GLIMPSE II Archive: Infrared Point Sources from the Galactic Plane Survey

Two-epoch infrared observations of the Galactic plane were taken in September 2005 and April 2006. The GLIMPSE II Archive contains point sources with a signal-to-noise >5 in at least one band, with photometric uncertainty typically under 0.3 magnitudes. This data was produced by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Use Cases

• Identify and catalog stellar point sources based on infrared signal-to-noise criteria.
• Analyze photometric properties and variability from two-epoch observations taken six months apart.
• Study the structure and density of stars in specific latitude and longitude bands of the Galactic plane.
• Compare source entries between the less stringent Archive and the more stringent Catalog subsets.

Strengths

• Two-epoch temporal coverage provides data for variability analysis.
• Photometric uncertainty is typically under 0.3 magnitudes, suggesting precise measurements.
• Coverage is defined for specific latitude and longitude bands around the Galactic center.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data excludes the Galactic center region (l=±1◦, b=±0.75◦) observed by a separate program.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Infrared survey observations from the Galactic Legacy Infrared Mid-Plane Survey Extraordinaire (GLIMPSEII) program.

Time Range

September 2005 and April 2006

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 18:01:36.193110; freshness should be verified

Geography

Galactic plane longitudes ±10◦ of the Galaxy center, with variable latitude coverage.