2MASS LMC/SMC Calibration: Merged Point Source Photometry

Photometric calibration for the 2MASS survey was performed using 35 regular fields and 5 special fields in the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. The regular fields were scanned between 562 and 3692 times, while the Magellanic Cloud fields were observed 108 to 468 times between November 2000 and February 2001. This merged point source table contains mean positions, magnitudes, uncertainties, and confirmation statistics for sources detected multiple times, produced by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Use Cases

• Calibrating photometric zero points based on repeated observations of standard stars.
• Analyzing source variability or motion using the provided confirmation statistics.
• Cross-matching and merging astronomical point source detections within a 1.5" radius.
• Studying stellar populations in the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds using deep observation campaign data.

Strengths

• Calibration fields were scanned a high number of times (562 to 3692 scans for regular fields).
• Includes data from a dedicated deep observation (6x) campaign in the Magellanic Clouds.
• Merging process used autocorrelation for positional association, providing quality metrics.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is from a specific survey period (2000-2001); temporal coverage is limited.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Observations from the 2MASS survey, with merging via autocorrelation of positional associations.

Time Range

Primary survey operations, with special Magellanic Cloud observations from November 2000 to February 2001.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 19:00:06.606765; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Calibration fields near declinations -30°, 0°, +30°, and special fields in and around the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds.