Westerlund 1: Chandra X-Ray Point Source Catalog for 241 Stellar Objects

NASA HEASARC provides a catalog of 241 X-ray point sources within the young massive cluster Westerlund 1. The data were derived from Chandra X-ray Observatory observations totaling 60 ks on May 22 and June 20, 2005, and the table was created in May 2008. The catalog investigates the nature of X-ray emission from evolved high-mass and low-mass pre-main-sequence stars in the cluster.

Use Cases

• Classifying stellar populations based on X-ray emission properties mentioned in the description.
• Analyzing the distribution and characteristics of X-ray point sources within a young massive cluster.
• Cross-referencing multi-wavelength data to constrain the nature of stellar X-ray emitters.
• Studying the correlation between X-ray properties and stellar evolutionary stages (e.g., pre-main-sequence vs. evolved high-mass stars).

Strengths

• Contains 241 distinct X-ray point sources identified above a defined sensitivity threshold.
• Based on Chandra X-ray Observatory observations totaling 60 ks of exposure time.
• Leverages a multi-wavelength dataset to constrain source nature, as mentioned in the description.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is from 2005 observations; freshness should be verified for current research needs.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA HEASARC)

Collection Method

Observations from the Chandra X-ray Observatory Advanced CCD Spectrometer Spectroscopic array.

Time Range

Observations from May 22 and June 20, 2005.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 17:46:31.283084; freshness should be verified

Geography

Stellar cluster Westerlund 1 (Galactic coordinates l=339.5, b=-0.4).