29 maart 2024

De (incomplete) lijst van astronomische afkortingen

Credit: Graphic for Space.com by Karl Tate; Eagle Nebula: ASA, ESA/Hubble and the Hubble Heritage Team)

Ik blijf even bij de lijstjes. Vanochtend een lijstje met de 106 spullen die Neil Armstrong en Buzz Aldrin in juli 1969 achterlieten op de maan, nu eentje met astronomische afkortingen. Bij de Harvard Universiteit houden ze ‘m bij, de lijst met ‘Dumb Or Overly Forced Astronomical Acronyms Site‘ (DOOFAAS). En geloof het of niet, maar ze bestaan echt. Neem bijvoorbeeld POOPSY, dat staat voor ‘Phase One Observing Proposal SYstem’ en dat via de Universiteit van Hawaï wordt uitgevoerd – zie de website. Er staan afkortingen op die we (min of meer) wel kennen, zoals OSIRIS-REx van de NASA, de Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer, die binnenkort bij planetoïde Bennu monsters gaat nemen. Maar de meeste afkortingen zullen toch wel onbekend zijn, denk ik…. ook voor mij. Ehhh… is ‘ie incompleet, zoals de titel van de blog luidt? Jazeker! Afkortingen zoals Pan-STARRS (Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System) en NEOWISE (Near-Earth Object WISE) ontbreken.

AfkortingBetekenis (met hier en daar wat commentaar van de Harvard-luitjes)
11HUGS11 Mpc Halpha and Ultraviolet Galaxy Survey (Yowza. We have a winner!)
2D-FRUTTI2-D Photon Counting System (I swear, I didn't make this up. It was on CTIO as best I can tell. Manual here)
2MASSTwo Micron All-Sky Survey
25BEARS??? It's on ASTE. I need specifics
5MUSES5 Mjy Unbiased Spitzer Extragalactic Survey (in Acronym mode, their 5 mJy survey seems less impressive in it's senstivity)
ABRACADABRAA Broadband/Resonant Approach to Cosmic Axion Detection with an Amplifying B-field Ring Apparatus (sounds like magic to me)
ACBARArcminute Cosmology Bolometer Array Receiver ("It's a photon trap!")
ACEAdvanced Composition Explorer
ADIoSAste Dense gas Imaging Of Spiral galaxies (an AMFA: Acronym Made From Acronyms)
ADONISAdaptive Optics Near-Infrared System
AESOPAn Extensive Symbolic Optics Package
AGAPEAndromeda Galaxy and Amplified Pixel Experiment
AGHASTA Grism H-Alpha SpecTroscopic survey (seems like only yesterday I was agape)
AIMAstrometric Interferometry Mission
AIPSAstronomical Image Processing System
ALEXISArray of Low Energy X-ray Imaging Sensors
ALFAAdaptive optics with Lasers For Astronomy
ALFAArecibo L-band Feed Array
ALFAFAArecibo Legacy Fast ALFA survey (technically you have Arecibo in there twice)
ALHAMBRAAdvanced LArge, Homogeneous Area Medium Band Redshift Astronomical survey
ALPOAssociation of Lunar and Planetary Observers
AMANDAAntarctic Muon And Neutrino Detector Array
AMASEAstrophysics Multispectral Archive Search Engine
AMBERAstronomical MultiBEam Recombiner
ANCHORSAN archive of CHandra Observations of Regions of Star formation (Woweee. That's terrible)
ANDICAMA Novel Dual Imaging CAMera
ANDREASAdvanced Name Designer REgarding Astronomical Systems (Bryan Gaensler's astro-acro informant)
ANISAll Neutrino Interaction Simulation (LOL!)
ANTARESAstronomy with a Neutrino Telescope and Abyss environmental RESearch (whatever that means)
APHIDAtmospheric PHase Inference Device
APOGEEAPO Galaxy Evolution Experiment (AMFA!)
APTAsia Pacific Telescope
ARCADEAbsolute Radiometer for Cosmology, Astrophysics, and Diffuse Emission
ARCSECAssociation of Roman Catholics for the promotion of Space Exploration and Colonization
ARIESArizona Infrared Imager and Echelle Spectrograph
ARISEAdvanced Radio Interferometry between Space and Earth
ARISTOTELESApplications and Research Involving Space Technologies Observing the Earth's field from Low Earth orbiting Satellite
ARMPITASKAP Rotation Measure and Polarisation InvestigaTion (an AMFA: ASKAP=Australian Square Kilometer Array Pathfinder)
ARTEMISAdvanced Relay TEchnology MISsion
ASTERAdvanced Spaceborne Thermal Emmision and Reflection
AST/ROAntarctic Submillimeter Telescope and Remote Observatory
ATLASAtmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science
ATLASGAL
AURAAssociation of Universities for Research in Astronomy
AVIRISAirborne Visible/InfraRed Imaging Spectrometer
AVOCADOA Virtual Observatory Census to Address Dwarfs Origins (from a short podium I imagine)
AzTECThe AZtronomical Thermal Emission Camera (that's cheating)
BACODINEBATSE COordinate DIstribution NEtwork (BATSE=Burst And Transient Source Experiment)
BADBalmer-Absorption-Dominated (Nuclei)
BAMBalloon-bourne Anisotropy Measurement
BaR-SPOrtBAlloon-bourne Radiometers for Sky Polarisation ObseRvaTions (honestly)
BATMANBad-Ass Transit Model cAlculatioN (someone knows the game)
BEERBEaming, Ellipsoidal & Reflection effects (mmmm, BERE)
BICEPBackground Imaging of Cosmic Extragalactic Polarization (feel the burn)
BIGASSBright Infrared Galaxy All Sky Survey (J. Howell is still a winner in my book!)
BIGRATBIcentennial Gamma RAy Telescope
BiSONBirmingham Solar Oscillations Network
BLASTBalloon-borne Large-Aperture Sub-millimeter Telescope
BLISSBackground-Limited Infrared-Submillimeter Spectrograph
BLOSMBroad band and Large area x-ray Omni Sky Monitor
BOOJUMSBlue Objects Observed Just Undergoing Moderate Starbursts (`Boojums' is from Lewis Carrolls poem ``The Hunting of the Snark'')
BOOMERanGBalloon Observations Of Millimetric Extragalactic Radiation and Geophysics
BRITEBRIght Target Explorer (creating an acronym just to mis-spell the word bright?)
CAFECAssegrain Fiber Environment
CANDELSCosmic Assembly Near-infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey
CANGAROOCollaboration between Australian and Nippon for a Gamma Ray Observatory in the Outback (krazy!)
CARACentre for Astrophysical Research in Antarctica
CARMACombined Array for Research in Millimetre-wave Astronomy
CASA-BLANCAChicago Air Shower Array - Broad LAteral Non-imaging Cerenkov Array
CASIMIRCAltech Submillimeter Interstellar Medium Investigations Receiver
CASPIRCryogenic Array SPectrometer ImageR
CASTLESCfa/Arizona Space Telescope LEns Survey
CATCosmic Anisotropy Telescope
ChAOSChicago Adaptive Optics System
CHARACenter for High Angular Resolution Astronomy
CHASECoronal Helium Abundance Spacelab Experiment
CHIPSCosmic Hot Interstellar Plasma Spectrometer
CIAOChandra Interactive Analysis of Observations
CIRPASSCambridge InfraRed PAnoramic Survey Spectrograph
CIRRISCryogenic InfraRed Radiance Instrument for Shuttle
CIRSICambridge InfraRed Survey Instrument (as in Cerse, the daughter of sun god Helius)
CISCOCooled Infrared Spectrograph and Camera for OHS
COASTCambridge Optical Aperature Synthesis Telescope
COASTCambridge Optical Aperature Synthesis Telescope
CLOUDCosmics Leaving OUtdoor Droplets (huh?)
COBRACadmium-zinc-telluride O-neutrino double-Beta Research Apparatus (The "O" is for "Zero" 0f c0urse)
COBRAS/SAMBACOsmic Background Radiation Anisotropy Satellite/SAtellite to Measure Background Anisotropies
COCOA-PUFSCOordinated Campaign of Observations and Analysis, Photosphere to Upper atmosphere, of a Fast-rotating Star (I'm coo coo for a ridiculous acronym!)
COHSICambridge OH Suppresion Instrument
COINSCSOs Observed In Northern Sky
COMPLETECOodinated Molecular Probe Line Extinction Thermal Emissio (survey)
COMPLEXCOMmittee on Planetary and Lunar spave EXploration
CORNEACorrective Optics R? N? Emmending Atmosphere (would you believe on IRIS ?)
COSMOSCoOrdinates, Sizes, Magnitudes, Orientations, and Shapes
COSTARCorrective Optics Space Telescope Axial Replacement
COLACompact Objects in Low power Agns
COME ON+? (Adaptive Optics on ESO 3.6 m Telescope)
COMPASSCOsmic Microwave Polarization At Small Scales
CONICACOude Near Infrared CamerA
COWCommittee Of the Wise (scheduling committee for WET)
COYOTESCoordinated Observations of Young ObjecTs from Earthbound Sites
CREAMCosmic Radiation Effects and Activatiom Monitor
CUBICCosmic Unresolved Background Instrument using CCD's
DAISYData Acquisition and Interpretation System
DASIDegree Angular Scale Interferometer/td>
DAZLEDark Ages Z (redshift) Lyman-alpha Explorer
DEBRADiffuse Extragalactic Background RAdiation
DEBRISDisc Emission via a Bias-free Reconnaissance in the Infrared/Sub-millimetre (not bad...)
DEEPDeep Extragalactic Evolutionary Probe
DEERSDeeply Embedded Energetic Radio Sources
DEIMOSDeep Extragalactic Imaging Multi Object Spectrograph
DENISDEep Near Infrared Survey of the Southern Sky
DIGITDust, Ice, and Gas In Time (everything in time...)
DIMESDIffuse Microwave Emission Survey
DIRTDust InfraRed Toolbox
DIVADeutsches Interferometer fuer Vielkanalphotometry und Astrometrie
DIXIDeep Impact eXtended Investigation
DONUTDirect Observation of NU Tau
DRAGNDouble Radio sources Associated with Galactic Nuclei
DUODisk Unseen Objects
DUNESDUst disks around NEarby Stars
DUPLEXDUst-Prominent Longitudinally-EXtended
EGGEvaporating Gaseous Globule
EGRETEnergetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope
EIDERSExternally Ionized Disks in the Environs of Radiation Sources
ELFSExtremely Luminous Far-infrared Sources
EPOChExtrasolar Planet Observations and Characterization (see below for evolution)
EPOXIThe result of merging the EPOCh and DIXI missions (an AMFAMFA, Acronym Made From AMFAs)
EROSExpérience de Recherche d'Objects Sombres
ESPESO Slice Project (an AMFA)
ETCExplosive Transient Camera
EURECAEUropean REtrievable CArrier
FAMEFizeau Astrometric Mapping Explorer
FaNTOmMFabry-perot of New Technology for the Observatoire du mont Megantic (wow... just wow)
FASTFast Auroral SnapshoT explorer
FASTSOUNDFmos Ankoku Shindou Tansa Subaru Observation Understanding Nature of Dark energy (A multilanguage AMFA. FMOS is 'Fiber Multi-Object Spectrograph' and Ankoku Shindou Tansa is Japanese for 'Dark Oscillation Survey'
FATBOYThe Florida Analysis Tool Born of Yearning for high-quality scientific data (this may be the worse... or best yet)
FAUSTFAr-Ultraviolet Space Telescope
FIBREFabry-perot Interferometer Bolometer Research Experiment
FIDELFar Infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy
FIFIFar Infrared Fabry-perot Interferometer
FIGAROFrench Italian GAmma Ray Observatory
FILMFar Infrared Line Mapper
FIREFLYFitting IteRativEly For Likelihood analYsis (I admire the commitment to the cause!)
FIRSTFaint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-centimeters
FITSFlexible Image Transport System
FLAIRFibre Linked Array Image Reformatter
FLAMINGOSFLoridA Multi-object Imaging Near-infrared Grism Observational Spectrometer (eek)
FLIERSFast, Low-Ionization Emission RegionS
FLITECAMFirst Light Infrared Test Experiment CAMera (it's on SOFIA, so it really is a flying camera. Good work!)
FORCASTFaint Object infraRed CAmera for the SOFIA Telescope (Also an AMFA; Thanks to Luke Keller)
FORTFoyer Optimise pour le RadioTelescope (FORT="strong" in French)
FOXESFluctuating Optical and X-ray Emitting Sources
FREDFast RisE, rapid Decay (pulse structure in pulsars)
FROGFaint Red Outlier Galaxy
FUCFar Ultraviolet Camera
FUCRFar Ultra-Chromatic Rocket (thanks to Will Marchant)
FUSEFar Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer
GAIAGlobal Astrometric Interferometer for Astrophysics
GADZOOKS!Gadolinium Antineutrino Detector Zealously Outperforming Old Kamiokande, Super! (PI insists on the exclaimation point! Awesome!)
GALAPAGOSGalaxy Analysis over Large Areas: Parameter Assessment by Galfitting Objects from Sextractor (took some work!)
GANDALFGas AND Absorption Line Fitting algorithm (pushed all the right nerd buttons)
GASPGamma-rays At the South Pole
GASPGuide star selection system Astrometric Support Package
GASPSGAS in Protoplanetary Systems
GEMSGlasses Embedded Metals and Sulfides
GIMPGeo-magnetically induced Image Motion Problem (on HST)
GISMOGoddard-Iram Superconducting 2-Millimeter Observer (the '2' is silent. I guess GITMO was inappropriate))
GENIUSGErmanium liquid NItrogen Underground Setup
GIPSYGroningen Image Processing SYstem
GLIMPSEGLobal IMPlicit SEarch
GLIMPSEGalactic Legacy Infrared MidPlane Survey Extraordinaire
GOALSGreat Observatories All-sky LIRG Survey (another AMFA!)
GOBELINSGOuld's BELt dIstaNces Survey (work it!)
GOESGeostationary Operational Environmental Satellites
GODGravity One Dimension (The paper was entitled `The likelihood of GODs' existence'...)
GONGGlobal Oscillations Network Group
GOODSGreat Observatories Origins Deep Survey
GNATGlobal Network of Astronomical Telescopes
GRAPEGRAvity PipE
GRAPESGRism Acs Program for Extragalactic Science
GRASPGamma-Ray Astronomy with Spectroscopy and Positioning
GREATGerman REceiver for Astronomy at Terahetz frequencies (it'd better be good!)
GUPPIGreen bank Ultimate Pulsar Processing Instrument (like PUPPI)
HARPHermite AcceleratoR Pipe
HAWAIIHgCdTe Astronomical Wide Area Infrared Imager
HEADHigh Energy Astrophysics Division
HEATHigh-Energy Antimatter Telescope
HELLASHigh-Energy Large Area Survey (I don't know where the extra L came from, but I think Hellas is the ancient name for Greece.)
HERBHigh Energy Resolution Burst
HERITAGEHERschel Inventory of The Agents of Galaxy Evolution (agents?)
HERMESHERschel M33 Extended Survey
HEROESHERschel Observations Edge-on Spirals
HIFIHawaii Imaging Fabry-perot Interferometer
HIPPARCOSHIgh Precision PARallax COllecting Satellite (I genuinely did not know this was an acronym until readers pointed out I missed it :P)
HIPPIESHubble Infrared Pure Parallel Imaging Extragalactic Survey
HIS/HERSHigh Intensity Spectrograph / High Energy Range Spectrometer
HO-BAGSHubble Observatory BAckground Galaxy Survey
HOEsHolographic Optical Elements
H0LiCOWH0 Lenses in COSMOGRAIL’s Wellspring (A subscript as an acronyn, AND an AMFA! Great on so many levels)
HOPSHerschel Orion Protostar Survey
Hot DOGsHot Dust-Obscured Galaxies
IDEAInitiative to Develop Education through Astronomy
INTEGRALINTErnational Gamma Ray Astrophysics Laboratory
IOTAInfrared and Optical Telescope Array
IRACInfraRed Array Camera
IRISInfra Red Imager Spectrograph
JACARAJoint Australian Centre for Astrophysical Research in Antarctica
JADESJWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey (an AMFA!)
JAGUARJAdes extraGalactic Ultradeep Artificial Realizations (an AMFAMFA!)
JAVELINJust Another Vehicle for Estimating Lags In Nuclei (formerly known as SPEAR, see below)
JIVEJoint Institute for VLBI in Europe
KARMENKarlsruhe Appleton Rutherford Medium Neutrino Experiment
KASCADEKArlsruhe Shower Core and Array DEtector
KINGFISHKey Insights on Nearby Galaxies: a Far-Infrared Survey with Herschel
KISSKPNO International Spectroscopic Survey
KNACKeck Northeast Astronomy Consortium
KOSMAKölner Observatorium für Submillimeter Astronomie
LACELow power Atmospheric Compensation Experiment
LALALarge Area Lyman Alpha survey
LAMOSTLarge sky Area Mulit Object fiber Spectrscopic Telescope
LAMPLick AGN Monitoring Project (AMFA)
LESTLarge Earth-based Solar Telescope
LIGHTLight Interferometer satellite for the studies of Galactic Halo Tracers
LINERSLow Ionization Nuclear Emission-line Regions
LIRISLong slit Intermediate Resolution Intrared Spectrograph
LISALaser Interfeter Space Antenna
LUCIFERLBT near infrared spectroscopic Utility with Camera and Integral Field Unit for Extragalactic Research (apparently most of that is silent, and and AMFA)
MACAOMulti-Application Curvature Adaptive Optics
MACHOMAssive Compact Halo Objects
MACROMonopoles, Astrophysics, and Cosmic Ray Observatory
MAGESMIPS AGN and Galaxy Evolution Survey (a double AMFA!)
MAGNUMMulticolor Active Galactic Nuclei Monitoring project
MAMAMulti-Anode Microchannel Array
MAMBOMAx-planck-Millimeter-BOlometer
MANGAMApping Nearby Galaxies at Apache point observatory
MAPMicrowave Anisotropy Probe
MAPSMinnesota Automated Plate Scanner
MARTINIMulti-Aperture Real Time Image NormalIzation system
MASCARAMulti-site All-Sky CAmeRA
MASSIFMasses and Stellar Systems with InterFerometry
MAXMillimeter wave Anisotropy eXperiment
MAXIMAMillimeter wave Anisotropy eXperiment IMaging Array
MBONEMulticast BackbONE
MERLINMulti-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network
MESSENGERMErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging (I geniunely didn't realize this was an acronym!)
MIAOWMinimum Inertia Adaptive Optics Widget
MICEMuons in ICE
MICHELLEMid-Infrared eCHELLE spectrograph
MIDASMunich Image Data Analysis System
MIDGetMillimeter Interferometry of Dwarf Galaxies (adding letters to be offensive?, especially when they prefer to be called "little galaxies")
MIMEMultipurpose Internet Mail Extensions
MIRAMitaka optical and Infra-Red interferometer Array
MIRACMid InfraRed Array Camera
MIRACLEMid-InfraRed Array Camera of Least Effort
MIRIADMultichannel Image Reconstruction, Image Analysis and Display
MIRLINMid-InfraRed Large Imager (the 'N' doesn't stand for anything!)
MOMIManchester Occulting Mask Imager
MONICAMONtreal Infrared CAmera
MOSAICMDM/Ohio State/ALADDIN Infrared Camera (really!)
MOSTMicrovariability and Oscillations of STars
MOSTMolonglo Observatory Synthesis Telescope
MUNICSMUnich Near-Infrared Cluster Survey (awesome)
MUSEMulti Unit Spectroscopic Explorer
MUSICOSMUlit-SIte COordinated Spectroscopy
NANOGRAVNorth American Nanohertz Observatory for GRAVitational waves
NEATNear Earth Asteriod Tracking (telescope)
NHEMESESNew HErshel Multi-wavelength Extragalactic Survey of Edge-on Spirals
NIRINear InfraRed Imager
NITENear-Infrared Telescope Experiment
NOTNordic Optical Telescope
OASISOptically Adaptive System for Imaging Spectroscopy
OGLEOptical Gravitational Lensing Experiment
OHANAOptical Hawaiian Array for Nanoradian Astronomy (A plan to join Mauna Kea optical observatories into one interferometer. Ohana is Hawaiian for 'family'. OK, this one is good.)
OPALOrbiting Picosat Automatic Launcher
OPUSObservations support/post-observation data Processing Unified System (good god!)
ORFEUSOrbiting and Retrievable Far and Extreme Ultraviolet Spectrometer
OSCAROrbiting Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio
OSCIRObservatory Spectrometer Camera for the InfraRed
OSIRISOptical Space Interferometer: Russian Instrument for Stellar astronomy
OSIRIS-RExOrigins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer (I would have worked harder to make TYRANNOSIRIS-REx)
OWLOverwhelmingly Large Telescope (so big, it's ridiculous)
PAPERPrecision Array for Probing the Epoch of Reionization
PEARSProbing Evolution And Reionization Spectroscopically
PEPSIPotsdam Echelle Polarimetric and Spectroscopic Instrument (their logo is gloriously close to copyright infringement; pepsi.aip.de
PHaEDRAPreserving Harvard's Early Data and Research in Astronomy
PHEBUSPayload for High Energy BUrst Spectroscopy
PIGPartially Ionized Globule
PINOCCHIOPINpointing Orbit-Crossing Collapsed HIerarchial Objects (Egad!)
PINTofALEPackage for the INTeractive Analysis of Line Emission (E for Effort, but this is PINTAofLE)
PIQUEPrinceton IQU Experiment
PITPhase 1 Tool (for Gemini, replacing POOPSY)
PLANETProbing Lensing Anomalies NETwork
POEMPolar Orbiting Earth Mission
POINTSPrecision Optical INTerferometer in Space
POLARPolarization Observations of Large Angular Regions (what's an angular region?)
POLARBEARPOLARization of the Background millimEter bAckground Radiation (very weak)
POOPSYPhase One Observing Proposal SYstem
POSTPOlar Stratosperic Telescope
PRESTOProject to Re-Engineer Space Telescope Observing
PROSACPROtostellar Submillimetre Array Campaign (a pretty hard campaign)
PUPPIPuerto rican Ultimate Pulsar Processing Instrument (like GUPPI)
QUESTQ and U Extra-galactic Sub-mm Telescope
QUIJOTEQ-U-I JOint TEnerife (30 GHz Polarimeter)
QUIRCQUick InfRared Camera
RASSCALSROSAT All-Sky Survey-Center for Astrophysics Loose Systems (yet another AMFA)
RATTSRun Away T-Tauri Stars
RAVEthe RAdial Velocity Experiment
RESCEURESearch Center for the Early Universe
RICERadio Ice Cerenkov Experiment
SAFARISpicA FAR-infrared Instrument (an AMFA!)
SAGASolar Array Gain Augmentation
SAGESurveying the Agents of a Galaxy's Evolution (overly forced!)
SAGESStudy of the Astrophysics of Globular clusters in Extragalactic Systems
SARASatellite pour Astronomie Radio Amateur
SASSStandard Analysis Software System
SASSSpitzer Atlas of Stellar Spectra
SAXSatellite per Astronomia X (its Italian)
SAURONSpectroscopic Areal Unit for Research on Optical Nebulae (mmmm, nerdy)
SCARScientific Committee on Antarctic Research
SCORESIRTF-CORnell Echelle
SCUBASubmillimeter Common-User Bolometer Array
SEQUOIASEcond QUabbin Optical Imaging Array
SERENDIPSearch for Extraterrestrial Radio Emissions from Nearby Developed Intelligent Populations
SERTSSolar EUV Rocket Telescope Spectrograph
SERVSSpitzer Extragalactic Representative Volume Survey
SGARFACEShort GAmma Ray Front AirCerenkov Experiment (Sweet misspelled goodness)
SHARCSubmillimeter High Angular Resolution Camera (eats SCUBA alive they claim)
SHARESpace station Heat pipe Advanved Radiator Element
SHARPSystem for High-Angular-Resolution Pictures
SHEEPSearch for the High Energy Extragalactic Population
SHITSuper Huge Interferometric Telescope (look for yourself)
SiEGMuNDSimulation of Events with Geant for Muon and Neutrino Detectors
SIGMASysteme d'Imagerie Gamma a Masque Aleatoire
SIMBADSet of Identifications, Measurements and Bibliography for Astronomical Data
SIMPLESpitzer IRAC/MUSYC Public Legacy survey in the Extended chandra deep field south (Wow, SIMPLSECDFS?)
SINFONIthe SINgle Faint Object Near-infrared Investigation
SINGSSIRTF Infrared Nearby Galaxy Survey (an AMFA)
SIMPLESuperheated Instrument for Massive ParticLe Experiments
SLAPSpace Link Access Protocol
SMACStreaming Motions of Abel Clusters
SMIRFSSub Millimeter InfraRed Fiber-feed System (or something)
SMOGSpitzer Mapping of the Outer Galaxy
SMUDGESSystematic Multiwavelength Unbiased catalog of Dwarf Galaxies and Evolution of Structure (clever and appropriate)
SNAPSuperNova Acceleration Probe
SOARSouthern Observatory for Astrophysical Research
SOFIAStratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy
SODASmall Objects DAtabase
SOHOSOlar and Heliospheric Observatory
SOLEStar-Obvious Low-level-Elongated
SOLSTICESOLar STellar Irradiance Comparison Experiment
SONGStellar Oscillations Network Group
SONGSurvey Of Nearby Galaxies
SOONSPOTSolar Observing Optical Network / Solar Patrol On Tape
SOUPSolar Optical Universal Polarimeter
SPANSpace Physics and Analysis Network
SPARTANShuttle Pointed Autonomous Research Tool for AstroNomy
SPASESouth Pole Air ShowEr array
SPASSPace VLBI Assistance Software
SPEARStochastic Process Estimation for Agn Reverberations (now upgraded to JAVELIN, see above)
SPECULOOSSearch for habitable Planets Eclipsing ULtra-cOOl Stars (after the cookies from Belgium)
SPHERESpectro-Polarimetric High-contrast Exoplanet REsearch instrument
SPICASPace Infra-red telescope for Cosmology and Astrophysics
SPICESpectro-Photometric Infrared Celestrial Explorer
SPIDERSSPectroscopic IDentification of ERosita Sources
SPIFFISPectrometer for Infrared Faint Field Imaging
SPIFISouth Pole Imaging Fabry-perot Interferometer
SPIRALSurface Photometry Interactive Reduction and Analysis Library
SPIRALSegmented Pupil/ Imaging Array Lenses
SPIRESpectral and Photometric Imaging REceiver for herschel
SPLOTSnapshot survey for Polarised Light in Optical Transients
SPOrtSky Polarization Observatory (why not ObseRvaTory?)
SPOTSatellite Pour l'Observation de la Terre
SPUDSSpitzer Public legacy survey of the UKIDSS ultra Deep Survey (weak)
SPYBALSPectrum Y-BALance
SQIIDSimultaneous Quad-color Infrared Imaging Device
SQUIDSuperconducting QUantum Interference Device
SQUIRTSatellite QUIck Research Testbed
STACEESolar Tower Atmospheric Cherenkov Effect Experiment
STEPSolar Terrestrial Energy Program
SUGAR-RUSHStudying the Universe with GAlaxy suRveys Revealing the Unlimited in ShangHai (was the meeting in Shanghai just to make the acronym work?)
SUMERSolar Ultraviolet Measurements of Emitted Radiation
SURFSCUBA User Reduction Facility
SUSISydney University Stellar Interferometer
SUSPECTSydney University SPECTrograph
SuZIESunyaev-Zel'dovich Infrared Experiment
STEFFISpectrograph-TElescope Fibre-Feed Interface
SWANSolar Wind Anisotropy Experiment
TADPOLTelescope Array Doing POLarization
TANGOinPARISTesting Astroparticle with the New Gev/tev Observations Positrons And electRons : Identifying the Sources (THE WINNER!)
TAROTTelescope a Action Rapide pour les Objets Transitoires
TATOOINEThe Attempt To Observe Outer-planets In Non-single-stellar Environments (Genius! Star Wars nerds are the best nerds)
TAUThousand Astronomical Unit
THINGSThe HI Nearby Galaxy Survey (roman numerals as "I"; a first here!)
THORThe Hi/Oh Recombination line survey of the milky way
THUMPERTwo HUndred Micron PhotometER
TIMTelescope Image Modelling
TIM(translates to) Mexican Infrared-optical Telescope
TNTCAMTen aNd Twenty Micron CAMera
TOMBOTransient Observatory for Microlensing and Bursting Objects (Japanese project; telescopes resemble compound insect eyes; Tombo is Japanese for dragonfly)
TOMSTotal Ozone Mapping Spectrometer
TOOTTexOx-1000 (Oh, I get it, Texas-Oxford One Thousand; weak)
T-RECSThermal REgion Camera System
TRAPPISTTRAnsiting Planets and PlanetesImals Small Telescope (named after the beer making monks!)
TRIFFIDTRansputer Instrument For Fast Image Deconvolution (actually, it had no Transputer chips, and didn't even do deconvolution)
UNSWIRFUniversity of New South Wales Infrared Fabry-Perot (after an unpopular premier of NSW named Barry Unsworth)
VERITASVery large Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System
VESTALEunVEil the darknesS of The gAlactic buLgE (you are not even trying anymore. UNDARGARB was within reach)
VIPERVIMos Public Extragalactic Redshift Survey
VIRGOVariability in Irradiance and Gravity Oscillations
VIRISVisual-InfraRed Imaging System
VOIRVenus Orbiting Imaging Radar (voir is french for "to see")
WARPSWide Angle ROSAT Pointed Survey
WASPWideband Analog SPectrometer
WATCHWide Angle Telescope for Cosmic Hard x-rays
WETWhole Earth Telescope
WHAMWisconsin H-Alpha Mapper
WIMPWeakly Interacting Massive Particles
WIREWide-field InfraRed Explorer
WISARDWeb Interface for Searching Archival Research Data
WISEASSWeizmann Institute of Science Experimental Astrophysics Spectroscopy System
WISPWide field Imaging Symbiotic Program
WITSWeb Infrared ToolShed (has DIRT on it)
WOMBATWavelength-Oriented Microwave Background Analysis Team (Go Team! They're playing the Molecular Astrophysics Team for the championship later this week.)
WUPPEWisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polarimeter Experiment
YORICYet another Optimal Resolution Image Constructor (Alas...)
ZEBRAZurich Extragalactic Bayesian Redshift Analyzer

Bron: Harvard.

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