SPT-SZ Survey: Catalog of 677 Galaxy Clusters from the South Pole Telescope

A catalog of 677 galaxy cluster candidates selected via the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect signature from 2500 square degrees of South Pole Telescope (SPT) data, completed in 2011. The sample includes 415 clusters first identified by SPT, with 251 new discoveries, and has a median redshift of 0.55 and a median mass of approximately 3.5x10^14 solar masses. The data was aggregated by NASA's HEASARC and last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Cosmological analyses based on the large redshift extent and high typical mass of the cluster sample.
• Studies of cluster formation and evolution based on the clean SZ-effect selection and mass estimates.
• Cross-matching and validation of cluster candidates using the reported photometric and spectroscopic redshifts.
• Investigating the high-redshift universe using clusters at z > 1.4 identified in the catalog.

Strengths

• Contains 677 cluster candidates with a high confirmation rate (76% for candidates above signal-to-noise threshold 4.5).
• Mass threshold is roughly independent of redshift above z ~ 0.25, providing a sample of massive clusters extending to high redshift.
• Includes redshifts for systems, with spectroscopic observations for 141 clusters.

Limitations

• 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 (NASA), HEASARC.

Collection Method

Galaxy clusters selected via Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect signature from the South Pole Telescope SPT-SZ survey, with confirmation from ground- and space-based optical/NIR imaging.

Time Range

Survey conducted from 2008 to 2011.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 17:40:18.309316; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Covers a contiguous region of the southern sky from 20h to 7h in Right Ascension and -65 to -40 degrees in Declination.