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Einstein Extended Source Survey

Metadata Updated: September 19, 2025

The Einstein Extended Source Survey (EXSS) catalog contains a list of extended sources found in the Einstein Observatory Imaging Proportional Counter (IPC) Database. The source detection algorithm was substantially improved over that used for the Einstein Medium Sensitivity Survey (EMSS). Sources were searched for using circular apertures with variable radii of up to 6.1 arcminutes. Criteria were constructed so as to ascertain which of the detections were truly diffuse and which of the sizes best approximated each detection. Using these criteria, a catalog of 1325 extended source candidates at high galactic latitude (more than 20 degrees from the Galactic Equator) was produced. Cross-correlating this list with existing source catalogs yielded a reasonably comprehensive set of identifications for the sources in this list: over 400 were identified with known clusters of galaxies, while other objects were identified with galaxies, supernova remnants (SNR), active galactic nuclei (AGN), and stars. Whereas galaxies and SNR are often truly extended objects, AGN and stars can appear as extended ojects as a consequence of their soft X-ray spectra coupled with the broad point-spread function of the IPC at low energies. A total of 321 objects remain completely unidentified. Some of these may be heretofore uncatalogued clusters and groups of galaxies at moderate redshifts. The data used to construct this database table were obtained from the first author's Web site on 12 December 1997. This is a service provided by NASA HEASARC .

Access & Use Information

Public: This dataset is intended for public access and use. License: No license information was provided. If this work was prepared by an officer or employee of the United States government as part of that person's official duties it is considered a U.S. Government Work.

Downloads & Resources

Dates

Metadata Created Date April 11, 2025
Metadata Updated Date September 19, 2025

Metadata Source

Harvested from NASA Data.json

Additional Metadata

Resource Type Dataset
Metadata Created Date April 11, 2025
Metadata Updated Date September 19, 2025
Publisher High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center
Maintainer
Identifier ivo://nasa.heasarc/exss
Data Last Modified 2025-09-10
Category Astrophysics
Public Access Level public
Bureau Code 026:00
Metadata Context https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema/catalog.jsonld
Schema Version https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema
Catalog Describedby https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema/catalog.json
Harvest Object Id ab49041f-2c74-4b58-a465-303c411e39b4
Harvest Source Id 58f92550-7a01-4f00-b1b2-8dc953bd598f
Harvest Source Title NASA Data.json
Homepage URL https://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/W3Browse/all/exss.html
Program Code 026:000
Source Datajson Identifier True
Source Hash 81f59cfdd137b409a13114de8a784ec8d3fe7895ac9d62c3f7eb201c436b7b11
Source Schema Version 1.1

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