Exo-MerCat v2.0.0: updates and open-source release of the Exoplanet Merged Catalog software

TL;DR

Exo-MerCat v2.0.0 is an open-source software upgrade that enhances exoplanet catalog compilation by adding new data sources, optimizing queries, and improving usability and accuracy.

Contribution

This work introduces Exo-MerCat v2.0.0 with new input catalogs, optimized merging, and improved code structure, advancing exoplanet catalog creation tools.

Findings

Significant improvement in catalog completeness.

Enhanced accuracy through query optimization.

Better user experience with new features.

Abstract

Exoplanet research is at the forefront of contemporary astronomy recommendations. As more and more exoplanets are discovered and vetted, databases and catalogs are built to collect information. Various resources are available to scientists for this purpose, though every one of them has different scopes and notations. In Alei et al. (2020) we described Exo-MerCat, a script that collects information from multiple sources and creates a homogenized table. In this manuscript, we announce the release of the Exo-MerCat v2.0.0 script as an upgraded, tested, documented and open-source software to produce catalogs. The main upgrades on the script concern: 1) the addition of the TESS Input Catalog and the K2 Input Catalog as input sources; 2) the optimization of the main identifier queries; 3) a more complex merging of the entries from the input sources into the final catalog; 4) some quality-of-life improvements such as informative flags, more user-friendly column headers, and log files; 5) the refactoring of the code in modules. We compare the performance of Exo-MerCat v2.0.0 with the previous version and notice a substantial improvement in the completeness of the sample, thanks to the addition of new input sources, and its accuracy, because of the optimization of the script.