GALExtin: An alternative online tool to determine the interstellar extinction in the Milky Way

TL;DR

GALExtin is a versatile online tool that simplifies access to various interstellar extinction models and maps, enabling researchers to easily estimate extinction based on coordinates and distance.

Contribution

It provides a unified platform to access and compare different interstellar extinction models and maps, streamlining research workflows.

Findings

GALExtin accurately estimates interstellar extinction across multiple models.

The tool demonstrates high performance and validation against existing data.

It facilitates integration into other astronomical research portals.

Abstract

Estimates of interstellar extinction are essential in a broad range of astronomical research. In the last decades, several maps and models of the large scale interstellar extinction in the Galaxy have been published. However, these maps and models have been developed in different programming languages, with different user interfaces and input/output formats, which makes using and comparing results from these maps and models difficult. To address this issue, we have developed a tool called GALExtin (\url{http://www.galextin.org}) - that estimates interstellar extinction based on both 3D models/maps and 2D maps available. The user only needs to provide a list with coordinates (and distance) and to choose a model/map. GALExtin will then provide an output list with extinction estimates. It can be implemented in any other portal or model that requires interstellar extinction estimates. Here, a general overview of GALExtin is presented, along with its capabilities, validation, performance and some results.