Bolocam Galactic Plane Survey v2: Millimeter-Wave Images and Source Catalog

The Bolocam Galactic Plane Survey Version 2 (BGPS v2) includes millimeter-wave images and an associated source catalog, released by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The v2 release features improved image fidelity, more uniform noise, and expanded coverage in both the inner and outer galaxy, including regions like M17 and Orion. The catalog, extracted using the Bolocat algorithm, has about a 75% overlap with the prior v1 catalog, and flux calibration errors from v1 have been corrected.

Use Cases

• Identify and catalog millimeter-wave sources in the Galactic Plane based on the Bolocat-extracted catalog.
• Compare source properties and positions between the v1 and v2 BGPS catalogs to study discrepancies, especially for faint sources.
• Analyze improved image fidelity and noise structure in the v2 images for specific regions like M17 or Orion.
• Cross-match BGPS v2 sources with other surveys like ATLASGAL or Herschel Hi-Gal to verify positional accuracy.

Strengths

• The v2 data corrects a known flux calibration error from v1, with brightness increased by an average factor of approximately 1.5.
• Images have improved fidelity and more uniform noise compared to the previous release.
• Coverage is expanded to include new fields in the outer galaxy and expansions in the inner galaxy, such as around the l=110 region.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale statistical analysis.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Data gathered from the Bolocam instrument, with sources extracted using the Bolocat algorithm.

Time Range

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Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 19:06:20.611751; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Covers the Galactic Plane, including specific regions like M17, Orion, and fields at various longitudes.