MAST Mission Search Help Page

Overview

This form allows one to:
  1. Perform a quick cone search by target name or coordinates using a default radius (specific to each mission) for a specified set of data types (default is all).
    (Note: this mode currently excludes x-ray and radio missions) . More search options are available by clicking "more options" or going to http://archive.stsci.edu/xcorr.php,
  2. Perform a string search on target name by selecting the "Don't Resolve" option. The Kepler, GALEX, and Vlafirst mission however will be excluded. Blanks are significant, case is not significant, and wild cards are allowed, but the target name must include at least one letter. This option is useful for finding moving targets (e.g., planets).
  3. By not entering a target name or coordinates, one can display a list which briefly describes the available MAST missions for a specified set of data types (default is all).
The information below describes the various search options. Note: if you already know which data set(s) you are interested in, (i.e., which mission or survey), you may instead For further assistance, contact a MAST staff member by clicking the "Contacts" link at the bottom of the page.

Target Name (or coordinates)
Entering either a target name (to be resolved by SIMBAD or NED), or J2000 coordinates (RA and DEC separated by a comma or Dec sign) will start a cone search (using default search radii) for available data sets within MAST. Multiple target names can also be specified with comma delimiters, but only one set of coordinates can be specified. Coordinates can be either in decimal degrees or sexigesimal notation with either blanks or colons separating values. Valid coordinates include:
     8:32:40.3,+28:49:43
     10.681,41.269
     10 30 5 -28 30 0
If band/data types are selected, the search will be restricted to the appropriate MAST missions. (Note: target searches currently exclude data sets from x-ray and radio missions).

Currently all missions use 3.0 arcminutes as the default search radius except for Kepler (0.02 arcmin.), Vlafirst (20 arcmin.), and Galex (6 arcmin.).

Data Type(s)
Archived data sets have been classified according to the type of data and wavelength coverage. The possible data types include Images, Spectra and Other, where Other includes time series, polarimetric, photometric, and astrometric data. Selecting various data types and wavelength ranges and then clicking "Search", will return a list containing both a summary of each missions data holdings and a link to the mission home pages. If a particular target is also specified, the results page will list the actual data sets available from each of the selected missions (Note: target searches currently exclude data sets from x-ray and radio missions).

The wavelength ranges and data types used in the table are as defined below.

X-ray
That portion of the electromagnetic spectrum having wavelengths from ~0.1 to ~124 Å (i.e., ~124 kev to ~100 eV). (Note searches on target name exclude x-ray mission data.)

Extreme UV
The extreme ultraviolet wavelength range is defined as ~70 to 912 Å.

Far-UV
The spectral region from 912 to 2000 Å.

Near-UV
The spectral region from 2000 to 3400 Å.

Optical
The spectral region from 3400 to ~7500 Å.

Near-IR
The spectral region from ~7500 Å to ~30 µ.

Radio
That portion of the electromagnetic spectrum having wavelengths greater than ~10 cm. (Note searches on target name exclude radio mission data.)

Images
Image data refers to digital images obtained within various bandpasses and with various spatial resolutions. (Note: images of spectra are not included in this category.)

Spectra
This category refers to spectroscopic data containing calibrated or uncalibrated fluxes as a function of wavelength.

Other
Data sets listed in the "Other" category include Time series (e.g., Kepler and Epoch light curves), polarimetric, photometric, and astrometric data.