NGC 6231 Chandra X-Ray Catalog with 1,613 Point Sources

NGC 6231 Chandra X-Ray Point Source Catalog contains 1,613 X-ray sources detected in a young star cluster. The data was produced by NASA using Chandra ACIS-I observations from July 2005, with a total exposure time of 120.58 ks. It includes cross-identifications with optical and infrared catalogs and provides information on cluster membership, mass, and luminosity.

Use Cases

• Assessing cluster membership based on X-ray emission and spatial distribution mentioned in the description.
• Studying the initial mass function and formation history of the NGC 6231 cluster.
• Analyzing the origin of X-ray emission from different stellar subgroups.
• Performing spectral modeling of group-stacked X-ray source spectra.
• Investigating spatial distribution patterns of different stellar subgroups within the cluster.

Strengths

• Contains 1,613 detected X-ray point sources.
• Uses deep total exposure time of 120.58 ks from two Chandra observations.
• Complemented by cross-identifications with optical (VPHAS+) and infrared (2MASS) catalogs.
• Provides derived physical parameters like distance modulus (11.0), reddening (E(B-V)=0.47), and cluster membership.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Data from Chandra X-ray Observatory ACIS-I detector, processed with modified PWDetect source detection software.

Time Range

Observations from July 3-4 and 16-17, 2005.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 18:54:19.064127; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Covers the NGC 6231 star cluster in the Sco OB1 association.