SIMBAD

SIMBAD, or the Set of Identifications, Measurements and Bibliography for Astronomical Data, is an astronomical database maintained by the Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) in Strasbourg, France. It was designed to help astronomers identify objects and retrieve essential data from the literature and catalogs.

SIMBAD covers astronomical objects outside the Solar System, including stars, galaxies, quasars, and other extragalactic sources. For each object, SIMBAD provides coordinates, object type, and basic properties such as magnitudes, spectral type, redshift, and, when available, parallax and proper motion. It aggregates cross-identifications from many catalogs and provides bibliographic references to the scientific literature, often with links to NASA ADS.

The database is accessible via a web interface and programmatic access through Virtual Observatory standards, with outputs in formats such as VOTable. It includes a name resolver that converts object names to sky coordinates and enables searches by coordinates as well as by identifier.

SIMBAD is a core resource for data discovery and cross-identification, and it is commonly used in conjunction with CDS services such as VizieR and Aladin. Since its inception at CDS, SIMBAD has grown to cover millions of objects and remains a key reference for astronomers seeking reliable object identifications and data.