Chandra ACIS GSG Catalog: 217,828 X-Ray Point Sources

363,530 source detections from 10,029 Chandra ACIS observations, processed uniformly to produce a catalog of 217,828 distinct X-ray sources. The catalog provides estimates for source properties like positions, counts, colors, fluxes, and luminosities, and includes cross-correlations with galaxies. This dataset was created by NASA and the HEASARC, with the archival data downloaded on December 4, 2014.

Use Cases

• Studying intra-observation variability based on 17,092 sources classified as variable with the K-S criterion.
• Analyzing long-term inter-observation variability based on 99,647 sources observed more than once.
• Identifying and categorizing supersoft sources (SSSs) based on 1,638 individual objects classified as such.
• Conducting statistical studies on X-ray luminosity functions in different types of galaxies based on cross-correlation data.
• Investigating X-ray activity in different stellar types using the uniform source property estimates.

Strengths

• Contains 217,828 distinct X-ray sources, which is twice the size of the Chandra Source Catalog (Version 1.1).
• Derived from 10,029 ACIS observations with a total exposure time of 221,851 ks.
• Includes cross-correlation analysis, identifying 17,828 sources within the D25 isophotes of 1,110 galaxies.
• Provides variability statistics and classifications for a large subset of sources.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is based on archival observations downloaded in 2014; freshness should be verified for current studies.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), HEASARC

Collection Method

Uniform processing of archival data downloaded from the Chandra Data Archive.

Time Range

Observations cover exposure times from 50 s to 190 ks; archival data downloaded on 2014-12-04.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 18:47:30.480221; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Celestial/astronomical coverage; sources are correlated with specific galaxies.