INTEGRAL IBIS: 9-Year Galactic Hard X-Ray Source Catalog

402 hard X-ray sources detected by the INTEGRAL observatory over nine years starting in 2003, representing the deepest Galactic survey in its energy band. The catalog includes 253 identified Galactic objects, such as X-ray binaries and cataclysmic variables, and 115 extragalactic objects. This table was created by NASA's HEASARC in September 2012 based on published astronomical data.

Use Cases

• Population studies of Galactic X-ray sources based on the catalog's 402 identified objects.
• Analyzing the distribution of source types (e.g., low-mass X-ray binaries, active galactic nuclei) across the Galactic plane.
• Mapping persistent hard X-ray emission in the Milky Way based on the nine-year averaged sky images.
• Benchmarking detection algorithms against a catalog with a ~92% identification completeness for Galactic sources.

Strengths

• Contains 402 sources exceeding a 4.7-sigma detection threshold in the 17-60 keV band.
• Offers high identification completeness (~92%) for the sample of Galactic sources, valuable for statistical studies.
• Based on nine years of observational data (2003 onward), providing a deep, time-averaged survey.

Limitations

• Optimized for persistent sources and may be biased against finding transients, as noted in the description.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for specific analytical tasks.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA HEASARC)

Collection Method

Observational data from the INTEGRAL observatory, processed with sky reconstruction algorithms for high-quality imaging.

Time Range

Nine years starting in 2003.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 18:27:02.940931; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Galactic plane at latitudes |b| < 17.5 degrees.