The Herschel Point Source Catalogue

TL;DR

The Herschel Point Source Catalogue compiles a comprehensive, homogeneous catalog of point sources from Herschel Space Observatory data, enabling systematic analysis and maximizing scientific discoveries from the extensive but underexplored dataset.

Contribution

This work creates a unified, unbiased point source catalog from all Herschel observations, facilitating systematic comparison and new scientific insights.

Findings

Homogeneous source extraction across all Herschel data

Enhanced sensitivity comparison between different fields

Preparation for public data release and further research

Abstract

The Herschel Space Observatory was the fourth cornerstone mission in the European Space Agency (ESA) science programme with excellent broad band imaging capabilities in the sub-mm and far-infrared part of the spectrum. Although the spacecraft finished its observations in 2013, it left a large legacy dataset that is far from having been fully scrutinised and still has a large potential for new scientific discoveries. This is specifically true for the photometric observations of the PACS and SPIRE instruments. Some source catalogues have already been produced by individual observing programs, but there are many observations that risk to remain unexplored. To maximise the science return of the SPIRE and PACS data sets, we are in the process of building the Herschel Point Source Catalogue (HPSC) from all primary and parallel mode observations. Our homogeneous source extraction enables a systematic and unbiased comparison of sensitivity across the different Herschel fields that single programs will generally not be able to provide. The catalogue will be made available online through archives like the Herschel Science Archive (HSA), the Infrared Science Archive (IRSA), and the Strasbourg Astronomical Data Center (CDS).