SDWFS: Spitzer Infrared Survey of the Boötes Field

A four-epoch infrared survey covering 10 square degrees in the Boötes field, conducted using the IRAC instrument on the Spitzer Space Telescope. The data, a Spitzer Cycle 4 Legacy project, consists of 20 band-matched catalogs with Vega magnitudes in four wavelengths. It was produced by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and last updated in March 2026.

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 data.
• Characterizing galaxy evolution at high redshift (z ~ 3) based on the survey's large volume and reduced cosmic variance.
• Performing photometric analysis using Vega magnitudes reported in 3.6, 4.5, 5.8, and 8 micron bands.

Strengths

• Covers a wide field of 10 square degrees, providing a large survey volume.
• Includes four epochs of observation, enabling time-domain analysis over years.
• Source coordinates are aligned to 2MASS catalog positions within 0.2 arcsec.
• Photometry is provided using three measurement apertures (4 arcsec, 6 arcsec, and Kron radius).

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

Collection Method

Observations from the IRAC instrument on the Spitzer Space Telescope, processed into band-matched catalogs.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 19:36:18.345878; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Boötes field of the NOAO Deep Wide-Field Survey.