YSOVAR: Mid-Infrared Light Curves for ~29,000 Young Stellar Objects

The YSOVAR (Young Stellar Object VARiability) Spitzer Space Telescope observing program obtained the first extensive mid-infrared time series photometry of the Orion Nebula Cluster plus 11 other star-forming cores. It contains light curves for approximately 29,000 unique objects in the 3.6 and 4.5 micron IRAC channels. The project is a sister to CSI 2264, with initial results described in 2011 and detailed conventions established in 2014.

Use Cases

• Modeling stellar accretion and variability based on mid-infrared light curves.
• Identifying and classifying young stellar objects based on their time-series photometry.
• Comparing variability characteristics across different star-forming regions like the Orion Nebula Cluster and Serpens Main.
• Analyzing the correlation between variability patterns and stellar evolutionary stages.

Strengths

• Contains light curves for approximately 29,000 unique astronomical objects.
• Provides the first extensive mid-infrared time series photometry for its target star-forming regions.
• Data reduction and project conventions are documented in a dedicated 2014 publication.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect observational bias inherent to the Spitzer Space Telescope's specific fields of view.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Observational data gathered by the Spitzer Space Telescope's IRAC instrument as part of the YSOVAR program.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 16:44:08.079211; freshness should be verified.