ROSAT All-Sky Survey count rates for ASCA proposals

["Charles Day, US ASCA GOF, NASA GSFC" <DAY@heagip.gsfc.nasa.gov>]

The ASCA team has made an arrangement with MPE, whereby proposers can
obtain information from the ROSAT All-Sky Survey for sources that they
might be interested in proposing for ASCA observations.  Proposers can
supply source coordinates, and MPE will return the All-Sky Survey
coordinates if the source has been detected, the 0.1-2.4 keV flux (or
flux upper limit), exposure time, and hardness ratios.  As there is
currently no completely reliable Survey catalog, there are known
problems with the rev. 0 Survey data processing, and there might be some
difficulties related to extended sources, requests will be processed
essentially by hand at MPE.  Therefore, the number of positions that can
be investigated is quite limited, only a few hundred at most.  Moreover,
it is easiest if these requests are processed in a batch mode.  We
therefore will submit one batch of survey information requests to MPE,
on January 10, 1994.  As we anticipate receiving and distributing the 
results in approximately one week, this due date provides sufficient
time for US observers to make use of the information in their ASCA
proposals.

It is also to be understood that given the current uncertainties
associated with the rev 0. processing, source fluxes are often only good
to ~50 percent, and should be used cautiously.  Use of the information
provided in publications should only be done jointly with MPE.

The ASCA GOF, in conjunction with the GSFC ROSAT GOF, will serve as the
US community contact with MPE, constructing the list of sources from
US observers, and distributing the results once they have been
processed. Please DO NOT send your request directly to MPE.  Send your
list of sources to the following e-mail address:

   pspc@rosat.gsfc.nasa.gov

Construct your list of candidate source locations according to the 
following template:

   Object Name   RA      Dec         PI Name        e-mail
   xxxxxxxxx     rrr.rrrrsdd.dddd    yyyyyyyyyyy    zzzzzz

The first three fields should have formats of A19,2F8.4 for
automatically passing to the MPE software.  The coordinates should be 
specified as RA and Dec in decimal degrees in J2000. For example:

   Her X-1      254.4600+35.3400 Petre     petre@lheavx.gsfc.nasa.gov
   unknown X-1  123.4567-89.0123 Snowden   snowden@rosserv.gsfc.nasa.gov


Rob Petre, US ASCA GOF

Please send comments and questions to ascanra@athena.gsfc.nasa.gov