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• Astronomical Subject Keywords (update October 2009)
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The editors of many astronomy journals (ApJ, AJ, A&A, MNRAS, PASP, PASJ, and RevMexAA) have adopted these subject keywords as a means of classifying articles in the journals. Revisions and updating are made by agreement among the editors. If you feel that the list lacks an important heading, or that other revisions are needed, you may send an e-mail message to the AAS at publications@aas.org.

Authors should select subject keywords for their manuscripts using the list given below. The keywords should be listed in alphabetical order after the abstract. No more than six keywords should be given (and if keywords are used for individual stars, galaxies, etc., each object normally counts as one keyword). The overall categories should not be included. Do not include any part of a keyword that is in parentheses (marked in italic in the list): for instance, "(stars:) binaries (including multiple): close" should be given as "binaries: close". Headings such as "galaxies: individual (...)" should include the individual names in parentheses, as shown in the following example.

Keywords: galaxies: distances and redshifts — galaxies: individual (M100, NGC 4321) — stars: early-type

Categories

• General
• Physical data and processes
• Astronomical instrumentation, methods and techniques
• Astronomical databases
• Astrometry and celestial mechanics
• The Sun
• Planetary systems
• Stars
• Interstellar medium (ISM), nebulae
• The Galaxy
• Galaxies
• Cosmology
• Resolved and unresolved sources as a function of wavelength

General

editorials, notices
errata, addenda
extraterrestrial intelligence
history and philosophy of astronomy
miscellaneous
obituaries, biographies
publications, bibliography
sociology of astronomy
standards
 

Physical Data and Processes

acceleration of particles
accretion, accretion disks
asteroseismology
astrobiology
astrochemistry
astroparticle physics
atomic data
atomic processes
black hole physics
chaos
conduction
convection
dense matter
diffusion
dynamo
elementary particles
equation of state
gravitation
gravitational lensing: strong
gravitational lensing: weak
gravitational lensing: micro
gravitational waves
hydrodynamics
instabilities
line: formation
line: identification
line: profiles
magnetic fields
magnetic reconnection
magnetohydrodynamics (MHD)
masers
molecular data
molecular processes
neutrinos
nuclear reactions, nucleosynthesis, abundances
opacity
plasmas
polarization
radiation mechanisms: general
radiation mechanisms: non-thermal
radiation mechanisms: thermal
radiative transfer
relativistic processes
scattering
shock waves
turbulence
waves
 

Astronomical Instrumentation, Methods and Techniques

atmospheric effects
balloons
instrumentation: adaptive optics
instrumentation: detectors
instrumentation: high angular resolution
instrumentation: interferometers
instrumentation: miscellaneous
instrumentation: photometers
instrumentation: polarimeters
instrumentation: spectrographs
light pollution
methods: analytical
methods: data analysis
methods: laboratory
methods: miscellaneous
methods: numerical
methods: observational
methods: statistical
site testing
space vehicles
space vehicles: instruments
techniques: high angular resolution
techniques: image processing
techniques: imaging spectroscopy
techniques: interferometric
techniques: miscellaneous
techniques: photometric
techniques: polarimetric
techniques: radar astronomy
techniques: radial velocities
techniques: spectroscopic
telescopes
 

Astronomical Databases

astronomical databases: miscellaneous
atlases
catalogs
surveys
virtual observatory tools
 

Astrometry and Celestial Mechanics

astrometry
celestial mechanics
eclipses
ephemerides
occultations
parallaxes
proper motions
reference systems
time
 

The Sun

Sun: abundances
Sun: activity
Sun: atmosphere
Sun: chromosphere
Sun: corona
Sun: coronal mass ejections (CMEs)
Sun: dynamo
Sun: evolution
Sun: faculae, plages
Sun: filaments, prominences
Sun: flares
Sun: fundamental parameters
Sun: general
Sun: granulation
Sun: helioseismology
Sun: heliosphere
Sun: infrared
Sun: interior
Sun: magnetic topology
Sun: oscillations
Sun: particle emission
Sun: photosphere
Sun: radio radiation
Sun: rotation
(Sun:) solar–terrestrial relations
(Sun:) solar wind
(Sun:) sunspots
Sun: surface magnetism
Sun: transition region
Sun: UV radiation
Sun: X-rays, gamma rays
 

Planetary Systems

comets: general
comets: individual (..., ...)
Earth
interplanetary medium
Kuiper belt: general
Kuiper belt objects: individual (..., ...)
meteorites, meteors, meteoroids
minor planets, asteroids: general
minor planets, asteroids: individual (..., ...)
Moon
Oort Cloud
planets and satellites: atmospheres
planets and satellites: aurorae
planets and satellites: composition
planets and satellites: detection
planets and satellites: dynamical evolution and stability
planets and satellites: formation
planets and satellites: fundamental parameters
planets and satellites: general
planets and satellites: individual (..., ...)
planets and satellites: interiors
planets and satellites: magnetic fields
planets and satellites: physical evolution
planets and satellites: rings
planets and satellites: surfaces
planets and satellites: tectonics
protoplanetary disks
planet–disk interactions
planet–star interactions
zodiacal dust
 

Stars

stars: abundances
stars: activity
stars: AGB and post-AGB
stars: atmospheres
(stars:) binaries (including multiple): close
(stars:) binaries: eclipsing
(stars:) binaries: general
(stars:) binaries: spectroscopic
(stars:) binaries: symbiotic
(stars:) binaries: visual
(stars:) blue stragglers
(stars:) brown dwarfs
stars: carbon
stars: chemically peculiar
stars: chromospheres
(stars:) circumstellar matter
stars: coronae
stars: distances
stars: dwarf novae
stars: early-type
stars: emission-line, Be
stars: evolution
stars: flare
stars: formation
stars: fundamental parameters
stars: general
(stars:) gamma-ray burst: general
(stars:) gamma-ray burst: individual (..., ...)
(stars:) Hertzsprung–Russell and C–M diagrams
stars: horizontal-branch
stars: imaging
stars: individual (..., ...)
stars: interiors
stars: kinematics and dynamics
stars: late-type
stars: low-mass
stars: luminosity function, mass function
stars: magnetars
stars: magnetic field
stars: massive
stars: mass-loss
stars: neutron
(stars:) novae, cataclysmic variables
stars: oscillations (including pulsations)
stars: peculiar (except chemically peculiar)
(stars:) planetary systems
stars: Population II
stars: Population III
stars: pre-main sequence
stars: protostars
(stars:) pulsars: general
(stars:) pulsars: individual (..., ...)
stars: rotation
stars: solar-type
(stars:) starspots
stars: statistics
(stars:) subdwarfs
(stars:) supergiants
(stars:) supernovae: general
(stars:) supernovae: individual (..., ...)
stars: variables: Cepheids
stars: variables: delta Scuti
stars: variables: general
stars: variables: RR Lyrae
stars: variables: S Doradus
stars: variables: T Tauri, Herbig Ae/Be
(stars:) white dwarfs
stars: winds, outflows
stars: Wolf–Rayet
 

Interstellar Medium (ISM), Nebulae

ISM: abundances
ISM: atoms
ISM: bubbles
ISM: clouds
(ISM:) cosmic rays
(ISM:) dust, extinction
(ISM:) evolution
ISM: general
(ISM:) HII regions
(ISM:) Herbig–Haro objects
ISM: individual objects (..., ...) (except
planetary nebulae)
ISM: jets and outflows
ISM: kinematics and dynamics
ISM: lines and bands
ISM: magnetic fields
ISM: molecules
(ISM:) planetary nebulae: general
(ISM:) planetary nebulae: individual (..., ...)
(ISM:) photon-dominated region (PDR)
ISM: structure
ISM: supernova remnants
 

The Galaxy

Galaxy: abundances
Galaxy: bulge
Galaxy: center
Galaxy: disk
Galaxy: evolution
Galaxy: formation
Galaxy: fundamental parameters
Galaxy: general
(Galaxy:) globular clusters: general
(Galaxy:) globular clusters: individual (..., ...)
Galaxy: halo
(Galaxy:) local interstellar matter
Galaxy: kinematics and dynamics
Galaxy: nucleus
(Galaxy:) open clusters and associations: general
(Galaxy:) open clusters and associations: individual (..., ...)
(Galaxy:) solar neighborhood
Galaxy: stellar content
Galaxy: structure
 

Galaxies

galaxies: abundances
galaxies: active
(galaxies:) BL Lacertae objects: general
(galaxies:) BL Lacertae objects: individual (..., ...)
galaxies: bulges
galaxies: clusters: general
galaxies: clusters: individual (..., ...)
galaxies: clusters: intracluster medium
galaxies: distances and redshifts
galaxies: dwarf
galaxies: elliptical and lenticular, cD
galaxies: evolution
galaxies: formation
galaxies: fundamental parameters
galaxies: general
galaxies: groups: general
galaxies: groups: individual (..., ...)
galaxies: halos
galaxies: high-redshift
galaxies: individual (..., ...)
galaxies: interactions
(galaxies:) intergalactic medium
galaxies: irregular
galaxies: ISM
galaxies: jets
galaxies: kinematics and dynamics
(galaxies:) Local Group
galaxies: luminosity function, mass function
(galaxies:) Magellanic Clouds
galaxies: magnetic fields
galaxies: nuclei
galaxies: peculiar
galaxies: photometry
(galaxies:) quasars: absorption lines
(galaxies:) quasars: emission lines
(galaxies:) quasars: general
(galaxies:) quasars: individual (..., ...)
galaxies: Seyfert
galaxies: spiral
galaxies: starburst
galaxies: star clusters: general
galaxies: star clusters: individual (..., ...)
galaxies: star formation
galaxies: statistics
galaxies: stellar content
galaxies: structure
 

Cosmology

(cosmology:) cosmic background radiation
(cosmology:) cosmological parameters
cosmology: miscellaneous
cosmology: observations
cosmology: theory
(cosmology:) dark ages, reionization, first stars
(cosmology:) dark matter
(cosmology:) dark energy
(cosmology:) diffuse radiation
(cosmology:) distance scale
(cosmology:) early universe
(cosmology:) inflation
(cosmology:) large-scale structure of universe
(cosmology:) primordial nucleosynthesis
 

Resolved and Unresolved Sources as a Function of Wavelength

gamma rays: diffuse background
gamma rays: galaxies
gamma rays: galaxies: clusters
gamma rays: general
gamma rays: ISM
gamma rays: stars
infrared: diffuse background
infrared: galaxies
infrared: general
infrared: ISM
infrared: planetary systems
infrared: stars
radio continuum: galaxies
radio continuum: general
radio continuum: ISM
radio continuum: planetary systems
radio continuum: stars
radio lines: galaxies
radio lines: general
radio lines: ISM
radio lines: planetary systems
radio lines: stars
submillimeter: diffuse background
submillimeter: galaxies
submillimeter: general
submillimeter: ISM
submillimeter: planetary systems
submillimeter: stars
ultraviolet: galaxies
ultraviolet: general
ultraviolet: ISM
ultraviolet: planetary systems
ultraviolet: stars
X-rays: binaries
X-rays: bursts
X-rays: diffuse background
X-rays: galaxies
X-rays: galaxies: clusters
X-rays: general
X-rays: individual (..., ...)
X-rays: ISM
X-rays: stars