|In a few months the historical list of object types below will be replaced by a reorganized list, based on physical properties, and on the evolutionary stage for stars. It will enable a more interactive search, and will provide minimal definitions. The hierarchies between object types will evolve: for instance, a RR Lyrae Star will still be in the hierarchy of Variable Stars, and also in the hierarchy of Horizontal Branch Stars.
If you are using the hierarchies in scripts, you might have to adapt your scripts to the new description.
The Object Type in Simbad is defined as a hierarchical classification, which emphasizes the physical nature of the object rather than a peculiar emission in some region of the electromagnetic spectrum or the location in peculiar clusters or external galaxies. Therefore objects are classified as peculiar emitters (Radio, IR, Red, Blue, UV, X or gamma) only if nothing more about the nature of the object is known, i.e. it cannot be decided whether the object is a star, a multiple system, a nebula or a galaxy.
Each class has normally a standard designation, a condensed one (used in tables) and an extended explanation.
| Standard name | Cond. | Extended explanation | |
| Unknown | ? | Object of unknown nature | |
| · Transient | ev | transient event | |
| Radio | Rad | Radio-source | |
| · Radio(m) | mR | metric Radio-source | |
| · Radio(cm) | cm | centimetric Radio-source | |
| · Radio(mm) | mm | millimetric Radio-source | |
| · Radio(sub-mm) | smm | sub-millimetric source | |
| · HI | HI | HI (21cm) source | |
| · radioBurst | rB | radio Burst | |
| · Maser | Mas | Maser | |
| IR | IR | Infra-Red source | |
| · FIR | FIR | Far-Infrared source | |
| · MIR | MIR | Mid-Infrared source | |
| · NIR | NIR | Near-Infrared source | |
| Blue | blu | Blue object | |
| UV | UV | UV-emission source | |
| X | X | X-ray source | |
| · ULX? | UX? | Ultra-luminous X-ray candidate | |
| · ULX | ULX | Ultra-luminous X-ray source | |
| gamma | gam | gamma-ray source | |
| · gammaBurst | gB | gamma-ray Burst | |
| Inexistent | err | Not an object (error, artefact, ...) | |
| Gravitation | grv | Gravitational Source | |
| · LensingEv | Lev | (Micro)Lensing Event | |
| · Candidate_LensSystem | LS? | Possible gravitational lens System | |
| · Candidate_Lens | Le? | Possible gravitational lens | |
| · Possible_lensImage | LI? | Possible gravitationally lensed image | |
| · GravLens | gLe | Gravitational Lens | |
| · GravLensSystem | gLS | Gravitational Lens System (lens+images) | |
| · GravWaveEvent | GWE | Gravitational Wave Event | |
| Candidates | ..? | Candidate objects | |
| · Possible_G | G? | Possible Galaxy | |
| · Possible_SClG | SC? | Possible Supercluster of Galaxies | |
| · Possible_ClG | C?G | Possible Cluster of Galaxies | |
| · Possible_GrG | Gr? | Possible Group of Galaxies | |
| · Possible_As* | As? | ||
| · Candidate_** | **? | Physical Binary Candidate | |
| · · Candidate_EB* | EB? | Eclipsing Binary Candidate | |
| · · Candidate_Symb* | Sy? | Symbiotic Star Candidate | |
| · · Candidate_CV* | CV? | Cataclysmic Binary Candidate | |
| · · · Candidate_Nova | No? | Nova Candidate | |
| · · Candidate_XB* | XB? | X-ray binary Candidate | |
| · · · Candidate_LMXB | LX? | Low-Mass X-ray binary Candidate | |
| · · · Candidate_HMXB | HX? | High-Mass X-ray binary Candidate | |
| · Candidate_Pec* | Pec? | Possible Peculiar Star | |
| · · Candidate_YSO | Y*? | Young Stellar Object Candidate | |
| · · · Candidate_TTau* | TT? | T Tau star Candidate | |
| · · Candidate_C* | C*? | Possible Carbon Star | |
| · · Candidate_S* | S*? | Possible S Star | |
| · · Candidate_OH | OH? | Possible Star with envelope of OH/IR type | |
| · · Candidate_WR* | WR? | Possible Wolf-Rayet Star | |
| · · Candidate_Be* | Be? | Possible Be Star | |
| · · Candidate_Ae* | Ae? | Possible Herbig Ae/Be Star | |
| · · Candidate_HB* | HB? | Possible Horizontal Branch Star | |
| · · · Candidate_RRLyr | RR? | Possible Star of RR Lyr type | |
| · · · Candidate_Cepheid | Ce? | Possible Cepheid | |
| · · · Candidate_PulsV*WVir | WV? | Possible Variable Star of W Vir type | |
| · · Candidate_RGB* | RB? | Possible Red Giant Branch star | |
| · · Candidate_SG* | sg? | Possible Supergiant star | |
| · · · Candidate_RSG* | s?r | Possible Red supergiant star | |
| · · · Candidate_YSG* | s?y | Possible Yellow supergiant star | |
| · · · Candidate_BSG* | s?b | Possible Blue supergiant star | |
| · · Candidate_AGB* | AB? | Asymptotic Giant Branch Star candidate | |
| · · · Candidate_LP* | LP? | Long Period Variable candidate | |
| · · · Candidate_Mi* | Mi? | Mira candidate | |
| · · Candidate_post-AGB* | pA? | Post-AGB Star Candidate | |
| · · Candidate_BSS | BS? | Candidate blue Straggler Star | |
| · · Candidate_Hsd | HS? | Hot subdwarf candidate | |
| · · Candidate_WD* | WD? | White Dwarf Candidate | |
| · · Candidate_NS | N*? | Neutron Star Candidate | |
| · · Candidate_BH | BH? | Black Hole Candidate | |
| · · Candidate_SN* | SN? | SuperNova Candidate | |
| · · Candidate_low-mass* | LM? | Low-mass star candidate | |
| · · Candidate_brownD* | BD? | Brown Dwarf Candidate | |
| multiple_object | mul | Composite object | |
| · Region | reg | Region defined in the sky | |
| · · Void | vid | Underdense region of the Universe | |
| · SuperClG | SCG | Supercluster of Galaxies | |
| · ClG | ClG | Cluster of Galaxies | |
| · GroupG | GrG | Group of Galaxies | |
| · · Compact_Gr_G | CGG | Compact Group of Galaxies | |
| · PairG | PaG | Pair of Galaxies | |
| · · IG | IG | Interacting Galaxies | |
| · Cl*? | C?* | Possible (open) star cluster | |
| · GlCl? | Gl? | Possible Globular Cluster | |
| · Cl* | Cl* | Cluster of Stars | |
| · · GlCl | GlC | Globular Cluster | |
| · · OpCl | OpC | Open (galactic) Cluster | |
| · Assoc* | As* | Association of Stars | |
| · · Stream* | St* | Stellar Stream | |
| · · MouvGroup | MGr | Moving Group | |
| · ** | ** | Double or multiple star | |
| · · EB* | EB* | Eclipsing binary | |
| · · SB* | SB* | Spectroscopic binary | |
| · · EllipVar | El* | Ellipsoidal variable Star | |
| · · Symbiotic* | Sy* | Symbiotic Star | |
| · · CataclyV* | CV* | Cataclysmic Variable Star | |
| · · · Nova | No* | Nova | |
| · · XB | XB* | X-ray Binary | |
| · · · LMXB | LXB | Low Mass X-ray Binary | |
| · · · HMXB | HXB | High Mass X-ray Binary | |
| ISM | ISM | Interstellar matter | |
| · PartofCloud | PoC | Part of Cloud | |
| · PN? | PN? | Possible Planetary Nebula | |
| · ComGlob | CGb | Cometary Globule | |
| · Bubble | bub | Bubble | |
| · EmObj | EmO | Emission Object | |
| · Cloud | Cld | Cloud | |
| · · GalNeb | GNe | Galactic Nebula | |
| · · DkNeb | DNe | Dark Cloud (nebula) | |
| · · RfNeb | RNe | Reflection Nebula | |
| · · MolCld | MoC | Molecular Cloud | |
| · · · Globule | glb | Globule (low-mass dark cloud) | |
| · · · denseCore | cor | Dense core | |
| · · · SFregion | SFR | Star forming region | |
| · · HVCld | HVC | High-velocity Cloud | |
| · HII | HII | HII (ionized) region | |
| · PN | PN | Planetary Nebula | |
| · HIshell | sh | HI shell | |
| · SNR? | SR? | SuperNova Remnant Candidate | |
| · SNR | SNR | SuperNova Remnant | |
| · · outflow? | of? | Outflow candidate | |
| · · Outflow | out | Outflow | |
| · · HH | HH | Herbig-Haro Object | |
| Star | * | Star | |
| · V*? | V*? | Star suspected of Variability | |
| · Pec* | Pe* | Peculiar Star | |
| · · HB* | HB* | Horizontal Branch Star | |
| · · YSO | Y*O | Young Stellar Object | |
| · · · Ae* | Ae* | Herbig Ae/Be star | |
| · · Em* | Em* | Emission-line Star | |
| · · · Be* | Be* | Be Star | |
| · · BlueStraggler | BS* | Blue Straggler Star | |
| · · RGB* | RG* | Red Giant Branch star | |
| · · AGB* | AB* | Asymptotic Giant Branch Star (He-burning) | |
| · · · C* | C* | Carbon Star | |
| · · · S* | S* | S Star | |
| · · SG* | sg* | Evolved supergiant star | |
| · · · RedSG* | s*r | Red supergiant star | |
| · · · YellowSG* | s*y | Yellow supergiant star | |
| · · · BlueSG* | s*b | Blue supergiant star | |
| · · HotSubdwarf | HS* | Hot subdwarf | |
| · · post-AGB* | pA* | Post-AGB Star (proto-PN) | |
| · · WD* | WD* | White Dwarf | |
| · · low-mass* | LM* | Low-mass star (M<1solMass) | |
| · · brownD* | BD* | Brown Dwarf (M<0.08solMass) | |
| · · Neutron* | N* | Confirmed Neutron Star | |
| · · OH/IR | OH* | OH/IR star | |
| · · · TTau* | TT* | T Tau-type Star | |
| · · WR* | WR* | Wolf-Rayet Star | |
| · PM* | PM* | High proper-motion Star | |
| · HV* | HV* | High-velocity Star | |
| · V* | V* | Variable Star | |
| · · Irregular_V* | Ir* | Variable Star of irregular type | |
| · · · Orion_V* | Or* | Variable Star of Orion Type | |
| · · Eruptive* | Er* | Eruptive variable Star | |
| · · · Erupt*RCrB | RC* | Variable Star of R CrB type | |
| · · · RCrB_Candidate | RC? | Variable Star of R CrB type candiate | |
| · · RotV* | Ro* | Rotationally variable Star | |
| · · · RotV*alf2CVn | a2* | Variable Star of alpha2 CVn type | |
| · · · Pulsar | Psr | Pulsar | |
| · · · BYDra | BY* | Variable of BY Dra type | |
| · · · RSCVn | RS* | Variable of RS CVn type | |
| · · PulsV* | Pu* | Pulsating variable Star | |
| · · · RRLyr | RR* | Variable Star of RR Lyr type | |
| · · · Cepheid | Ce* | Cepheid variable Star | |
| · · · PulsV*delSct | dS* | Variable Star of delta Sct type | |
| · · · PulsV*RVTau | RV* | Variable Star of RV Tau type | |
| · · · PulsV*WVir | WV* | Variable Star of W Vir type | |
| · · · PulsV*bCep | bC* | Variable Star of beta Cep type | |
| · · · deltaCep | cC* | Classical Cepheid (delta Cep type) | |
| · · · gammaDor | gD* | Variable Star of gamma Dor type | |
| · · · pulsV*SX | SX* | Variable Star of SX Phe type (subdwarf) | |
| · · LPV* | LP* | Long-period variable star | |
| · · · Mira | Mi* | Variable Star of Mira Cet type | |
| · · SN | SN* | SuperNova | |
| · Sub-stellar | su* | Sub-stellar object | |
| · · Planet? | Pl? | Extra-solar Planet Candidate | |
| · · Planet | Pl | Extra-solar Confirmed Planet | |
| Galaxy | G | Galaxy | |
| · PartofG | PoG | Part of a Galaxy | |
| · GinCl | GiC | Galaxy in Cluster of Galaxies | |
| · · BClG | BiC | Brightest galaxy in a Cluster (BCG) | |
| · GinGroup | GiG | Galaxy in Group of Galaxies | |
| · GinPair | GiP | Galaxy in Pair of Galaxies | |
| · RadioG | rG | Radio Galaxy | |
| · HII_G | H2G | HII Galaxy | |
| · LSB_G | LSB | Low Surface Brightness Galaxy | |
| · AGN_Candidate | AG? | Possible Active Galaxy Nucleus | |
| · · QSO_Candidate | Q? | Possible Quasar | |
| · · Blazar_Candidate | Bz? | Possible Blazar | |
| · · BLLac_Candidate | BL? | Possible BL Lac | |
| · EmG | EmG | Emission-line galaxy | |
| · StarburstG | SBG | Starburst Galaxy | |
| · BlueCompG | bCG | Blue compact Galaxy | |
| · LensedImage | LeI | Gravitationally Lensed Image | |
| · · LensedG | LeG | Gravitationally Lensed Image of a Galaxy | |
| · · LensedQ | LeQ | Gravitationally Lensed Image of a Quasar | |
| · AGN | AGN | Active Galaxy Nucleus | |
| · · LINER | LIN | LINER-type Active Galaxy Nucleus | |
| · · Seyfert | SyG | Seyfert Galaxy | |
| · · · Seyfert_1 | Sy1 | Seyfert 1 Galaxy | |
| · · · Seyfert_2 | Sy2 | Seyfert 2 Galaxy | |
| · · Blazar | Bla | Blazar | |
| · · · BLLac | BLL | BL Lac - type object | |
| · · · OVV | OVV | Optically Violently Variable object | |
| · · QSO | QSO | Quasar |