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I. Introduction

I.6. Referencing NEOWISE


I.6.a. NEOWISE Source Naming Convention

Source designations for objects in all NEOWISE Single-exposure Source Database conform to the recommendations outlined in the International Astronomical Union's specifications concerning designations for astronomical radiation sources outside the solar system. Source designations should be given as:

NWISExy 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.

The NWISE part of the acronym is used to identify detection information derived from NEOWISE Reactivation mission data. The xy part of the acronym distinguishes the data processing provenance and exact data products from which the detection information is drawn. Because reduction algorithms and astrometric calibrations changed between data processing phases, the reported position of a detection, and therefore its coordinate designation, may be different in the different data sets. The full set of acronyms used for NEOWISE and the earlier WISE data releases are listed in Table 1.

Table 1 - NEOWISE/WISE Source Designation Acronyms
AcronymCatalog/Database
For objects in the NEOWISE Data Releases
NWISEFFor objects in the NEOWISE Single-exposure Source Database
For objects in the AllWISE Data Release
WISEAFor objects in the AllWISE Source Catalog
WISEARFor objects in the AllWISE Reject Table
For objects in the All-Sky, 3-Band Cryo and 2013 Post-Cryo Data Releases
WISEFor objects in the All-Sky Release Source Catalog
WISERFor objects in the All-Sky Release Reject Table
WISEAFFor objects in the All-Sky Release Single-Exposure Source Working Database
WISETFor objects in the 3-Band Cryo Source Working Database
WISETFFor objects in the 3-Band Cryo Single-Exposure Source Working Database
WISENFFor objects in the 2013 NEOWISE Post-Cryo Release Single-Exposure Source Working Database
For objects in the Preliminary Data Releases
WISEPaFor objects in the Preliminary Release Source Catalog
WISEPFaFor objects in the Preliminary Release Single-Exposure Source Working Database
WISEPAbFor objects in the first-pass processing Atlas Tile Source Working Database
WISEPCbFor objects in the first-pass processing operations Coadd Source Working Database
WISEWFcFor objects in the NEOWISE Post-Cryo Preliminary Release Single-Exposure Source Working Database

a - The WISE Preliminary Release Source Catalog and Single-Exposure Source Working Database are superseded by the WISE All-Sky Release Catalog and Single-Exposure Source Working Database.
b - These products were used internally for validation, analysis and some early pilot science investigations, but are not released.
c - The NEOWISE Post-Cryo Preliminary Release Single-Exposure Source Working Database is superseded by the 2013 NEOWISE Post-Cryo Single-Exposure Source Working Database.

The acronym designation is not carried explicitly for entries in the NEOWISE or WISE Databases and Catalogs to save space. The designation sequence is not included in the NEOWISE Single-exposure Source Database, or the AllWISE Multiepoch Source Database, or the Single-exposure Source Databases for the WISE All-Sky, 3-Band Cryo or Post-Cryo Releases, but must be computed from the equatorial coordinates.

For example, the complete designations for two detections in the NEOWISE Single-exposure Source Database are:

NWISEF J031729.18-034111.5      (= asteroid 130 Elektra detected in NEOWISE frameset 51477b186)

and

NWISEF J122906.68+020308.6      (= quasar 3C 273 detected in NEOWISE frameset 44740a118)



Last Update: 18 March 2024


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