 3-Band Cryo Single-Exposure Source Working Database |
| WISENF | For objects in the 2013 NEOWISE Post-Cryo Release Single-Exposure Source Working Database |
The acronym designation is not carried explicitly for entries in the Catalogs and Databases to save space. The coordinate sequence is tabulated for each source and is included in the designation field in the All-Sky Release Catalog and 3-Band Cryo Release Source Working Database. The designation sequence is not included in the Single-exposure Source Working Databases for the All-Sky, 3-Band Cryo or Post-Cryo Releases, but must be computed from the equatorial coordinates.
For example, the complete designations for two sources in the WISE All-Sky Source Catalog are:
WISE J073435.74+315315.9 (= α Gem)
and
WISE J024240.69-000047.7 (= NGC 1068)
Last Update: 2013 May 17