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NOTICE:This Legacy journal article was published in Volume 3, May 1993, 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. |
The HEASARC On-line Service
HEASARC
For information on how to access the HEASARC On-line Service, please see previous issues of Legacy or request a copy of the latest On-line Service Users Guide by contacting us via our Feedback form.
The HEASARC currently has over 100 databases accessible within the On-line Service. At present, the following SYSTEM databases are available:
Name Description
ASCAPV ASCA: PV Pointings
BBXRT BBXRT database
COSB COS-B Photon Catalog
20CMNORTH Catalog: 20cm radio
3ARIEL Catalog: 3A (Ariel-V)
HBC Catalog: 3d Emission-Line Star
RC3 Catalog: 3rd Ref Cat of Gal's
4UHURU Catalog: 4th Uhuru X-ray
6CMNORTH Catalog: 6cm radio
ABELL Catalog: Abell Clusters
BBURST Catalog: BATSE Bursts
KUEHR Catalog: Extragal. Radio Srcs
CNS3 Catalog: Gliese Nearby Stars 3
SNRGREEN Catalog: Green SNRs
GSC Catalog: HST guide stars
HD Catalog: Henry Draper
QSO Catalog: Hewitt & Burbidge QSO
HIC Catalog: Hipparcos Input Main
ZCAT Catalog: Huchra CfA Redshift
IRASID Catalog: IRAS FSC Associations
IRASFSC Catalog: IRAS Faint Sources
IRASPSC Catalog: IRAS Point Sources
KONUS Catalog: Konus 11 & 12
PULSAR Catalog: Lyne Pulsar
MCKSION Catalog: McCook & Sion WD's
MRC Catalog: Molonglo Radio Srcs
BULLETIN Catalog: Online Bulletins
PVOTRIG Catalog: PVO gamma-ray bursts
RITTER Catalog: Ritter CVs & LMXRBs
SAO Catalog: SAO stars
WOOLLEY Catalog: Stars <25 pc from Sun
TD1 Catalog: Stellar UV Fluxes
VSTARSUSP Catalog: Suspected Variables
VSTARS Catalog: Variable Stars 4th ed
VERON89 Catalog: Veron Quasars & AGN
DOCUMENTS Documents: HEASARC
LE EXOSAT CMA (central 6 arc min)
CMA EXOSAT CMA Database
CMAIMAGE EXOSAT CMA Images
GS EXOSAT GS database
ME EXOSAT ME database
TGS EXOSAT TGS L and R orders
TGS2 EXOSAT Transmission Grating
EXOPUBS EXOSAT bibliography
EXOLOG EXOSAT observation log
EMSS Einstein EMSS catalog
FPCSFITS Einstein FPCS events file list
HRICFA Einstein HRI CfA Source List
HRIEXO Einstein HRI EXO source list
HRIIMAGE Einstein HRI Image Database
HRIPHOT Einstein HRI Photon Event Data
IPCIMAGE Einstein IPC Image Database
IPC Einstein IPC Source List
OLDIPC Einstein IPC catalog (old)
IPCSLEW Einstein IPC slew catalog
OLDIPCSLEW Einstein IPC slew catalog (old)
SSS Einstein SSS database
SSSHME Einstein SSS dbase-IBM listing
EINLOG Einstein observation log
GROLOG GRO Phase II Viewing Plan
GINGAMODE Ginga LAC Mode Catalog
GINGALOG Ginga LAC Observation Log
A1 HEAO 1 A1 X-ray Catalog
A2LED HEAO 1 A2 LED Sky Catalog
A2PIC HEAO 1 A2 Piccinotti Catalog
A2POINT HEAO 1 A2 Point Catalog
A4 HEAO 1 A4 X-ray catalog
A3 HEAO 1 MC LASS Catalog
IUE IUE ULDA database
XRAY Master Catalog: X-ray
OLDXRAY Master Catalog: X-ray (old)
XCOLL Master Catalog: X-ray Collim.
OPTICAL Master Catalog: Optical
RADIO Master Catalog: Radio
OLDOPTICAL Master Catalog: Optical (old)
OLDRADIO Master Catalog: radio (old)
ZZDB Metabase: Available Databases
ZZFILES Metabase: available files
ZZFNAME Metabase: file relations
ROSTL1 ROSAT AO1 long-term timeline
ROSAO3 ROSAT AO3 schedule (1st half)
ROSPUBLIC ROSAT Distributed REV0 data
ROSUSHRI ROSAT HRI Public REV0 data
ROSOBS2 ROSAT Observations Status
ROSUSPSPC ROSAT PSPC Public REV0 data
ROSID ROSAT Simbad Identifications
WFCBSC ROSAT WFC Bright Source Cat.
ROSAO ROSAT accepted AO proposals
ROSLTL ROSAT Long Term Timeline
ROSOBS ROSAT observations status
ROSSTL ROSAT short-term timeline
SMMGRS SMM GRS [[gamma]]-Ray Burst D'base
Recent Additions
to the HEASARC On-line Service
The following databases have been acquired or updated since the publication of the last edition of Legacy and are now available to BROWSE:
ASCAPV - ASCA PV Pointings
The Astro-D satellite was successfully launched on February 20, 1993, at 11:00 JST (02:00 UT) from Kagoshima Space Center. The satellite was named ASCA (the Japanese characters for it mean "flying bird", or it is an acronym of an "advanced satellite for cosmology and astrophysics").
The ASCAPV database contains a list of the performance verification targets for ASCA (formerly Astro-D). These targets will be observered between March and September 1993. The coordinates are approximate. The exposure times include an assumed 50% loss for earth occultation and high particle background. Each source will be exposed to a minimum of 50% the given times.
BBURST - BATSE Bursts Catalog
The BBURST database catalogs the locations and times for 260 triggered gamma-ray bursts observed by the BATSE experiment onboard the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory from April 1991 until March 1992.
BULLETIN - Online Bulletins
The BULLETIN database stores bulletins issued by the HEASARC and by various observatories. BULLETIN is updated as the bulletins are received. Notice of the latest updates is posted in the HEASARC Online Service welcoming message.
BBXRT - BBXRT Observation Log and Data Products
The BBXRT database contains information about each observation made by the Broad Band X-Ray Telescope. It includes a catalog of observations and spectral and lightcurve products for each of the 10 pixels per observation.
The Broad Band X-Ray Telescope (BBXRT) was part of the ASTRO-1 mission which flew on the Space Shuttle Columbia December 2-10, 1990. The BBXRT instrument has 2 co-aligned telescopes with a 3.8-meter focal length. Each telescope contains a mirror assembly consisting of 118 curved, gold-plated aluminum reflectors, and a cryogenically cooled Si(Li) detector at the focal plane. Each detector is divided into 5 pixels; the central pixel has a 4 arcminute field of view, and the outer pixels extend the total field of view to 17 arcminutes. The effective energy range is 0.3-12 keV, with an energy resolution of approximately 150 eV at 6 keV.
FPCSFITS - Einstein FPCS Events File List
The FPCSFITS database is a listing of the Focal Plane Crystal Spectrometer photon event data. It was created in October 1992 and contains one entry for each of the 436 FPCS FITS files.
The FPCS photon event data was originally released on CD-ROM in June 1991 by the HEASARC at NASA/GSFC. The FPCS was a Bragg spectrometer on the Einstein Observatory whose purpose was to obtain high-resolution (E/[[Delta]]E = 100 - 1000) spectra of cosmic X-ray sources in the 0.2 - 3 keV range. This database is a listing of the photon event FITS files on the CD-ROM and allows access to any of the actual files from within BROWSE. Each entry contains source names, start and stop times, coordinates, energy, and number of events in each FITS file.
HBC - Third Catalog of Emission-Line Stars
The HBC database contains the Third Catalog of Emission-Line Stars of the Orion Population (Herbig and Bell (1988)) which lists 735 pre-main sequence stars, members of the Orion Population, that have been observed with slit spectrographs or at equivalent resolution. It is intended to replace the Second Catalog of Herbig and Rao (1972). It gives accurate coordinates (many determined especially for this Catalog); light ranges for known variables; UBVRI data near maximum light; references to ultraviolet, X-ray, and radio observations, and to light curves; value of v sin i and the radial velocity when known; spectral type; equivalent width of the H[[alpha]] emission line; references to spectral reproductions or scans and spectroscopic studies and to identification charts; and a classification (as a T Tau star, FU Ori object, etc.).
The ROSAT Archives
ROSLTL - ROSAT AO-2 and AO-3 Long-term Timelines
The ROSLTL database is currently based on the ROSAT AO-2 and AO-3 long term timelines (i.e. numbers 800, 900, 1000, and 1100). The first was generated by MPE in Oct 1991 and covers the interval 4 Nov 1991 to 15 Apr 1992; the second is the AO2 extension created in April 1992 and goes up to 15 June 1992. (This is not the entire AO-2 program as some observations had already been done when this timeline was generated.) The third is the first half of the AO-3 program covering the interval 15 June to 7 December 1992. This was generated in May/June 1992. The fourth (1100) is the second half of AO-3, made in Nov 1992, and covering the interval 08 Dec 92 - 15 Jun 93.
The ROSLTL database has been made from a file provided by the UKDC. 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.
ROSID - ROSAT SIMBAD Identifications
The ROSID database is part of the ROSAT archive at the HEASARC. ROSID is created from the SIMBAD Source Lists which accompany processed ROSAT observations.
A SIMBAD file is generated during the processing of each ROSAT observation. It lists those objects in the field-of-view of the observation which are listed in the SIMBAD catalog. To create the ROSID database, software is run which reads a SIMBAD file and then writes an ASCII file which contains a database table entry for each source in the file. Thus each ROSID entry contains a source name and coordinates (plus other information about the source) along with information about the observation in which that particular source appears. This will allow users to search the ROSID database for sources of interest and then find out the ROR (ROSAT Observation Request sequence number) of the observation(s) in which the sources appear.
Like the other ROSAT archive databases, the ROSID database is updated weekly or as new ROSAT data sets are released for public use.
ROSOBS2 - ROSAT Observation Status
The ROSOBS2 database is an update to the ROSOBS database. ROSOBS summarizes ROSAT pointed observations performed and/or scheduled in the Verification, AO-1, and AO-2 mission phases. ROSOBS2 is a continuation which summarizes pointed observations performed prior to mid-September 1992, with the exception of some PV observations which are in ROSOBS, and those which are currently scheduled.
ROSUSHRI - ROSAT HRI public REV0 data
The ROSUSHRI database contains the list of U.S. ROSAT HRI observations for which REV0 data are publicly available. ROSUSHRI also includes a list of all HRI data which have been distributed to the PI but are not yet public. The database is updated weekly, or as new datasets are released for public use and are ingested into the archive.
For each observation listed in ROSUSHRI, the target name and coordinates are given, as well as the ROSAT observation request number (ROR), the actual and requested exposure times, the date the observation took place, the date data were distributed to the PI, the date data will become public, and more.
ROSUSPSPC - ROSAT PSPC Public REV0 Data
The ROSUSPSPC database contains the list of U.S. ROSAT PSPC observations for which REV0 data are publicly available. ROSUSPSPC also includes a list of all PSPC data which have been distributed to the PI but are not yet public. The database is updated weekly, or as new datasets are released for public use and are ingested into the archive.
For each observation listed in ROSUSPSPC, the target name and coordinates are given, as well as the ROSAT observation request number (ROR), the actual and requested exposure times, the date the observation took place, the date data were distributed to the PI, the date data will become public, and more.
ROSPUBLIC - ROSAT Distributed REV0 Data
The ROSPUBLIC database contains the list of U.S. ROSAT observations for which REV0 data have been distributed to the PI, including those data sets which have become available to the public. The ROSPUBLIC database is updated weekly, as new datasets are distributed to PI's and others are released for public use.
For each observation listed in ROSPUBLIC, the instrument used, processing site, and target name and coordinates are given, as well as the ROSAT observation request number (ROR), the actual and requested exposure times, the date the observation took place, the date data were distributed to the PI, the date data will become public, and more.
Master Catalogs
OPTICAL - Master Optical Catalog
The OPTICAL database is a newly-revised master catalog containing selected parameters from several optical source catalogs. OPTICAL was created by copying all of the entries and common parameters from the HEASARC databases which contain the following catalogs:
- Abell Catalog of Galaxy Clusters (1989)
- Ritter Catalog of CV's, X-Ray Binaries & Related Objects (1990)
- General Catalog of Variable Stars, 4th ed. (Kholopov 1985-88)
- Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory Star Catalog (1989)
- McCook & Sion White Dwarf Catalog (1987)
- Henry Draper Catalog
- Hewitt & Burbidge Catalog of Quasi-Stellar Objects (1987)
- Woolley Catalog of Stars within 25 Parsecs of the Sun (1970)
- Veron-Cetty & Veron Catalog of Quasars and AGN (1989)
- CfA Redshift Catalog (Huchra ZCAT)
- Hipparcos Input Catalogue
- Third Catalog of Emission-Line Stars (Herbig & Bell HBC)
- New Catalog of Suspected Variable Stars (NSV), Kukarkin et al. 1982.
- Third Reference Catalogue of Bright Galaxies (RC3.9) by G. de Vaucouleurs, A. de Vacouleurs, H.G. Corwin, R.J. Buta, P. Fouque, and G. Paturel, 1991.
- Third Catalogue of Nearby Stars (Wilhelm Gliese and Hartmut Jahreiss)
For some entries in OPTICAL, certain of the parameter fields are blank (or contain values of zero); this indicates that the original database did not contain that particular parameter.
RADIO - Master Radio Catalog
The RADIO database is a newly-revised master catalog containing selected parameters from several radio source catalogs. RADIO was created by copying all of entries of some common parameters from the HEASARC databases which contain the following catalogs:
- The 20 cm Northern Sky Catalog (White, R. L. and Becker, R. H. (1992))
- The 6 cm Northern Sky Survey Catalog (Becker, R. H., White, R. L., Edwards, A. L. (1991))
- Extragalactic Radio Sources at 5 GHz (Kuehr)
- Galactic Supernova Remnants (Green, 1988, updated 1990)
- Molonglo Reference Catalog of Radio Sources (1990)
- Catalogue of Quasars and Active Galactic Nuclei, 4th Edition (Veron-Cetty & Veron 1989)
The HEASARC continues to add and to update catalogs and datasets for the Online Service. The current listing of available SYSTEM databases can be obtained by typing browse at the HEASARC> prompt and then entering either a ? or just a carriage return at the prompt for Database: and another carriage return at the prompt for OBSERVATORY name:. Entering the name of a satellite or observatory (e.g., ROSAT, CGRO, etc.) at the OBSERVATORY name: prompt will result in a listing of SYSTEM databases for that specified observatory.
Figure 1 shows the number of times the On-line Service was accessed over the past two years. Bin size is approximately one week. Note the burst of activity before proposals were due for each of the past two ROSAT AO periods.
Figure 2 shows the number of times each Observatory database was accessed in the past two years.
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