MSX6C Infrared Point Source Catalog

Version 2.3 of the Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX) Point Source Catalog (PSC), which supercedes the version (1.2) that was released in 1999, contains over 100,000 more sources than the previous version. The photometry is based on co-added image plates, as opposed to single-scan data, which results in improved sensitivity and hence reliability in the fluxes. Comparison with Tycho-2 positions indicates that the astrometric accuracy of the new catalog is more than 1'' better than that in Version 1.2. In addition to the Galactic plane, Areas Missed by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS), and the Large Magellanic Cloud, which were included in the previous catalog, Version 2.3 includes data from the Small Magellanic Cloud, eight nearby galaxies, and several molecular clouds and star forming regions. This dataset or service is made available by the Infrared Science Archive (IRSA) at IPAC, which is operated by the California Institute of Technology under contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.