Astronomers are the oldest data collectors. The first catalogue of stars is due to Hipparchus, in the second century . Since that time, and more precisely since the end of the last century, there has been an important increase in astronomical data. EHie to the development of space astronomy during recent decades, we have witnessed a veritable inflation. Confronted with this flood of data, astronomers have to change their methodology. It is necessary not only to manage large databases, but also to take into account recent developments in information retrieval
