MPC Documentation
Welcome to the Minor Planet Center's documentation page. Listed here are links to all the pages on our website that contain documentation on the various aspects of the MPC's operation.Note that this is a work in progress and all links are not yet present. Please report non-functioning links (or requests for new documents) via the feedback form.
Orbital Elements
- Export orbit formats
- Export orbit format for minor planets
- Export orbit format for comets
- Export orbit format for natural satellites
- Indication of perturbing bodies
- Calculation of the orbital uncertainty parameter, U
- Packed designations
- Packed dates
- Alphabetic notes for orbits
Astrometric Observations
- The current observation format
- The new observation format (Updated 2006 June 20)
- Alphabetic notes for observations
- References on observations
Designations
- New- and old-style minor planet designations
- Temporary minor planet designations
- Packed provisional designations
- Cometary designation system
- Packed designations for comets discovered/recovered in the past year
- Periodic comet numbers
- Dual-Status objects
Observing Procedures
- Guide to Minor Body Astrometry
- How to specify observational details
- How to specify telescope details in the observational header (Added 2004 August 2)
- Guide to using the MPES (PDF)
- Guide to video observing (PDF)
Pot Pourri
- List of observatory codes (formatted)
- List of observatory codes (plain text)
- Observatory codes
- Pointing Data
- List of orbit computers (and other codes) on the Daily Orbit Update MPECs
- Representing Non-English Characters
- List of program codes
Low-level technical lists
The links below contain low-level information generated during MPC operation or MPC preparation and are not formatted for casual viewing.
