Standards for Astronomical Catalogues, Version 2.0 (pdf)
(February 2000)


3.5  Lengthy Notes


Lengthy explanations can hardly be inserted in the Byte-by-byte Description table; such explanations are easier to read when they are grouped at the end of the description table. Two options are presently proposed:

  1. an * at the very beginning of the short explanation column indicates the existence of a note; this note is introduced at the end of the table by a

    Note on label:   section header. An example of this way is illustrated in the above figure


    Byte-by-byte Description of file: table1
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
       Bytes Format  Units   Label    Explanations
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
       1-  5  A5     ---     Cluster  Abell cluster designation
       7- 22  A16    ---     Name    *Galaxy name
      24- 25  I2     h       RAh      Right Ascension 1950 (hours)
      27- 28  I2     min     RAm      Right Ascension 1950 (minutes)
      30- 33  F4.1   s       RAs      Right Ascension 1950 (seconds)
          35  A1     -       DE-      Declination 1950 (sign)
      36- 37  I2     deg     DEd      Declination 1950 (degrees)
      39- 40  I2     arcmin  DEm      Declination 1950 (minutes)
      42- 43  I2     arcsec  DEs      Declination 1950 (seconds)
      47- 51  F5.2   mag     B(0)     []? Integrated magnitude
          52  A1     ---     n_B(0)  *[RMCPHK] Origin of B(0)
      55- 59  I5     km/s    RV       Velocity
      62- 64  I3     km/s    e_RV     Mean error on RV
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Note on Name:
        Names with RA given with five digits are normally from
        Zwicky catalogues; the other (with four digits in RA,
        starting or not with the letter A) are anonymous
        galaxies.
    Note on n_B(0):
        C = CCD photometry (CfA redshift survey 1992)
        H = Zwicky magnitude split by observers
        K = Markarian catalogue of galaxies (1967)
        M = MCG (Vorontsov-Velyaminov et al. 1962-68)
        P = observer's eye estimate
        R = RC1 (de Vaucouleurs & de Vaucouleurs 1964)
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    A first alternative to write lengthy explanations


  2. a parenthesed number representing a footnote number as the very last word of the short explanation column; the details are introduced at the end of the table by a

    Note (n):   section header. An example of this way is illustrated in the above Note-num

    Byte-by-byte Description of file: table1
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
       Bytes Format  Units   Label    Explanations
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
       1-  5  A5     ---     Cluster  Abell cluster designation
       7- 22  A16    ---     Name     Galaxy name (1)
      24- 25  I2     h       RAh      Right Ascension 1950 (hours)
      27- 28  I2     min     RAm      Right Ascension 1950 (minutes)
      30- 33  F4.1   s       RAs      Right Ascension 1950 (seconds)
          35  A1     -       DE-      Declination 1950 (sign)
      36- 37  I2     deg     DEd      Declination 1950 (degrees)
      39- 40  I2     arcmin  DEm      Declination 1950 (minutes)
      42- 43  I2     arcsec  DEs      Declination 1950 (seconds)
      47- 51  F5.2   mag     B(0)     []? Integrated magnitude
          52  A1     ---     n_B(0)   [RMCPHK] Origin of B(0) (2)
      55- 59  I5     km/s    RV       Velocity
      62- 64  I3     km/s    e_RV     Mean error on RV
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Note (1): Names with RA given with five digits are normally from
        Zwicky catalogues; the other (with four digits in RA, starting or
        not with the letter A) are anonymous galaxies.
    Note (2):
        C = CCD photometry (CfA redshift survey 1992)
        H = Zwicky magnitude split by observers
        K = Markarian catalogue of galaxies (1967)
        M = MCG (Vorontsov-Velyaminov et al. 1962-68)
        P = observer's eye estimate
        R = RC1 (de Vaucouleurs & de Vaucouleurs 1964)
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    A second alternative to write lengthy explanations


  3. Finally, Global Notes can be used in the case where several tables are assigned the same remark. Such global notes are simply refered as (Gn) as the last word in the explanations of a column, and the corresponding lengthy note must be introduced by a left-flushed text:
    Global Notes:  followed by the details of each of the global notes:
    Note (G1):  
    An example of the usage of global notes may be found for catalog IX/22.

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