Ultraluminous X-Ray Sources in 85 External Galaxies Catalog

229 ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) cataloged from the astronomy literature as of April 2004. This catalog, created by NASA's HEASARC, provides properties of ULXs, their multi-wavelength counterparts, and their host galaxies. Most sources are likely stellar-mass black hole binaries, with some possibly being intermediate-mass black holes or background objects.

Use Cases

• Classifying ULX types based on reported X-ray luminosity and host galaxy properties.
• Cross-matching ULX positions with optical, infrared, and radio data to identify counterparts.
• Studying the distribution of high-luminosity X-ray sources in different galactic environments like starbursts and early-type galaxy halos.
• Investigating the potential for intermediate-mass black holes using the catalog's luminosity and positional data.

Strengths

• Contains 229 distinct ULX sources for analysis.
• Covers 85 different external galaxies, providing a broad sample.
• Includes multi-wavelength counterpart information (optical, IR, radio) for cross-reference.
• Data was corrected for a known error in declination signs in a 2012 update.

Limitations

• Data is based on literature reports up to April 2004, which may not reflect current discoveries.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

NASA HEASARC, based on CDS tables J/A+A/429/1125/table1a.dat and table1b.dat.

Collection Method

Compiled from reports in the astronomy literature.

Time Range

Literature reports as of April 2004.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 17:21:57.564222; freshness should be verified.

Geography

External galaxies (extragalactic).