EXOSAT TGS: X-ray Spectra from the Transmission Grating Spectrometer

EXOSAT satellite transmission grating spectrometer data provides X-ray spectra for astronomical sources. The data is organized into two databases: TGS for averaged spectra and TGS2 for separate positive and negative grating orders. NASA HEASARC maintains this service, last updated on 2026-03-13.

Use Cases

• Perform spectral fitting and analysis based on the averaged TGS spectra designed for quick use.
• Investigate the presence of subtle spectral features based on the separate positive and negative order data in TGS2.
• Study X-ray source composition and emission mechanisms based on grating spectrometer data.
• Compare spectral characteristics across different astronomical observations based on the EXOSAT archive.

Strengths

• Data is provided in two curated forms (TGS and TGS2) to suit different user expertise levels.
• Sourced from the EXOSAT satellite mission, a recognized space observatory.
• Maintained by NASA HEASARC, an authoritative astrophysics data archive.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and dataset scale are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data files are in BIN and HTML formats, which may require specialized tools for analysis.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) HEASARC

Collection Method

Spectra obtained using the EXOSAT transmission grating spectrometer (TGS).

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 19:28:41.436513; freshness should be verified.