Target Names

Introduction

Names for small bodies are tricky. Many minor planets have multiple designations, and it is common for new names to be added or existing names changed or modified sometimes long after they were initially assigned. There are also numerous name collisions between small bodies of various types - there are comets that share names with asteroids, asteroids with the same name as meteorites, and planetary moons with the same names as asteroids. So when identifying observational targets in your PDS data products, it is vitally important that the target be uniquely identified by the <name> in its <Target_Identification> class.

Unambiguous Identification

The make sure a target object is uniquely identified, you should formulate the <name> value so that the following is true:

1. The name string contains at least one identifier that can only be associated with a single physical object.
2. The name string contains at least two different identifiers for each object wherever possible.

The first rule ensures that there is only a single object that could possibly be intended; the second provides a cross-check on that identification, in case the identity of the target object is questioned. To help with parsing name strings for use in database searches, the SBN has developed the following style sheet for formulating target names. You must use this format for all target names in products archived with the Small Bodies Node.

If you have any questions about the correct name string to use for a small body target, please contact the Small Bodies Node and we will happily convert whatever ID you have to a unique name string for your labels.

SBN Target Name Strings

Following are the rules for formulating values of the <name> attribute in your <Target_Identification> classes for any and all data concerning small bodies coming in to the SBN archives. Unless otherwise stated, SBN follows the formatting conventions used by the organizations responsible for assigning names and designations to these objects - the International Astronomical Union (IAU) or its designated deputy for solar system objects, for example. For definitions of the various name and identification types mentioned below, see Solar System Object Names elsewhere on this wiki.

Note that case is significant in object identifications. The correct case should always be used in provisional and discovery designations as well as names.

Major Planets

Format: Name

For the eight major planets (and the sun), the name string is just the properly capitalized English name - so "Jupiter", not "JUPITER" or "jupiter".

Examples:

• Earth
• Jupiter
• Sun

Dwarf Planets

Format: (minor_planet_number) Name

Dwarf planets should be identified by Minor Planet Number in parentheses followed by their properly capitalized English name.

Examples:

• (1) Ceres
• (134340) Pluto
• (136199) Eris

Asteroids

Asteroids have several possible formats, depending on how well-observed the object is.

Formats:

1.	(minor_planet_number) Name
2.	(minor_planet_number) principal_provisional_designation
3.	principal_provisional_designation (provisional_designation)
4.	provisional_designation

Use format #1 when the asteroid has both a minor planet number and a name. The number comes first and is enclosed in parentheses.

Use format #2 for asteroids that have a minor planet number, but have not yet been officially named. Asteroids with more than one provisional designation will have one of those designations indicated as the principal one. If an asteroid has only one provisional designation, it is considered the principal provisional designation for name string creation purposes.

Use format #3 if the asteroid has not yet received a minor planet number, referencing it by its principal provisional designation and providing one other provisional designation as a cross-reference.

Use format #4 for those cases where the target is an asteroid that has only a single provisional designation attached to it. This is likely to be rare in archival data.

Examples:

1. (2309) Mr. Spock
2. (12528) 1998 KL31
3. 2015 AQ230 (2010 GS119)
4. 2015 AA23

Comets

Comet name strings are fairly complex and not easy to summarize in a simple format statement, so instead we'll list the constituent pieces in the order they are used:

1.	Periodic Comet Number	Omit this element if the comet does not have a periodic number assigned.
2.	Comet Type Letter	All comets have a designated type, which will be one of these letters followed by a slash ('/'): P    Periodic comet C    Non-periodic (or very long period) comet X    Comet with an undeterminable orbit D    Comet that is known to be destroyed or has disappeared Note that the comet type may change for some objects as time passes. On occasion even D/ comets have reappeared.
3.	Principal Discovery Designation	This may be a comet designation, or for comets that looked like asteroids on first discovery, it might be an asteroid provisional designation. In either event, when there are multiple provisional or discovery designations associated with a single comet, the Minor Planet Center will designate which of the designations is considered the principal one. That is the designation that should be used here.
4.	(Name)	The name assigned to this object, enclosed in parentheses. For comets this name can change, sometimes retrospectively, as objects thought lost are recovered, or things that originally looked like asteroids start behaving like comets. Comet names are not required to be unique, and there are many comets that share a name and must be differentiated by their principal discovery designations. Note: Because of the common duplication of comet names and the significance of periodic comets, which can be observed over multiple apparitions, the SBN adds a serial number to the end of comet names for all periodic (P/ type) comets to aid in distinguishing them.

Examples:

• 1P/1682 Q1 (Halley 1)
• D/1993 F2 (Shoemaker-Levy 9)
• C/2014 XB8 (PANSTARRS)
• C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy)

Dual-Nature Objects

For objects that have been recognized as dual-nature - acting like comets for part of their orbit, and asteroids the rest of the time - use the name string form that is appropriate to the data collection. So, for example, if the dual-nature object Chiron is being observed for its asteroidal properties, it should be identified as "(2060) Chiron". If is being observed for its cometary behaviour, it should be identified as "95P/1977UB (Chiron)".

Note: Periodic comets that retain their asteroid name when they are found to exhibit cometary behaviour will not have serial numbers appended to their names.

Natural Satellites

Provisional Designation

Format: S/yyyy primary_body serial_number

All provisional designations for natural satellites begin with the letter S followed by a slash ('/') - similar to the comet type designator. This is followed by the year of discovery, and then by an indication of the primary body the satellite is orbiting. For major planets, these one-letter abbreviations are used:

H	Mercury
V	Venus
E	Earth
M	Mars
J	Jupiter
S	Saturn
U	Uranus
N	Neptune

For satellites of dwarf planets and asteroids, identify the primary body by including the best available unique identifier - the asteroid number where there is one, or the principal provisional designation for unnumbered asteroids - in parentheses.

The primary body identifier is then followed by a serial number based on the order of discovery in the given year.

Examples:

• S/2007 S1 - The first new Saturnian satellite discovered in 2007
• S/1993 (243) 1 - The first new satellite of asteroid (243) Ida discovered in 1993

Permanent Designation

Once the satellite discovery is confirmed, the satellite is typically given a name along with its permanent designation. Moon names can and do collide with names of other types of small bodies, so even for long-established moon names it is important to include at least two identifiers in the satellite name string.

Format: primary_body roman_numeral (Name)

The primary body should be identified by its name string as described in preceding sections. The roman numeral is a sequence number assigned in the order that the satellites of that body were named; and finally comes the satellite's own name, in parentheses.

Examples:

• Uranus XVII (Sycorax)
• (134340) Pluto IV (Kerberos)
• (243) Ida I (Dactyl)

Dust

For the time being, any and all observations of dust particles or phenomena should use "Dust" as the target name in the <pds:Target_Identification> class, and use the <description> field in that class to provide any appropriate additional description or clarification.

Meteorites

The Meteoritical Society controls the naming and nomenclature for meteorites. If your target is a meteorite sample, you should use the name as reported by the Meteoritical Bulletin Database (hosted by the Lunar and Planetary Institute). Use the full name as reported - including numbers, parenthetical qualifications, and so on.

Examples:

• Rabbit Flat
• Colby (Wisconsin)
• Vaquillas 003
• Oterøy

Note: Target names in PDS4 may include UTF-8 characters, and many meteorite names do. Take care when you are typing out names with non-ASCII characters that you are using a UTF-8 based character set.

Other Target Names

In general, the SBN would prefer to have target names that describe the nature of the target, rather than the nature of the observation. Many things may be observed for purposes of calibration, for example, but the <Target_Identification> class should identify what was observed, while the <Primary_Result_Summary> class explains why it was observed.

The following sections describe target names for targets that are not, in general, of primary concern to the Small Bodies Node -though in some cases they clearly are of prime concern to PDS generally and some other node in particular.

Terrestrial Samples

A small number of SBN lab spectra data sets include spectra of terrestrial rocks, minerals, and metals for comparison. The names for these sorts of target should indicate the specific type of material as well as its origin.

Examples:

• Terrestrial Iron
• Terrestrial Nickel

Returned Samples

The curatorial facilities for extraterrestrial samples provide catalogs that uniquely identify each sample in their facilities. The target names for these samples should indicate the curation facility, the catalog name or standard abbreviation, and the identification of the sample within that catalog.

Examples:

• JSC Stardust sample C2101,6,150,0,0
• JSC Apollo 16 Lunar Sample 61015
• JSC Cosmic Dust Catalog #18 particle L2071 E40

Extended Phenomena

These include things like the solar wind, magnetic fields around Solar System Bodies, gravitational fields, and so on. Where these phenomena fall within the purview of other PDS nodes, SBN will consult with those nodes for preferred naming conventions.

Stars

Stars should be identified by an appropriate and correctly formatted catalog identification, so that an interested user could consult the relevant catalog and get the corresponding coordinates and characteristics of the star. At the least, star names and identifications must conform to the standard formats reported by the SIMBAD database. It is preferable to use the primary identification, as returned by the SIMBAD database, wherever reasonable.

Star Fields

Star fields observed for calibration purposes should be referenced by the catalog/author name and the field name as given in the catalog.

Examples:

• Landolt TPhe F
• Stetson NGC104
• Saha Pal 4

On-Board Calibrators

If there is an artificial source specifically designed to be observed for calibration, call it by the same name as is found in the accompanying documentation. If there are documents or other types of products that specifically describe the characteristics or performance of this on-board calibrator, they should be included in the archive and pointed to by a context object. (This is one of the few cases where SBN would recommend creating a context object for a target identification.)

Anonymous Calibrators

Sometimes observations are made of things like black sky or the inside of a telescope dome to be used in calibration. In these cases use a consistent (through the related collections) name that is reasonably descriptive in itself, and use the <description> field to provide any additional qualifications or explanation needed.

Examples:

• Sky
• Dome
• Cover

Engineering Observations

Sometimes the thing being observed is actually the spacecraft, instrument, or detector itself. A table of temperatures recorded at various points in the optical path, for example, is an observation of the state and/or environment of the instrument. In cases like this it is reasonable to name the instrument or spacecraft as the target of the observation. In most cases data preparers should also add a brief explanatory note in the <description> field to aid in avoiding confusion.