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Is the A1 Atlas referenced in any scientific catalogs or astronomical databases?
Executive summary
Available catalogs and databases do list objects named "ATLAS" — primarily comets and survey discoveries credited to the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) — and specific ATLAS-designated comets appear in the Minor Planet Center (MPC), TheSkyLive, Wikipedia and comet catalogs (for example, C/2024 A1 (ATLAS) and 3I/ATLAS / C/2025 N1 (ATLAS)) [1] [2] [3] [4]. The MPC published an MPEC for 3I/ATLAS and TheSkyLive and other databases provide orbital and approach data for multiple ATLAS discoveries [2] [3] [4].
1. “ATLAS” is primarily a survey credit, not a single catalog object
When you see "ATLAS" attached to an object name in astronomical catalogs it is a discoverer credit—the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System survey—rather than the name of one astronomical catalog or database. Multiple comets and minor bodies discovered by the ATLAS survey carry that suffix: for example, comets labelled C/2024 A1 (ATLAS), C/2025 K1 (ATLAS), C/2025 L1 (ATLAS) and the interstellar 3I/ATLAS = C/2025 N1 (ATLAS) are all distinct objects discovered by the ATLAS network [1] [4] [5] [3].
2. Major catalogs and notice services record ATLAS discoveries
The international Minor Planet Center (MPC) publishes discovery notices and orbital elements for ATLAS discoveries: it issued an MPEC for 3I/ATLAS = C/2025 N1 (ATLAS), listing discovery observers, observing stations and orbital elements [2]. TheSkyLive — a live-data aggregator used by amateur and professional observers — hosts individual pages with orbital data, distances and sky maps for multiple ATLAS comets such as C/2024 A1 (ATLAS), C/2025 K1 (ATLAS), C/2025 L1 (ATLAS) and 3I/ATLAS [4] [6] [7] [3].
3. Specialist comet catalogs and pages include ATLAS objects
Dedicated comet catalogs and pages also include ATLAS discoveries. For instance, the comet page for C/2024 A1 (ATLAS) on comet cataloging sites lists discovery date, magnitude and discoverer as ATLAS [1]. These specialist pages compile observational history and physical details useful to researchers and observers [1].
4. High-profile ATLAS discovery: the interstellar 3I/ATLAS
3I/ATLAS (also released as C/2025 N1 (ATLAS)) is a high-profile case showing how ATLAS discoveries propagate through scientific databases: ESA, NASA/JPL reporting, TheSkyLive pages and the MPC MPEC all document observations, orbital solutions and follow-up study of 3I/ATLAS [8] [3] [2]. Media and observatory reporting (e.g., Timeanddate, BBC/Sky at Night summarizing Hubble, JWST and other observations) also reference the ATLAS designation in their coverage [9] [10].
5. Multiple ATLAS-discovered comets tracked in live-data services
TheSkyLive provides live ephemerides, close-approach distances and sky charts for several ATLAS-tagged comets — for example it lists C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) with a closest approach of ~0.403 AU on 25 Nov 2025 and C/2024 A1 (ATLAS) with past approach data — showing how databases used by observers ingest ATLAS discoveries [6] [4]. These entries typically cite source ephemerides such as JPL or MPC-derived orbital elements [3].
6. What the sources do not show: a single “A1 Atlas” scientific catalog entry
The query asks about “the A1 Atlas.” Available sources do not mention a distinct scientific catalog or astronomical database named “A1 Atlas” separate from the ATLAS survey designation. Instead, what appears in catalogs is C/2024 A1 (ATLAS) — where “A1” is part of the comet provisional designation and “ATLAS” credits the discovering survey — and multiple other ATLAS-tagged objects [1] [4]. If you meant a different phrase (for example a catalog called “Atlas” or the company Atlas Scientific), those are separate and unrelated: Atlas Scientific is a sensor company, not an astronomical catalog [11].
7. Competing interpretations and potential confusion
There are two ways confusion arises in sources: (a) the provisional naming convention uses a code like “A1” (meaning the object’s discovery half-month and sequence) combined with a discoverer tag “(ATLAS)” which looks like a compound proper name [1]; (b) unrelated organizations use “Atlas” in their names (e.g., Atlas Scientific equipment vendor), which is unrelated to astronomical catalogs [11]. Readers should not conflate ATLAS the survey (astronomical) with Atlas-named commercial or educational “Atlas” products [11] [12].
8. Practical next steps if you need a specific catalog entry
If you want the formal catalog entry for a particular ATLAS object, check the MPC MPEC or the JPL Small-Body Database for that object’s provisional designation (for example, MPEC 2025‑N12 for 3I/ATLAS) and TheSkyLive or curated comet catalogs for observational summaries [2] [3] [4]. If you meant a non-astronomical “A1 Atlas,” available sources do not mention it in the astronomical context [11] [12].