This document defines the catalog entries describing
the XMM Optical Monitor Data Archive as delivered to MAST by HEASARC.
Most of the documentation below was obtained from the
the HEASARC
Data Archive Center.
Archive Background:
XMM was launched by ESA on December 10th, 1999 and
carries two distinct types of telescope: three Wolter type-1 X-ray
telescopes with different X-ray detectors in their foci,
and a 30-cm optical/UV telescope with a
microchannel-plate pre-amplified CCD detector in its focal plane.
General Results Options
Most mission search results pages have the following general
features/options. (Note that the sorting, paging and VOPlot
options all require JAVASCRIPT to be supported and turned on,
and the interactive plotting option uses HTML5 which is not
supported in Internet Explorer before version 9.)
Clicking on the column headings at the TOP of the
results table will sort the returned results based on the selected
field. Clicking the column heading a second time will sort the
results in descending order. As of August, 2014 sorting is now
possible with RA and Dec coordinates in sexigesimal notation,
and the previous bugs
whereby exponents are ignored in numbers using exponential notation
(e.g., 6.3E-3 is sorted as if it were 6.3), and signs were
ignored in floating point numbers have both been corrected.
Note however
that the sort functions (like many interactive features)
are written in javascript which is not always supported in older
browsers.
Alternatively, selecting the sort options in the initial query
does not depend on javascript,
and will sort the entire search result, not just the displayed
rows.
Clicking one of the column headings
at the END of the results table (or clicking the
"columns help" link at the top of the page) will display
help information about the search results page and the displayed
columns (i.e., this page).
By default, results are shown with 500 entries per page, with links
to additional pages if more than 500 entries were returned. The number of
rows per page can be modified using the "Records per Page" form element
on the search form. The total number
of entries returned is set by the "Maximum Records" value from the search page.
One numerical column can be plotted versus another using VOPlot
although see the Help page regarding issues
with the latest version of Java.
For some missions, thumbnail images of the returned entries
can be displayed by clicking the link listed just below the VOPlot link.
The mark column, as described below, can be used to plot spectra
and download files. Plots are now interactive with added features.
Clicking on this box will mark the entry for retrieval.
To Retrieve:
The selected datasets will be downloaded in a single file.
You may select the file type: .tar, .tar.gz, .tar.Z, and .zip.
After selecting the file type, click on the "Download selected files" button
and the selected files will be downloaded to your disk.
The nominal right ascension of the XMM-Newton pointing, in the requested equinox. Notice that the originating table contained the position in equinox J2000 with RA given to a precision of 0.01 seconds of time. Range: 0 to 360 deg
The nominal declination of the XMM-Newton pointing, in the requested equinox. Notice that the originating table contained the position in equinox J2000 with declination given to a precision of 0.1 arcseconds. Range: -90 to +90 deg
The end time of the observation in UTC. Notice that the originating table gave the start time with a precision of 0.01 seconds. Range: 0 to more than 140799 sec
This flag is set to 'Y' or 'N' to indicate whether or not the dataset is available in the HEASARC Archive. Some XMM-Newton observations for which the archived data has become publically available as indicated by the public_date value being in the past implying that the proprietary period has expired, are not currently available at the HEASARC. These datasets in most cases are available at the ESA XMM-Newton Data Archive at http://xmm.vilspa.esa.es/ Y or N
The estimated duration for the observation in seconds. This is derived by checking for the time spent with the filter wheel (the MOS1 camera is taken as the reference) within the time window planned for the observation. Range: 0 to 133406 sec
The creation date for the Observation Data Files (ODFs) from the raw telemetry data. If no date is listed, then this initial processing has not taken place. October 4 2000 to ?
The XMM-Newton proposal number to which the observation belongs. Note that the proposal number is the first six digits of the ID number. Range: 11 to 21068
The Pipeline Processing System (PPS) status for the observation or null. Allowed values include processing and delivered. Valid Values: PROCESSING, DELIVERED
The planned duration for the observation, in seconds. This is the planned on-target time and includes the time required for instrument setup, which means that the actual 'science' time available will typically be lower than this. Range: 0 to 142097 sec
A broard taget category assigned by PI. Currently 7 categories are defined (see target class field for more). AGNs, QSOs and BL-Lacs
Cluster of Galaxies and Superclusters
Galaxies and Groups of Galaxies
Stars, White Dwarf and Solar System
Supernovae, Supernova Remnants, Diffuse Emission
White Dwarf Binaries, Neutron Star Binaries
X-ray Background and Surveys
The XMM-Newton revolution number in which the observation occurred, i.e., the number of 48-hour orbits which had elapsed since the launch of XMM-Newton up to the date of the observation. Range: 0 to more than 1200