Wikipedia:WikiProject Astronomical objects/notability

DRAFT

The following is a tool to help determine whether an astronomical object is a valid subject for a Wikipedia article. The scope of this guideline covers all significant physical entities, associations or structures that current science has confirmed to exist in outer space. it does not include airspace or terrestrial locations.

Simply stated, an astronomical object is one or more bodies of matter that is, or was, bound together by gravity. This includes galaxies, nebulae, star clusters, star systems, individual stars, planets, minor planets, asteroids, comets, and moons. This guideline does not cover artificial structures in space, such as spacecraft, space stations or space telescopes. It also does not cover material that has been transported to the Earth's atmosphere or surface, including moon rocks, meteor showers and meteorites.

Notable means "worthy of being noted" or "attracting notice." It is not synonymous with "fame" or "importance." Please consider notable and demonstrable effects on culture, society, entertainment, athletics, economies, history, literature, science, or education. Major astronomical objects are likely to have more readily available verifiable information from reliable sources that provide evidence of notability; however, smaller objects can be notable, and arbitrary standards should not be used to create a bias favoring prominent astronomical objects.

Important note: Failing to satisfy the notability guidelines is not a criterion for speedy deletion. However, an article that fails to assert that the subject of the article is important or significant can be speedily deleted under criterion A7. A mere claim of significance, even if contested, may avoid speedy deletion under A7, requiring a full proposed deletion or Article for Deletion process to determine if the article should be included in Wikipedia.

Criteria

See also: Wikipedia:Notability § General notability guideline

An astronomical object is generally notable if it verifiably meets through reliable sources any one of the following criteria:

1. The astronomical object has been the subject of multiple, non-trivial published works. This includes published works in all forms, such as newspaper articles, books, television documentaries and articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
2. The astronomical object was the subject of detailed scientific examination by a major observatory, spacecraft or space telescope.
3. The astronomical object is historically significant for its association with cultural beliefs, or because it was discovered without the use of astrophotography or automated technology.
4. The astronomical object was the main subject of a major work of fiction. This could be an award-winning book or a motion picture that was released into multiple commercial theaters, or was aired on a nationally televised network or cable station in any country.

Where possible, astronomical objects with insufficient verifiable material to warrant a reasonably detailed article should be merged into a list article about the object category.

Other considerations

The following criteria are required, but are not sufficient in themselves to establish notability.

• An asteroid must include a set of orbital elements and information about the discovery.
• A star must include a set of celestial coordinates, an apparent magnitude, a spectral classification and a constellation name.

Resources

When seeking out references to establish the notability of an astronomical object, and to provide the necessary information for a thorough article of high quality, consider some of these resources:

1. A star's entry in the SIMBAD Astronomical Database can provide valuable information, including basic data, identifiers, journal references and additional measurements. A page in the database does not by itself establish the object's notability, however.
2. The Smithsonian/NASA Astrophysics Data System is a useful source for bibliographical information.