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NOTICE:
This Legacy journal article was published in Volume 4, February 1994, and has not been
updated since publication. Please use the search facility above to find regularly-updated information about
this topic elsewhere on the HEASARC site.
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The HEASARC Online Service
Pat Tyler
HEASARC
The HEASARC currently has over 90 databases available for BROWSing within the
Online Service. The following is the listing of SYSTEM databases:
Name Description Observatory
ASCAO ASCA Accepted AO Proposals ASCA
ASCALTL ASCA Long-term Timeline ASCA
ASCAPV ASCA PV Pointings ASCA
BBXRT BBXRT database BBXRT
GROLOG CGRO Phase II Viewing Plan CGRO
COSB COS-B Photon Catalog COS-B
NORTH20CM Catalog: 20 cm Radio CATALOG
ARIEL3A Catalog: 3A (Ariel-V) CATALOG
HBC Catalog: 3d Emission-Line Star CATALOG
RC3 Catalog: 3rd Ref Cat of Gal's CATALOG
UHURU4 Catalog: 4th Uhuru X-ray CATALOG
NORTH6CM Catalog: 6cm Radio CATALOG
ABELL Catalog: Abell Clusters CATALOG
BBURST Catalog: BATSE Bursts CGRO
CVCAT Catalog: Cataclysmic Variables CATALOG
KUEHR Catalog: Extragal. Radio Srcs CATALOG
SNRGREEN Catalog: Green SNRs CATALOG
GSC Catalog: HST guide stars CATALOG
HD Catalog: Henry Draper CATALOG
QSO Catalog: Hewitt & Burbidge QSO CATALOG
HIC Catalog: Hipparcos Input Main CATALOG
ZCAT Catalog: Huchra CfA Redshift CATALOG
IRASID Catalog: IRAS FSC Associations IRAS
IRASFSC Catalog: IRAS Faint Sources IRAS
IRASPSC Catalog: IRAS Point Sources IRAS
KONUS Catalog: Konus 11 & 12 VENERA
PULSAR Catalog: Lyne Pulsar CATALOG
MCKSION Catalog: McCook & Sion WD's CATALOG
MRC Catalog: Molonglo Radio Srcs CATALOG
PKSCAT90 Catalog: Parkes Southern Radio CATALOG
BULLETIN Catalog: Online Bulletins BULLETINS
PVOTRIG Catalog: PVO gamma-ray bursts PVO
RITTER Catalog: Ritter CVs & LMXRBs CATALOG
SAO Catalog: SAO stars CATALOG
WOOLLEY Catalog: Stars <25 pc from Sun CATALOG
TD1 Catalog: Stellar UV Fluxes TD1
VSTARSUSP Catalog: Suspected Variables CATALOG
VSTARS Catalog: Variable Stars 4th ed CATALOG
VERON89 Catalog: Veron Quasars & AGN CATALOG
XRBCAT Catalog: X-Ray Binaries CATALOG
CNS3 Catalogue of Nearby Stars (3) CATALOG
DOCUMENTS Documents: HEASARC CATALOG
LE EXOSAT CMA (central 6 arc min) EXOSAT
CMA EXOSAT CMA Database EXOSAT
CMAIMAGE EXOSAT CMA Images EXOSAT
GS EXOSAT GS database EXOSAT
ME EXOSAT ME database EXOSAT
TGS EXOSAT TGS L and R orders EXOSAT
TGS2 EXOSAT Transmission Grating EXOSAT
EXOPUBS EXOSAT bibliography EXOSAT
Name Description Observatory
EXOLOG EXOSAT observation log EXOSAT
EMSS Einstein EMSS catalog Einstein
FPCSFITS Einstein FPCS events file list Einstein
HRICFA Einstein HRI CfA Source List Einstein
HRIEXO Einstein HRI EXO source list Einstein
HRIIMAGE Einstein HRI Image Database Einstein
HRIPHOT Einstein HRI Photon Event Data Einstein
IPCIMAGE Einstein IPC Image Database Einstein
IPC Einstein IPC Source List Einstein
OLDIPC Einstein IPC catalog (old) Einstein
IPCSLEW Einstein IPC slew catalog Einstein
OLDIPCSLEW Einstein IPC slew catalog(old) Einstein
EINLOG Einstein Observation Log Einstein
SSS Einstein SSS database Einstein
SSSHME Einstein SSS dbase-IBM listing Einstein
GINGAMODE Ginga LAC Mode Catalog Ginga
GINGALOG Ginga LAC Observation Log Ginga
A1 HEAO 1 A1 X-ray Catalog HEAO1
A2LED HEAO 1 A2 LED Sky Catalog HEAO1
A2PIC HEAO 1 A2 Piccinotti Catalog HEAO1
A2POINT HEAO 1 A2 Point Catalog HEAO1
A4 HEAO 1 A4 X-ray catalog HEAO1
A3 HEAO 1 MC LASS Catalog HEAO1
IUE IUE ULDA database IUE
OBSLOG Master Catalog: Obs Logs CATALOG
OPTICAL Master Catalog: Optical CATALOG
RADIO Master Catalog: Radio CATALOG
OLDRADIO Master Catalog: Radio (old) CATALOG
XRAY Master Catalog: X-ray CATALOG
OLDXRAY Master Catalog: X-ray (old) CATALOG
XCOLL Master Catalog: X-ray Collim. CATALOG
ZZDB Metabase: Available Databases SYSTEM
ZZFILES Metabase: available files SYSTEM
ZZFNAME Metabase: file relations SYSTEM
ROSATLOG ROSAT Log of Observations ROSAT
ROSPUBLIC ROSAT Public Archive List ROSAT
ROSOBS ROSAT Observations Status ROSAT
ROSUSHRI ROSAT HRI Public REV0 data ROSAT
ROSUSPSPC ROSAT PSPC Public REV0 data ROSAT
ROSGHRI ROSAT HRI Public REV0 data ROSAT
ROSGPSPC ROSAT PSPC Public REV0 data ROSAT
ROSID ROSAT Simbad Identifications ROSAT
ROSAO ROSAT accepted AO proposals ROSAT
ROSTL1 ROSAT AO1 long-term timeline ROSAT
ROSSTL ROSAT Short-term Timeline ROSAT
ROSLTL ROSAT long term timeline ROSAT
WFCBSC ROSAT WFC Bright Source Cat. ROSAT
SMMGRS SMM GRS Gamma-Ray Burst D'base SMM
VELA5B Vela 5B Database Vela 5B
Recent additions to the HEASARC Online Service
ASCAO - ASCA Accepted AO Proposals
The ASCAO database contains the listing of accepted proposals for ASCA AO1 as
well as targets from the PV phase.
ASCALTL - ASCA Long-term Timeline
The ASCALTL database contains the long-term timeline for the ASCA (Advanced
Satellite for Cosmology and Astrophysics) satellite.
VELA5B - Vela 5B Database
The VELA5B database contains FITS data products files. Data for these sources
were obtained from the Vela 5B all-sky XC detector.
The Vela 5B nuclear test detection satellite was part of a program run jointly
by the Advanced Research Projects of the U.S. Department of Defense and the
U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, managed by the U.S. Air Force. It was placed in
a nearly circular orbit at a geocentric distance of ~118,000 km on 23 May 1969;
the orbital period was ~112 hours. The satellite rotated about its spin axis
with a ~64-sec period. The X-ray detector was located ~90 degrees from the spin
axis, and so covered the celestial sphere twice per satellite orbit. Data were
telemetered in 1-sec count accumulations. Vela 5B operated until 19 June 1979,
although telemetry tracking was poor after mid-1976.
One important detector performance characteristic which affects the Vela 5B
data is a gain variation due to a ~60 deg C satellite temperature change from
one side of the orbit to the other. If the data for a source were taken when
the satellite was at one of its temperature extremes, a profound modulation is
introduced into the count rate at the 56-hour timescale between observation
sequences of the source. Additionally, the amplitude of the effect is modulated
by the ~300-day precession period of the Vela 5B orbit. Lack of pre-launch
testing precludes any quantitative post-launch compensation. A temperature time
history is available to HEASARC users in a FITS file (VELA_TEMP) so that they
may check any suspicious source data against the known times of temperature
extremes.
The time history of the Crab detected flux decreased by ~15% between 1969 and
1979. It is believed that this decrease is due to a gain change in the XC
detector as it aged. No attempt to correct for this trend has been made in the
data processing. Users who desire to do so, or who want to express detected
source intensities in units of crabs, will have to access the FITS file
containing the Crab data to extract the necessary information.
ROSGHRI - ROSAT German HRI Public REV0 Data
The ROSGHRI database contains the list of German ROSAT HRI observations for
which REV0 data are publicly available. The database is updated weekly, as new
datasets are released for public use and are ingested into the archive. ROSGHRI
also includes a list of all data which have been distributed to the PI and are
not yet public.
(ROSGHRI also includes a list of all data which have been distributed to the PI
and are not yet public; to see this information, switch to the TOTAL sample
with the BROWSE command csam total.)
For each observation listed in ROSGHRI, the target name and coordinates are
given, as well as the ROSAT observation request number (ROR), actual and
requested exposure times, date the observation took place, date data were
distributed to the PI, date data will become public, and more.
ROSGPSPC - ROSAT German PSPC Public REV0 Data
The ROSGPSPC database contains the list of German ROSAT PSPC observations for
which REV0 data are publicly available. The database is updated weekly, or as
new datasets are released for public use and are ingested into the archive.
(ROSGPSPC also includes a list of all data which have been distributed to the
PI and are not yet public; to see this information, switch to the TOTAL sample
with the BROWSE command csam total.)
For each observation listed in ROSGPSPC, the target name and coordinates are
given, as well as the ROSAT observation request number (ROR), actual and
requested exposure times, date the observation took place, date data were
distributed to the PI, date data will become public, and more.
CVCAT - General Catalogue of Variable Stars
The CVCAT database is the General Catalog of Variable Stars. This catalog
contains information necessary for obtaining observations of variable stars
and, in particular, cataclysmic variables.
XRBCAT - X-Ray Binaries Catalog
The XRBCAT database is a compilation from several sources of X-ray binaries.
PKSCAT90 - Parkes Southern Radio Source Catalog
PKSCAT90 is the Parkes Catalog (1990) which consists of radio and optical data
for 8264 radio sources. It covers essentially all the sky south of declination
+27 degrees but largely excludes the Galactic Plane and the Magellanic Cloud
regions.
The original Parkes Radio Catalogue was compiled from major radio surveys with
the Parkes radio telescope at frequencies of 408 MHz and 2700 MHz. This work
spanned a period of nearly 20 years and was undertaken largely by John Bolton
and his colleagues. Since then, improved positions, optical identifications,
and redshifts have been obtained for many of the sources in the Catalogue.
Furthermore, flux densities at several frequencies have supplemented the
original surveys so that the measurements now cover the frequency range
80-22,000 MHz. However, coverage at the highest frequencies is still sparse.
Important contributions to the usefulness of the Catalogue have been radio data
from the Molonglo 408 MHz survey and the 80 MHz Culgoora measurements of Slee
et al. PKSCAT90 should thus be regarded as a compendium of radio and optical
data about southern radio sources. However, at the moment, it contains only
sources originally found in the Parkes 2700 MHz Survey (see e.g. Part
14, Bolton et al, 1979, Aust J Phys, Astrophys Suppl, No.
46 and references therein).
The original radio survey data of the Catalogue and the optical identifications
have been published in a series of papers in the Australian Journal of Physics
(see above reference). The associated optical spectral data on which redshifts
were obtained has also been published, mainly in the Astrophysical
Journal and Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
Users should note that the sky zone between -4 and +4 degrees has been the
subject of a re-survey and is now complete to 0.25 Jy.
Newly Revised and Updated HEASARC Databases
The ROSAT Archives
The following ROSAT databases continue to be updated as necessary:
ROSSTL - ROSAT Short-term Timeline
The ROSSTL database is based on the ROSAT short term timeline. This is
generated by MPE approximately one week in advance of observations, and is
incorporated into the database (via the UKDC) accordingly. It contains details
of all scheduled pointed observations on a one entry per slot basis, where a
"slot" is an interval of constant celestial pointing with detector HTs switched
on.
ROSATLOG - ROSAT Log of Observations
The ROSATLOG database has been created for the purpose of providing a complete,
accurate and easily accessible record of ROSAT observations.
ROSATLOG is made by cross-correlating ROSAT observation records with the
short-term timeline, and contains information about all pointings executed by
the satellite during the performance verification (PV) and AO phases. For each
observation, details are given concerning target name and coordinates, pointing
start and stop times, PI name and country, ROSAT Observation Request sequence
number, and more.
ROSATLOG is periodically updated, as new short-term timelines and observation
records are generated at the German ROSAT Science Data Center at the Max Planck
Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE), and sent to the ROSAT Guest
Observer Facility at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC).
The ROSATLOG database has been made as accurate a record of ROSAT pointings as
is possible with the available information. The primary source of information
for the database is ASCII files dumped from a database at MPE. These ASCII
files contain information originally extracted from the attitude protocol
files, which are daily-generated files containing coordinate and time values
for each day's ROSAT pointing. Errors in the information extracted from the
attitude protocol files are weeded out and corrected in the database at MPE as
necessary, and the final versions of the ASCII files are output and sent to the
ROSAT GOF at GSFC, to be used as the basis for the ROSATLOG database.
Each observation listed in the MPE ASCII files has a ROSAT Observation Request
(ROR) sequence number associated with it. Using this sequence number, the
observation is matched with the corresponding entry in the ROSAT short-term
timeline. (The short-term timeline is also generated by MPE, approximately one
week in advance of observations. It is available online within the HEASARC
database system, as a database called ROSSTL.) Information such as PI name,
country, target name and number, primary instrument, solar angle, time
constraints, etc., is then extracted from the timeline and put into the
ROSATLOG database. (NOTE: Typing the BROWSE command lparm will
display all the ROSATLOG parameter names and one-line descriptions to the
screen. Those parameters with an asterisk at the beginning of their
descriptions are parameters whose values come from the ROSAT short-term
timeline; parameters without asterisks contain values extracted from the MPE
ASCII files.)
Certain ROSATLOG entries may have parameter fields which contain 0.0,
999.99, 9999, ??, or UNKNOWN. In these
cases, either the ROR was not found in the short-term timeline, or the ROR was
found but the completed observation could not be matched with one of the
planned observations listed in the short-term timeline.
Despite efforts to make ROSATLOG a complete and accurate record of ROSAT
pointings, some errors may still appear; thus ROSATLOG should be used only as a
basic guide to what pointings have been executed. ROSATLOG shows in which
direction ROSAT pointed, and at what time. HOWEVER, it does NOT reflect
problems which may have occurred during the pointing, and which can result in
the total exposure time being much less than the duration of the pointing.
ROSPUBLIC - ROSAT US Distributed REV0 Data
ROSUSPSPC - ROSAT US PSPC Public REV0 Data
ROSUSHRI - ROSAT US HRI Public REV0 Data
ROSID - ROSAT SIMBAD Identifications
The above catalogs are updated on a weekly basis or as new ROSAT data sets are
released for public use. For descriptions of these databases, please see
Legacy 3 or the online descriptions (DBHELP).
ROSLTL - ROSAT Long-term Timeline
The ROSAT Long-term Timeline has been updated to include AO4.
Master Catalogs
OPTICAL - Master Optical Catalog
In addition to the 14 online catalogs listed in Legacy 3, the
OPTICAL database also includes entries from the ROSID database of ROSAT Simbad
identifications.
XRAY - Master X-Ray Catalog Database
The XRAY database contains selected parameters from all HEASARC X-ray catalogs
with source positions located to better than a few arc minutes. The XRAY
database was created by copying all of the entries and common parameters from
the following databases:
- A2PIC - HEAO 1 A2 Piccinotti catalog
- A3 - HEAO 1 A3 MC LASS Catalog of X-ray Sources
- EMSS - Einstein Extended Medium Sensitivity Survey
- HRICFA - Einstein High Resolution Imager (HRI) Source List
- IPC - Einstein Imaging Proportional Counter (IPC) Source List
- IPCSLEW - IPC Slew Survey Catalog
- WFCBSC - ROSAT Wide Field Camera Bright Source Catalog
- XRBCAT - X-Ray Binaries Catalog
The XRAY database has many entries but relatively few parameters; it provides
users with general information about X-ray sources, obtained from a variety of
catalogs. XRAY is especially suitable for cone searches and cross-correlations
with other databases. Each entry in XRAY has a parameter called 'database'
which indicates from which original database the entry was copied; users can
browse that original database should they wish to examine ALL of the parameter
fields for a particular entry.
For some entries in XRAY, certain of the parameter fields are blank (or have
zero values); this indicates that the original database did not contain that
particular parameter. (The 'flux mCrab' parameter is often blank for this
reason, for instance.)
The HEASARC continues to add and to update catalogs and data sets for the
Online Service. An online listing of the latest available databases may be
obtained by typing `browse' at the `HEASARC>' prompt and entering
`<cr>' at each prompt for `Database name:' and `OBSERVATORY name'.
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