SAGE-SMC: MIPS 24 Micron Infrared Source List for the Small Magellanic Cloud

The SAGE-SMC project mapped the Small Magellanic Cloud using the Spitzer Space Telescope's MIPS instrument at 24 microns. This dataset is the full list of sources extracted from the Epoch 1 mosaics, filtered for point-like sources with a correlation value >0.89 and signal-to-noise >5. The program was led by Karl Gordon (STScI) as a Cycle 4 legacy project, with initial results described in a 2010 paper.

Use Cases

• Identifying evolved stars and young stellar objects based on infrared variability across two observation epochs.
• Analyzing point-like infrared sources in the Small Magellanic Cloud based on correlation and signal-to-noise criteria.
• Removing imaging artifacts from MIPS and IRAC data using observations from two epochs separated by 3 to 9 months.
• Studying galaxy evolution in a tidally-disrupted, low-metallicity environment using infrared survey data.

Strengths

• Data collection designed to optimally remove striping artifacts in MIPS and column/row artifacts in IRAC images via a 90-degree roll angle.
• Sources filtered with specific quality criteria: correlation >0.89 (or >0.91 in structured regions) and signal-to-noise >5.
• The final Epoch 1 catalog is estimated to have less than 1% remaining unreliable sources.

Limitations

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

Provenance

Source

Spitzer Space Telescope, SAGE-SMC legacy program (PI: Karl Gordon, STScI).

Collection Method

Infrared observations at 24 microns using the MIPS instrument, processed with StarFinder code and mosaic uncertainty images.

Time Range

Observations from two epochs (Epoch 1 and 2) separated by 9 months for MIPS.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 20:01:13.162301; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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