SAGE-SMC: MIPS 70-Micron Infrared Source Catalog for the Small Magellanic Cloud

A legacy program from the Spitzer Space Telescope Cycle 4, the SAGE-SMC project surveyed the Small Magellanic Cloud. The dataset contains a full list of sources extracted from MIPS 70-micron mosaics across multiple observation epochs. It was produced by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Identify and study evolved stars based on infrared point-source detections.
• Analyze young stellar object variability using constraints from two observation epochs.
• Map infrared emission and structure in the tidally-disrupted Small Magellanic Cloud.
• Remove imaging artifacts by comparing data from epochs with a 90-degree detector roll.

Strengths

• Observations from two epochs separated by 9 months (MIPS) to constrain source variability.
• Sources filtered by correlation value (>0.89 or >0.91) and signal-to-noise ratio (>5).
• Final catalog reliability estimated at less than 1% for remaining unreliable sources.

Limitations

• The 'Full List' contains spurious sources as it includes all extracted sources.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Infrared mapping using MIPS and IRAC instruments, with data reduced using consistent software.

Time Range

Observations conducted in multiple epochs (Epoch 0, 1, and 2).

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 17:43:15.708976; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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