ROSAT North Ecliptic Pole Survey: Optical IDs for 445 X-ray Sources

A catalog of 445 X-ray sources from the ROSAT All-Sky Survey around the North Ecliptic Pole, with optical identifications for 99.6% of the sample. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) HEASARC created this table in April 2005 based on source data from the CDS. The catalog is centered at RA=18hr 00min Dec=+66deg 33' and covers a contiguous region of 80.7 square degrees.

Use Cases

• Classifying X-ray source populations based on the reported optical identification breakdown (AGN, stars, clusters).
• Analyzing the spatial distribution of X-ray sources within a contiguous 80.7 square degree survey area.
• Comparing source demographics and classifications with other surveys like the Einstein Extended Medium Sensitivity Survey (EMSS).
• Studying the properties of extragalactic objects using the determined redshifts mentioned in the description.

Strengths

• Features a high optical identification completeness rate of 99.6% for its 445 sources.
• Provides a homogeneous and contiguous sample covering a defined area of 80.7 square degrees.
• Includes detailed population statistics: ~49% active galactic nuclei, ~34% stellar counterparts, 14% clusters/groups.

Limitations

• The description notes data on AGN are superseded by a more recent 2004 catalog with corrected conversions and cosmology.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for specific modeling tasks.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration, HEASARC

Collection Method

Constructed from X-ray data of the ROSAT All-Sky Survey (RASS) around the North Ecliptic Pole.

Time Range

null

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 16:30:54.241608; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Centered at RA=18hr 00min Dec=+66deg 33', covering 80.7 square degrees at Galactic latitude b=29.8 degrees.