Cataclysmic Variables Catalog: 2006 Edition with Coordinates and Variability Data

40% of the cataloged objects were dwarf novae as of December 2000, with another 30% being novae. This catalog from NASA HEASARC contains data for objects classified as cataclysmic variables (CVs), including coordinates, variability type, magnitude range, and orbital periods. The final edition was updated in February 2006 and is based on the Catalog and Atlas of Cataclysmic Variables published in 2001.

Use Cases

• Classifying stellar variability types based on the catalog's designated variability type field.
• Analyzing the distribution of orbital periods for different classes of cataclysmic variables.
• Cross-referencing celestial objects using the provided coordinates measured in the Hubble Space Telescope Guide Star Survey frame.
• Studying the historical outbursts of novae based on the included year of outburst data.

Strengths

• Includes a large number of objects classified as cataclysmic variables, with specific subtype percentages provided (40% dwarf novae, 30% novae).
• Contains multiple data points per object, such as coordinates, magnitude range, orbital periods, and galactic latitude/longitude.
• 90% of the CVs had references to published finding charts and 64% had published spectra as of the catalog's reference date.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The core data reflects a snapshot as of December 2000, with the catalog structure last updated in 2006.

Provenance

Source

NASA HEASARC, based on the Catalog and Atlas of Cataclysmic Variables (Downes et al. 2001).

Collection Method

Compiled from literature and the Hubble Space Telescope Guide Star Survey, with plate identification information included.

Time Range

Catalog reference state is as of December 2000; final edition updated in 2006.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 19:34:47.437148; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Celestial coordinates covering the sky.