NGC 4649 Chandra X-Ray Discrete Source Catalog: 165 Resolved Sources

165 discrete X-ray sources resolved in the elliptical galaxy NGC 4649 (M 60) by a Chandra observation. The catalog was created by NASA HEASARC in April 2007 based on a 2000 observation with a 36,780-second exposure. The sources are likely low-mass X-ray binaries, and their luminosity function is described by a broken power law.

Use Cases

• Analyze the luminosity function of X-ray sources based on the broken power law model described.
• Study the population of low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) in elliptical galaxies.
• Investigate the distinction between neutron star and black hole accretors based on break luminosity comparisons.
• Validate source detection algorithms using the wavelet and local cell methods mentioned.

Strengths

• Contains 165 discrete sources identified with a low false-detection threshold (<1 false source expected).
• Based on a 36,780-second Chandra ACIS-S3 observation, implying high spatial resolution.
• Source detection used a rigorous two-method approach (wavelet and local cell).

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Analysis is limited to the S3 chip data, excluding serendipitous sources from other active chips.

Provenance

Source

NASA HEASARC, based on CDS catalog J/ApJ/600/729.

Collection Method

Chandra X-ray observation using the ACIS-S3 CCD, with source detection via wavelet and local cell algorithms.

Time Range

Observation date 2000 April 20.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 18:48:15.909214; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Target is the elliptical galaxy NGC 4649 (M 60).