XMM-Newton OM Object Catalog: Serendipitous UV/Optical Source Detections

NASA's XMM-Newton observatory Optical Monitor (OM) catalog contains entries for every source detected in publicly available imaging-mode data. The catalog covers roughly 0.5% of the sky across 3425 fields as of early 2014, with data recorded simultaneously with X-ray observations. This version, XMMOMCAT, was generated by the HEASARC in February 2014, featuring improved coordinates and a consolidated row-per-object structure.

Use Cases

• Extending optical or X-ray spectral energy distributions into the ultraviolet based on multi-band photometry.
• Studying objects at higher angular resolution compared to GALEX survey data.
• Finding high-Galactic-latitude objects of interest for follow-up UV spectroscopy.
• Cross-matching serendipitous UV/optical sources with other astronomical catalogs.

Strengths

• Data from a major space observatory (XMM-Newton) with simultaneous X-ray and optical/UV recording.
• Covers approximately 0.5% of the sky across 3425 distinct fields.
• Includes improved coordinates and quality flags compared to the previous XMMOMOBJ version.
• Provides data in multiple filters (V, B, U, UVW1, UVM2, UVW2, white) with exposure and detection parameters.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data coverage is limited to public archive holdings as of the beginning of 2014.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) HEASARC.

Collection Method

Generated from publicly available XMM-Newton Optical Monitor images using standard ESAS software with post-processing for coordinate corrections.

Time Range

Observations up to the beginning of 2014.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 19:22:26.875784; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Sky coverage (approximately 0.5% of the celestial sphere).