Spitzer/IRAC Galactic Center Point Source Catalog with 2MASS Photometry

The central 2.0 by 1.4 degrees of the Milky Way Galaxy was surveyed by the Spitzer Space Telescope's IRAC instrument at mid-infrared wavelengths. A catalog of 1,065,565 point sources was produced, providing magnitudes at 3.6, 4.5, 5.8, and 8.0 microns, supplemented by JHK photometry from the 2MASS survey. These data, from NASA's Cycle 1 program GO 3677, represent the highest spatial resolution and sensitivity uniform large-scale map of the region at the time.

Use Cases

• Identify and classify stellar populations based on infrared color-magnitude diagrams.
• Study spatial distribution and density of point sources across the Galactic Center region.
• Cross-match infrared sources with other wavelength catalogs using provided photometric data.
• Analyze the effects of variable extinction and background confusion on source detection limits.

Strengths

• Contains photometric data for over 1 million point sources.
• Provides uniform, high-sensitivity coverage across a large 2.0 by 1.4 degree area.
• Includes multi-wavelength data with four IRAC bands and supplemental 2MASS JHK photometry.
• Achieves high spatial resolution of approximately 2 arcseconds.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The catalog is confusion-limited with spatially variable detection thresholds.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Observations from the Spitzer Space Telescope's IRAC instrument in Cycle 1 (Program GO 3677).

Time Range

Cycle 1 observations; specific observation dates are not provided in the input.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 18:49:41.117562; freshness should be verified.

Geography

The central region of the Milky Way Galaxy, spanning approximately 2.0 degrees by 1.4 degrees (~280 pc by 200 pc).