Wikipedia:WikiProject Astronomy/Importance ratings

These are the Wikipedia:WikiProject Astronomy guidelines for ranking article importance. The rankings can be added to an astronomy-related article using the WikiProject Astronomy template. See Category:Astronomy articles by importance and Category:Astronomy articles by quality for the current article rankings.

Importance scale
Articles that are given a WikiProject Astronomy template are graded by importance based on their overall significance to the academic field of astronomy.
 * Fundamental astronomy topics are typically given a higher importance rating than secondary topics or minutiae.
 * Subjects that are the target of dedicated study by professional astronomers, as indicated by major observatory studies and scholarly journal articles, are generally of higher importance.
 * Widely known and famous topics in astronomy, as judged by the frequency of introductory publications and news stories, will also have a higher importance, as they are more likely to be the subject of encyclopedic searches.

Here are some general guidelines for the individual ratings:
 * Top: Fundamental and famous astronomy
 * High: Important or famous. Something an undergraduate astronomy student could have heard of or studied.
 * Mid: Items that people in the know have heard about, while not being over-specialized.
 * Low: Everything else that has some significance to astronomy as a science, as well as amateur astronomy as a dedicated hobby.
 * Bottom: Not of importance to scientific astronomy overall, such as weekly local stargazing columns, recreational software, works of fiction or artistic interpretations. It also includes junk astronomy that matters to rational scepticism, but which is otherwise crank.
 * NA: Pages that are not articles, such as categories, redirects or projects.

These may vary somewhat depending on the subject category – see the specific guidelines below.

People

 * Top: People who made fundamental, widely recognized, or famous contributions to astronomy.
 * Examples: Albert Einstein, Galileo Galilei, Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, Edwin Hubble
 * High: People who made major contributions within their field (often those with effects or concepts named after them). Inventors or developers of major techniques or technologies within astronomy. Winners of the Nobel prize for their research in astronomy. Researchers with a major body of scholarly publications, of great importance to their field.
 * Examples: Henrietta Swan Leavitt, Fritz Zwicky, Andrea Ghez, Martin Rees
 * Mid: Astronomers who made important contributions to their fields and gained recognition by their peers. Directors of major observatories or heads of space-based telescope projects. Winners of high-importance prizes. Academics with an extensive body of highly-cited peer-reviewed publications.
 * Examples: Sandy Faber, Heinrich Olbers, David Southwood, Robert Kennicutt
 * Low: Most professional astronomers who meet the minimum notability guidelines (see WP:PROF) and have published in respected peer-reviewed journals. Popularizers of astronomy and heads of planetariums. Notable amateur astronomers who have discovered important objects.
 * Examples: Ian Shelton, Amanda Bauer, Tom Boles, Alice Everett
 * Bottom: Fringe theorists, pseudo-scientists, artists, philanthropists etc. who are relevant to astronomy, but have not published scientific work in respected peer-reviewed astronomy journals.
 * Examples: Luděk Pešek, Zecharia Sitchin, Ernest Sternglass

Topics

 * Top: The Astronomy article, along with major divisions of the subject e.g. those listed on the top level of the outline of astronomy; topics of fundamental importance to astronomy.
 * Examples: Astrophysics, Big Bang, Astrobiology
 * High: Important topics of widespread interest in astronomy; major divisions of top-importance topics.
 * Examples: Parallax, Stellar evolution, Amateur astronomy
 * Mid: Subdivisions within astronomy; topics which may be taught to university students but are not otherwise widely known.
 * Examples: Magnetosphere, Orbital resonance, Lagrange point
 * Low: Specialist topics only of interest to a small field of researchers. Any subdivision of astronomy that meets the notability guidelines, has a scientific basis, and does not qualify for one of the higher importance ratings.
 * Examples: Diffuse interstellar bands, Kozai mechanism, Bow shocks in astrophysics
 * Bottom: Pseudoscience or mythological topics whose articles include astronomical content, but have no scientific basis. This does not include serious scientific theories which were once considered correct, but are now obsolete.
 * Examples: Astrology and science, Mars in fiction

Types

 * Top: General-summary articles on primary classes of objects and important subtypes. These are extensively studied object types that provide information of fundamental importance to astronomy.
 * Examples: Binary star, Black hole, Brown dwarf, Circumstellar disk, Galaxy, Globular cluster, Nova, Planet, Star, Supernova, Universe, White dwarf.
 * High: Sub-types of general object classes that are readily observed or have a large body of literature.
 * Examples: Hypergiant, Red giant, Supergiant, Type Ia supernova, Variable star.
 * Mid: Classes of objects that have been the subject of individual scientific study beyond the basic properties.
 * Examples: Beta Lyrae variable, G-type main-sequence star, Supernova impostor, Yellow hypergiant.
 * Low: Minor sub-classes of objects that are variants of broader classes. Hypothetical objects that have a credible scientific basis.
 * Examples: Luminous red nova, CEMP star, Thorne–Żytkow object
 * Bottom: Fictional or mythological types of object with a clear connection to astronomy, but that have no scientific basis.
 * Examples: Planetary objects proposed in religion, astrology, ufology and pseudoscience, Binary stars in fiction

Specific

 * Top: Extensively studied objects that provide information of fundamental importance to astronomy. Renowned examples of primary types. This includes the planets in the Solar System.
 * Examples: Asteroid belt, Cygnus X-1, Hyades (star cluster), Jupiter, Local Group, Milky Way, Sun.
 * High: Readily observed or prototypical objects that have a large body of literature. This includes the major moons, dwarf planets, bright stars (1st magnitude or higher). Well known examples of primary types.
 * Examples: Eagle Nebula, Makemake, Spica.
 * Mid: Objects that have been the subject of substantial scientific study, with numerous publications devoted to them. This includes large asteroids, prominent stars (2nd & 3rd magnitude), well-studied extrasolar planets, widely-known astronomical features, nearby galaxies and unusual objects.
 * Examples: Proxima Centauri, IK Pegasi.
 * Low: Everything else, including most asteroids, stars, clusters and distant galaxies. These are objects that contribute little to the field and have not been widely studied.
 * Examples: 101 Helena, 62 Andromedae, Vulcan (hypothetical planet)
 * Bottom: Unconfirmed objects that were invented in fiction, UFOlogy, personal imagination, mysticism or mythology.
 * Example: Counter-Earth, Nibiru cataclysm

Discoveries

 * Top: Famous discoveries of major astronomical phenomena.
 * Examples: Hubble's law, Kepler's laws of planetary motion, General relativity
 * High: General history of astronomy; important discoveries that are not widely known.
 * Examples: History of astronomy, Weak gravitational lensing, Classical Cepheid variable
 * Mid: Historical era or geographic sub-topics within the history of astronomy. Historical summaries of a culture.
 * Examples: Copernican Revolution, Egyptian astronomy, Zodiac
 * Low: Specialized topics important only within a culture.
 * Examples: Sothic cycle

Events and time-domain astronomy

 * Top: Astronomical events that are widely important both within and outside of astronomy.
 * Examples: Halley's Comet
 * High: Very important and widely observed events. Occurrences that demonstrated new astronomical concepts. Discoveries of entirely new classes of transient.
 * Examples: Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9, GW 150914, SN 1987A, Solar eclipse of May 29, 1919
 * Mid: Historically significant or rare events that were widely studied. Events that provided new sub-types or improved physical understanding of known transients.
 * Examples: GRB 080319B, SN 2015L, Sakurai's Object
 * Low: Real events that meet the notability guidelines, but are of little individual importance to astronomy. Specific routine events, such as unremarkable eclipses or supernovae.
 * Examples: Solar eclipse of March 29, 2006, SN 2010lt
 * Bottom: Astronomical events that are fictional, mythological or otherwise lack a scientific basis, but are still of relevance to the project.
 * Examples: Comet vintages, Nibiru cataclysm, Wow! signal

Institutions

 * Top: None
 * High: Major or famous observatories or institutes, important international organizations.
 * Examples: Mauna Kea Observatory, International Astronomical Union, European Southern Observatory.
 * Mid: Historically significant observatories, specialist research observatories, national professional societies.
 * Examples: Harvard College Observatory, Anglo-Australian Observatory, American Astronomical Society.
 * Low: Private observatories that perform research, university/college observatories, national amateur astronomy groups.
 * Examples: Elginfield Observatory, University of London Observatory, Society for Popular Astronomy.
 * Bottom: Small non-research observatories, local amateur societies, institutions with only a minor connection to astronomy.
 * Examples: Red Barn Observatory, Kaua‘i Educational Association for Science and Astronomy

Education

 * Top: None
 * High: Training principles.
 * Examples: Astronomy education
 * Mid: College-level courses, astronomy certifications, major astronomy conferences, reputable astronomy training institutes.
 * Examples: European Association for Astronomy Education, Network for Astronomy School Education, National Standard Examination in Astronomy, Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, 'Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester'
 * Low: Public education and outreach, special topic astronomy conferences, amateur astronomy associations, watch parties, astronomy museums, planetariums.
 * Examples: International Year of Astronomy, Faulkes Telescope Project, Malacca Planetarium, Hong Kong Astronomical Society, Sidewalk astronomy, Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey

Prizes

 * Top: The Nobel Prize in Physics
 * High: World-renowned for a major discovery, or widely acknowledged as prestigious for a lifetime of achievement in astronomy. Top awards of major astronomical associations or international astronomical societies.
 * Examples: Bruce Medal, Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society, Henry Norris Russell Lectureship, Prix Jules Janssen.
 * Medium: Prestigious professional awards for a particular subject or topic in astronomy.
 * Examples: Herschel Medal, Joseph Weber Award, Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics
 * Low: Notable awards for popularizing or teaching astronomy. Minor awards and prize lectures from professional associations. Top awards from major non-professional societies.
 * Examples: Klumpke-Roberts Award, Ludwig Biermann Award, Leslie C. Peltier Award
 * Bottom: Awards from local astronomy associations. Scholarships and fellowships. PhD thesis or poster presentation prizes. All other awards for astronomy that do not meet the above criteria.
 * Examples: Robert J. Trumpler Award, Tyson Medal, Keith Runcorn Prize

Publications, catalogues and surveys

 * Top: None
 * High: Famous landmark publications, which had a major impact across astronomy.
 * Examples: De revolutionibus orbium coelestium, Astronomia nova.
 * Mid: High-impact astronomy journals. Books or papers famous enough to be known by their author(s) only to most of the astronomy community. Historically significant catalogues of astronomical objects.
 * Examples: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, B2FH paper, Messier Catalogue.
 * Low: Most astronomical catalogues and surveys. Astronomy magazines aimed at the general public or hobbyists. Most textbooks or popular science books on astronomy. Minor academic journals.
 * Examples: Gliese catalogue, Astronomy Now, UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey.
 * Bottom: All other non-fiction publications which are of interest to astronomy. Pseudo-science or crank astronomy.
 * Examples: Journal of Cosmology, Eureka: A Prose Poem

Equipment

 * Top: Very important, fundamental and pioneering instrument types.
 * Examples: astronomical interferometer, photometer, spectrograph, telescope.
 * High: Important instrument types and sub-classifications of very important instrument types. Individual instruments that made landmark discoveries.
 * Examples: Hubble Space Telescope, radio telescope, reflecting telescope, refracting telescope.
 * Mid: Important instrument types within specialized fields, instrument variations, and historically-important instruments. Record-breaking instruments. Instruments that have made notable discoveries.
 * Examples: blink comparator, coronagraph, filter (optics), meridian circle, Schmidt camera, spectroheliograph.
 * Low: Obsolete and low importance instrument types. Minor instrument variations. Planned instruments that are not yet operational, or were cancelled before completion. Equipment for hobbyists and amateur astronomy.
 * Examples: armillary sphere, reticle, Terrestrial Planet Finder.
 * Bottom: Instruments that are used for celestial navigation, surveying, or time keeping.
 * Examples: backstaff, Cranmer Park, copyscope.

Miscellaneous

 * Top: none.
 * High: fundamental or notable astronomy and astronomy-related topics, including major new techniques and models.
 * Examples: Astrophotography, Astronomical naming conventions, Constellation.
 * Mid: commonly used models, significant topics in popular astronomy.
 * Examples: Asterism (astronomy), Amateur telescope making, Model photosphere, Orion (constellation)
 * Low: relatively obscure but still notable topics.
 * Examples: Great Diamond, half-month, Crab (unit)
 * Bottom: trivia, cultural myths, documentary and educational programs, and pseudo-science topics.
 * Examples: Planets in science fiction, Neutronium, Diseases from Space, The Sky at Night

Lists

 * Top: Lists of "fundamental" astronomy information:
 * Examples: Outline of astronomy
 * High: High-level listings of widely observed objects.
 * Examples: List of stars, List of open clusters, List of globular clusters
 * Mid: Lists of "important" stuff. Subtopics of high-level listings.
 * Examples: List of most luminous stars, List of supernova candidates
 * Low: Lists of objects that (for the most part) have not been the object of significant study. Identification codes, lists of publications.
 * Examples: List of observatory codes, List of scientific journals in astronomy
 * Bottom: Lists of astronomy-related cultural elements, fiction, or trivia
 * Examples: List of appearances of the Moon in fiction, List of names for the Milky Way