ESO Archive Frequently Asked Questions
How does SIMBAD resolve the target name?
SIMBAD is a database of basic data, cross-identifications and bibliography for astronomical objects outside the solar system. The SIMBAD client routines take your target name and return the center coordinates for the object, provided the object has been mentioned in the literature or is listed on a published catalog. We then query the archive for all observations whose pointing falls within the radius given in the form.
The client routines are provided by courtesy of the Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg