NGC 2516 Chandra X-Ray Point Source Catalog with 288 Entries

284 X-ray sources were detected in the young open star cluster NGC 2516, with 155 identified as photometric cluster members. The catalog was created by the HEASARC in December 2006 based on eight combined Chandra observations, achieving a sensitivity threshold of log f_X = -14.56 erg/s/cm². It is provided as a service by NASA HEASARC.

Use Cases

• Identify X-ray emitting members of the NGC 2516 star cluster based on the 155 matched sources.
• Analyze X-ray luminosity distributions for cluster members based on the reported log L_X values.
• Study the population of unidentified X-ray sources based on the 73 sources without optical counterparts.
• Cross-match X-ray and optical catalogs for source identification, referencing the 4 sources with ambiguous counterparts.

Strengths

• Combines 8 individual Chandra observations (5 ACIS and 3 HRC-I) for greater sensitivity.
• Reports a specific sensitivity threshold: log f_X = -14.56 erg/s/cm² at the cluster's 387 pc distance.
• Provides clear identification counts: 155 sources with cluster members, 60 with non-members, and 73 unidentified.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Last updated 2026-03-13 18:54:57.591906; freshness should be verified.

Provenance

Source

NASA HEASARC, based on CDS table J/ApJ/588/1009.

Collection Method

Analysis of eight combined Chandra X-ray observations.

Time Range

Observational timeframe not specified; catalog created 2006.

Freshness

Catalog created December 2006; last metadata update 2026-03-13.

Geography

Targets the NGC 2516 star cluster.