Knowledgebase: Spitzer Legacy Programs

When do Legacy Science data enter the public domain?

Raw and pipeline-processed Legacy Science data from Spitzer enter the public domain once they are processed and verified at the SSC. This will typically take up to a few weeks after the observations are performed. Data are electronically accessible from the Spitzer Heritage Archive. In addition, each of the projects will produce higher-level post-pipeline data products, such as image mosaics and source catalogs. Intermediate versions of these products will be delivered to the SSC every six months. Most of the projects incorporate ancillary data from ground-based observatories and/or other space-based telescopes. In general, the teams will make these data available rapidly to the community-at-large, in the same spirit as for the Spitzer data.

Why do some bright sources not appear in GLIMPSE catalogs?

The GLIMPSE Catalogs null any sources that are bright enough to be in danger of nonlinear detector response. The GLIMPSE Archives list the best fluxes that can be measured from such sources despite the nonlinearity.

Note that the Vizier version of the GLIMPSE catalogs uses the Catalogs, not the Archives.

For more details on the construction of the GLIMPSE catalogs, see the Column Descriptions and the Documentation.

How are the IRSA and Vizier GLIMPSE holdings different?

The IRSA GLIMPSE holdings include Catalogs and Archives. The Catalog is a more reliable list of sources, and the Archive is a more complete list both in number of sources and flux measurements at each wavelength (less nulling of fluxes). Vizier has concatenated the GLIMPSE I+II+3D Catalogs, and does not provide access to the Archives at all. Users interested in bright sources that have null fluxes in the GLIMPSE Catalogs (accessed at IRSA or Vizier) should consult the corresponding Archives at IRSA.

Are post-pipeline data and data analysis tools developed by Legacy and Exploration Science Teams available to the general user community?

Yes.

Legacy and Exploration Science Team data are available via the Spitzer Archive interface or from IRSA.

Data analysis tools are available via our Contributed Software site.