SDWFS: Spitzer Infrared Survey of 10 Square Degrees in Boötes

Four-epoch infrared survey of 10 square degrees in the Boötes field using the Spitzer Space Telescope's IRAC instrument. The Spitzer Cycle 4 Legacy project provides 20 band-matched catalogs with Vega magnitudes at 3.6, 4.5, 5.8, and 8 microns, permitting the selection of variable and high proper motion objects. Data from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration was last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Select infrared-variable astronomical objects based on multi-epoch observations over years.
• Identify high proper motion objects across a wide field using the four-epoch survey design.
• Characterize galaxy evolution at high redshift (z ~ 3) based on the survey's large volume and reduced cosmic variance.
• Perform photometric analysis using Vega magnitudes reported for four IRAC bands and three measurement apertures.

Strengths

• Covers a wide field of 10 square degrees, providing a large survey volume.
• Includes data from four distinct epochs, enabling time-domain analysis over years.
• Provides 20 catalogs with band-matched data across four infrared wavelengths and multiple measurement apertures.
• Source coordinates are aligned with the 2MASS catalog to within 0.2 arcseconds.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Tabulated uncertainties are estimated as twice the SExtractor statistical uncertainties, which may not fully characterize systematics.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Observations from the IRAC instrument on the Spitzer Space Telescope, processed with SExtractor.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 16:47:13.052610; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Boötes field of the NOAO Deep Wide-Field Survey.