LkH-alpha 101 Region: Chandra X-Ray Point Source Catalog with Infrared Counterparts

NASA's Chandra X-Ray Observatory catalog contains 213 detected X-ray point sources from a star-forming region centered on the Herbig Be star LkH-alpha 101. The data combines 40 ks Chandra observations with near-IR data from 2MASS and Spitzer Space Telescope, identifying 158 sources with infrared counterparts. The study estimates a cluster distance of approximately 510 parsecs and a median age of about 1 million years.

Use Cases

• Classifying young stellar objects (protostars, Class II/III) based on combined X-ray and infrared emission.
• Analyzing spatial distribution of different stellar classes to understand cluster dynamics.
• Estimating fundamental cluster properties like distance and total size using multi-wavelength data.
• Studying the correlation between X-ray activity and infrared properties in pre-main-sequence stars.

Strengths

• Contains 213 X-ray sources with 158 having identified infrared counterparts.
• Integrates data from three major observatories: Chandra, 2MASS, and Spitzer.
• Provides independent estimates for cluster distance (510 pc) and total size (255 stars).
• Classifies objects into specific evolutionary stages (e.g., 9 protostars, 48 Class II objects).

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect observational bias inherent to the specific Chandra field of view and detection limits.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Observational data from Chandra ACIS-I, 2MASS, and Spitzer IRAC/MIPS, merged and analyzed using CIAO tools.

Time Range

Observations from 2005 March 6 and 8.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 18:37:49.057367; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Aimpoint at RA, Dec = 04:30:14.4, +35:16:22.2 (J2000.0), covering a ~17' x 17' field.