PPMXL Catalog: Full-Sky Positions and Motions for 900 Million Stars and Galaxies
Updated 3mo ago
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Description
900 million stars and galaxies are cataloged in the PPMXL dataset, which provides positions, proper motions, and photometric data. It is a full-sky re-reduction of the USNO-B1 and 2MASS catalogs to the ICRS reference frame, aiming for completeness down to about V=20 magnitude. The dataset was last updated on 2026-03 13 and is provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Use Cases
Analyze stellar proper motions across the full sky based on the catalog's astrometric data.
Study the distribution and photometric properties of stars and galaxies based on combined 2MASS and optical photometry.
Perform cross-matching and reference frame alignment with other astronomical catalogs based on the ICRS-reduced positions.
Strengths
Contains data for approximately 900 million celestial objects.
Aims for full-sky completeness down to a specific magnitude (V=20).
Integrates data from two established source catalogs (USNO-B1 and 2MASS).
Limitations
Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
File formats include BIN, which may require specialized tools for access.
Provenance
Source
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Collection Method
Re-reduction of USNO-B1 together with 2MASS to the ICRS reference frame.
Time Range
null
Freshness
Last updated 2026-03-13 17:58:27.718780; freshness should be verified.
Geography
Full-sky coverage.
License is listed as 'other-license-specified'; terms must be reviewed before use.