GLIMPSE SMOG: Infrared Point Source Catalog for the Outer Galaxy

A 21 square degree area of the Outer Galaxy was mapped by the Spitzer Space Telescope's IRAC and MIPS instruments. The data were processed by the Wisconsin GLIMPSE IRAC pipeline to produce two types of source lists: a high-reliability point source Catalog and a more complete point source Archive. The dataset is provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and was last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Identify and classify point sources like stars and protostars based on infrared photometry.
• Compare source reliability and completeness between the high-reliability Catalog and the more complete Archive.
• Study the structure and star formation activity in a specific region of the Outer Galaxy (l=102° to 109°, b=0° to 3°).

Strengths

• Covers a 21 square degree area with data from two Spitzer Space Telescope instruments (IRAC and MIPS).
• Provides two curated source lists offering a trade-off between reliability and completeness.
• Data processed by a dedicated pipeline (Wisconsin GLIMPSE IRAC pipeline).

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is stored in a BIN format, which may require specialized tools for access and analysis.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Observational data from the Spitzer Space Telescope's IRAC and MIPS instruments, processed by the Wisconsin GLIMPSE IRAC pipeline.

Time Range

Observations likely from the Spitzer mission era (2003-2020), as referenced in Carey et al. 2008.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 18:21:00.195909; freshness should be verified.

Geography

A region in the Outer Galaxy (Galactic longitude l=102° to 109°, Galactic latitude b=0° to 3°).