The Midcourse Space Experiment Point Source Catalog Version 2.3 Explanatory Guide

Abstract

This Explanatory Guide describes Version 2.3 of the Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX) Point Source Catalog. The data calibration and processing are detailed, with particular attention to improvements over the initial published catalog, Version 1.2. The current catalog contains sources extracted from nearly all of the MSX astronomy experiments, including more than 100,000 sources that were not in the previous version. Most of the photometry was extracted from the co-added images, as opposed to the single-scan data, which significantly improves the signal-to-noise ratio of the point sources and hence their reliability. Comparison with Tycho-2 positions indicates that the astrometric accuracy of Version 2.3 is better by about I compared to Version 1.2. In addition to the Galactic Plane, Areas Missed by IRAS, and the Large Magellanic Cloud, which were included in Version 1.2, this release includes data from the Small Magellanic Cloud, eight nearby galaxies, and several molecular clouds and star forming regions.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 01, 2003
Accession Number
ADA418993

Entities

People

  • C. O. Wright
  • C. W. Engelke
  • D. R. Mizuno
  • G. M. Gugliotti
  • K. E. Kraemer
  • M. Cohen
  • M. P. Egan
  • S. D. Price
  • S. J. Carey

Organizations

  • Air Force Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Accuracy
  • Air Force Research Laboratories
  • Artificial Satellites
  • Calibration
  • Data Processing
  • Detection
  • Detectors
  • Flux Density
  • Focal Planes
  • Grids
  • High Latitudes
  • Infrared Detectors
  • Measurement
  • Reliability
  • Space Objects
  • Spacecraft
  • Two Dimensional

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Astronomy/Astrophysics
  • Computational Modeling and Simulation

Technology Areas

  • Space
  • Space - Space Objects