SDWFS: Spitzer Infrared Survey of the Boötes Field, Four Epochs

The Boötes field, covering 10 square degrees, was surveyed by the Spitzer Space Telescope's IRAC instrument across four epochs. This dataset consists of 20 band-matched catalogs reporting Vega magnitudes in four infrared bands, with source coordinates aligned to 2MASS positions. It was produced by NASA as a Spitzer Cycle 4 Legacy project to study galaxy evolution and variable objects.

Use Cases

• Selecting infrared-variable objects based on multi-epoch observations over years.
• Identifying high proper motion objects across a wide field using the four-epoch structure.
• Characterizing galaxy evolution at high redshift (z ~ 3) based on the large survey volume.
• Analyzing photometric properties using magnitudes from three different aperture measurements (4", 6", Kron).

Strengths

• Covers a wide field of 10 square degrees, reducing the impact of cosmic variance for most systems.
• Provides data across four epochs, enabling time-domain analysis over years.
• Coordinates are matched to 2MASS catalog positions within 0.2 arcseconds.
• Includes 20 catalogs covering four epochs and a coadded total across four infrared bands.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Infrared survey using the IRAC instrument on the Spitzer Space Telescope, part of the Spitzer Cycle 4 Legacy project.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 16:34:55.675199; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Observations of the Boötes field from the NOAO Deep Wide-Field Survey.