This is a compilation of initialisms and acronyms commonly used in astronomy. Most are drawn from professional astronomy, and are used quite frequently in scientific publications. A few are frequently used by the general public or by amateur astronomers.
The acronyms listed below were placed into one or more of these categories:
Astrophysics terminology – physics-related acronyms
Catalog – collections of tabulated scientific data
Communications network – any network that functions primarily to communicate with spacecraft rather than performing astronomy
Data – astrophysical data not associated with any single catalog or observing program
Celestial object – acronyms for natural objects in space and for adjectives applied to objects in space
Instrumentation – telescope and other spacecraft equipment, particularly detectors such as imagers and spectrometers
Meeting – meetings that are not named after organizations
Observing program – astronomical programs, often surveys, performed by one or more individuals; may include the groups that perform surveys
Organization – any large private organization, government organization, or company
Person – individual people
Publication – magazines, scientific journals, and similar astronomy-related publications
Software – software excluding catalogued data (which is categorized as "catalog") and scientific images
Spacecraft – any spacecraft except space telescopes
Telescope – ground-based and space telescopes; organizations that operate telescopes (for example, the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO)) are listed under "organization"
