SAGE-SMC: Infrared Source Catalog for the Small Magellanic Cloud

The SAGE-SMC project is a Spitzer Space Telescope legacy program surveying the Small Magellanic Cloud. This dataset is a combined full list of sources extracted from MIPS 160 micron mosaics across multiple observation epochs. The data was produced by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Identify and analyze evolved stars and young stellar objects based on multi-epoch infrared observations.
• Study source variability over time based on data separated by 3 and 9-month intervals.
• Model and remove imaging artifacts like striping based on observations taken at a 90-degree roll angle.
• Filter and validate point-like sources based on correlation value and signal-to-noise criteria described in the documentation.

Strengths

• Data combines observations from multiple epochs (Epochs 0, 1, and 2) to mitigate imaging artifacts.
• Sources were filtered using specific criteria: correlation value >0.89 (or >0.91 in structured regions) and signal-to-noise >5.
• The final single-epoch catalog is estimated to have less than 1% unreliable sources.

Limitations

• The 'Full List' contains all extracted sources, including spurious ones, requiring user filtering.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Spitzer Space Telescope SAGE-SMC project.

Collection Method

Infrared observations from the Spitzer Space Telescope's IRAC and MIPS instruments, reduced with consistent software.

Time Range

Observations were taken at two primary epochs separated by 3 (IRAC) and 9 (MIPS) months.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 18:09:36.667658; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Covers the Small Magellanic Cloud, a tidally-disrupted, low-metallicity dwarf galaxy.