Using the SourceXtractor++ package for data reduction

TL;DR

SourceXtractor++ is a modern, modular, open-source software package developed in C++ for efficient detection and measurement of sources in astronomical images, supporting the Euclid mission's data reduction needs.

Contribution

It is a complete redesign of SExtractor, enabling improved analysis of overlapping sources across multiple images with different pixel grids.

Findings

Operational in Euclid data processing workflows

Demonstrated on typical use cases with downloadable examples

Supports analysis of overlapping sources in diverse images

Abstract

The Euclid satellite is an ESA mission scheduled for launch in September 2023. To optimally perform critical stages of the data reduction, such as object detection and morphology determination, a new and modern software package was required. We have developed SourceXtractor++ as open source software for detecting and measuring sources in astronomical images. It is a complete redesign of the original SExtractor, written mainly in C++. The package follows a modular approach and facilitates the analysis of multiple overlapping sources over many images with different pixel grids. SourceXtractor++ is already operational in many areas of the Euclid processing, and we demonstrate here the capabilities of the current version v0.19 on the basis of a set of typical use cases, which are available for download