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International Astronomical Union Circulars
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
The
International Astronomical Union Circulars (IAUCs) are a
series of postcard notices giving information about astronomical
phenomena requiring prompt dissemination, particularly the discovery
and follow-up of novae, supernovae and comets, which were
pubished continuously from 1920 until 2017; the electronic-only
CBETs, which started in 2002 as a supplement to the
printed
IAUCs, gradually became the main CBAT publication
during the following decade, due to the extra effort and cost
in printing and mailing
IAUCs and due to the lessening
demand amongst subscribers for printed publications.
Note that the
IAUCs were published up until 2017
(the final printed postcard
Circular,
IAUC 9287, was published on 2017 May 2);
all additional CBAT publications since then have been via CBETs (as of 2024
April 18), though the use of
IAUCs could be revived in the future.
The IAUCs are also
available in electronic form via e-mail or through the CBAT/MPC
Computer Service.
[Note that the printed IAUCs are considered "official" and final;
the e-mailed versions are officially issued but are not the final version,
because they are issued in ASCII form (and do not entail diacritical marks,
Greek letters, and other aspects). Official citing should always be to the
printed IAUCs, not the electronic versions. Scans of the printed IAUCs
on this website are also official.]
On-line IAUCs
are available, the newer ones by paid subscription only, and
many (but not
yet all) older ones freely available. Please ensure that
you have read this policy statement on the
availability of IAUCs.
Sample
IAUCs are available showing a range of the material
covered. The sample
Circulars are available in two forms:
- A in ASCII format as used in the e-mail version
- D in
.dvi format as used in the printed version
IMPORTANT NOTE: When looking at the sample IAUCs below, please note that the
CBAT TWX number has been discontinued.
The available sample Circulars are:
- IAUC 6123 A
A
- IAUC 6124 A
A
- IAUC 6125 A
A
- IAUC 6126 A
A
- IAUC 6127 A
A
- IAUC 6128 A
A
Details
on how to subscribe to the IAUCs are available.