HEAO 1 A2 LED: Catalog of High-Energy X-ray Sources

From August 1977 to January 1979, the HEAO 1 satellite's A-2 Low Energy Detector surveyed over 95 percent of the sky in the 0.18-0.44 keV and 0.44-2.8 keV energy bands. The catalog lists 114 high-energy X-ray sources identified with a 6 sigma significance criterion, including galactic stellar sources, extragalactic sources, supernova remnants, and galactic bulge sources. This dataset was produced by the NASA HEASARC and includes counterpart identifications and publication references through the end of 1981.

Use Cases

• Classifying X-ray source types based on the listed categories of stellar, extragalactic, and supernova remnant objects.
• Analyzing the spatial distribution of high-energy sources based on the all-sky survey coverage.
• Cross-referencing historical X-ray source identifications with modern catalogs using the provided counterpart list.
• Studying source detection sensitivity based on the stated limiting flux values of 1e-11 and 3e-11 erg/cm²/s.

Strengths

• Surveys over 95 percent of the sky, providing near-complete coverage.
• Lists 114 sources identified with a strict 6 sigma significance criterion.
• Includes counterpart identifications and a cross-reference to team publications through 1981.

Limitations

• Data collection ended in 1979, representing a historical snapshot.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA HEASARC)

Collection Method

Data obtained with the A-2 Low Energy Detector on the HEAO 1 satellite.

Time Range

August 1977 to January 1979

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 18:34:13.648633; freshness should be verified.

Geography

All-sky survey (over 95% of the sky)