NGC 2516 X-Ray Point Source Catalog from XMM-Newton Observations

431 X-ray sources were detected in a deep survey of the young NGC 2516 star cluster using the XMM-Newton satellite's EPIC camera. The catalog, created by NASA HEASARC in May 2007, identifies 234 sources with optical counterparts and 20 new candidate cluster members. Observations span 19 months and achieve high sensitivity, enabling comparison with other young clusters like the Pleiades.

Use Cases

• Analyzing X-ray luminosity distributions of young star clusters based on Kaplan-Meier estimators mentioned in the description.
• Identifying new candidate members of open clusters based on combined X-ray emission and optical photometry.
• Studying stellar coronal temperatures and activity cycles by comparing X-ray spectra across clusters like the Pleiades and IC 2391.
• Investigating X-ray source variability over time by comparing results with previous ROSAT survey data.

Strengths

• 431 detected X-ray sources with a significance level greater than 5.0 sigma, leading to statistically at most one spurious source.
• High sensitivity achieved, greater than a factor of 5 with respect to recent Chandra observations.
• X-ray luminosities for cluster stars span the specific range log Lx (erg s^-1) = 28.4 - 30.8.
• Observations combine data from six XMM-Newton observations spanning a period of 19 months.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data was created in 2007; freshness should be verified for current research.

Provenance

Source

NASA HEASARC, based on CDS catalog J/A+A/450/993.

Collection Method

Combined data from six XMM-Newton EPIC camera observations performed with the thick filter.

Time Range

Observations span a period of 19 months during the first two years of XMM-Newton operations.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 17:43:47.067167; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Targets the NGC 2516 star cluster.