Template:Cite Gaia DR2/doc

Usage
This template produces a standardised citation and link to the Gaia data release 2 (DR2), a frequently-cited source of astrometric data in astronomy articles.

Using this template provides uniform and accurate citations across large numbers of articles, and links directly to the relevant entry in the catalogue. Initially the template was also used to automatically update the citations, because full bibliographic information was not available when Gaia DR2 was released on 25 April 2018.

Cite Gaia DR2 can be used without parameters, in which case it generates just the standard citation. The single parameter is used to create a link to an individual DR2 entry in the VizieR database; this is optional but encouraged. The parameter should be the 19-digit Gaia DR2 designation, listed in the catalogue as "Gaia DR2 NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN".

For example, to link to the database entry for WR 31a, which is Gaia DR2 5338229115839425664: returns