  Coulomb correlations between the electrons imprint characteristic signatures
to the spectral properties of materials. Among others, they are at the origin
of a rich phenomenology of satellite features, either stemming from atomic-like
multiplets or from interactions with particle-hole excitations or plasmons.
While in many cases the latter lie at considerably higher energies than the
former, suggesting clear distinction criteria, this picture has recently become
blurred by indications that satellites of different types can coexist in the
same energy range. It is now generally accepted that the identification of the
nature of spectral features is a highly non-trivial task. In this article we
propose a general procedure for tracing the origin of satellites of different
types within modern ab initio calculations. As an illustration, we analyze the
ternary transition metal oxides SrVO$_3$ and SrMoO$_3$, which are drosophila
compounds for the coexistence of Hubbard and plasmonic satellites, reconciling
previous seemingly contradictory findings in an unexpected manner.
