MGPS-2: 48,850 Compact Radio Sources in the Southern Galactic Plane

48,850 compact radio sources identified at 843 MHz by the Molonglo Observatory Synthesis Telescope. This second-epoch catalog covers the southern Galactic plane within specific longitude and latitude ranges, with positions accurate to 1-2 arcseconds. The HEASARC table was created in January 2008 based on a CDS catalog from 2007.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the spatial distribution of compact radio sources based on Galactic longitude and latitude coordinates.
• Studying radio source properties and densities in the southern Galactic plane compared to extragalactic backgrounds.
• Cross-matching and correlating radio sources with other astronomical surveys based on precise positional data.
• Investigating the methodology for separating compact from extended sources as described in the reference publication.

Strengths

• Contains 48,850 compact sources, providing a substantial sample for statistical analysis.
• Positions are accurate to 1-2 arcseconds, enabling precise cross-identification.
• Survey conducted at 843 MHz with a 45 arcsecond restoring beam, described as the highest resolution large-scale radio survey of the southern Galactic plane at the time.

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 geographic bias inherent to its specific coverage of the southern Galactic plane.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA HEASARC), based on CDS catalog J/MNRAS/382/382.

Collection Method

Sources identified by fitting elliptical Gaussians to MGPS 2nd-epoch mosaic images to a limiting peak brightness of 10 mJy/beam, with a custom method to remove extended sources.

Time Range

Catalog version dated 15-Aug-2007.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 18:23:09.801270; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Covers the southern Galactic plane (|b| < 10 degrees, 245 < l < 365 degrees).