HEASARC News

2024 Dec 13: (Mandatory) Step 1 proposal deadline for Astrophysics Research and Analysis (APRA) program

2024 Dec 13: (Mandatory) Step 1 proposal deadline for Strategic Astrophysics Technology (SAT) program

• XRISM Caldb Update (15 Nov 2024)
  An update to the XRISM Caldb for the Resolve, XTEND and gen instruments is now available. Tar files can be downloaded from the XRISM Calibration page.
• Swift SC CALDB updated (13 Nov 2024)
  The Swift SC has been updated to version 20241101 to update the clock correction file ...
• XRISM Caldb Update (11 Nov 2024)
  An update to the XRISM Caldb for the Resolve, XTEND and gen instruments is now available. Tar files can be downloaded from the XRISM Calibration page.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (05 Nov 2024)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb was updated to version 20241104. This release includes a new clock correction file, v193. Please see the release notes for more details.
• Chandra CALDB 4.11.5 installed at the HEASARC (30 Oct 2024)
  The Chandra CalDB 4.11.3 is now installed in and available from the HEASARC CALDB. Chandra 4.11.3 was released by the CXC on August 21, 2024.
• IXPE on the cover of Galaxies (21 Oct 2024)
  IXPE made the cover of the October 2024 edition of Galaxies with a paper on probing magnetic fields in young supernova remnants with IXPE by Pat Slane et al. The work explore how X-ray polarimetry using IXPE provides insights into magnetic field structures and particle acceleration mechanisms in young supernova remnants. This article belongs to a special issue of the journal titled "X-Ray Polarimetry: A New Era Begins with the Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer"
• The 3rd XRISM Community Workshop: Feb 3-5, 2025: (18 Oct 2024)
  This workshop is to discuss data analysis techniques and prepare the astronomical community for the upcoming Cycle 2 General Observer Call for Proposals for XRISM. There is no registration fee; however, registration is required. Deadline for in-person participation is Dec 12, 2024.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (16 Oct 2024)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb was updated to version 20241015. This release includes a new clock correction file, v192. Please see the release notes for more details.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (01 Oct 2024)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb was updated to version 20240930. This release includes a new clock correction file, v191. Please see the release notes for more details.
• eROSITA sky-survey data now available at HEASARC (19 Sep 2024)
  First eROSITA sky-survey data release data (eRASS1) is now available at HEASARC!
• Swift SC CALDB updated (18 Sep 2024)
  The Swift SC has been updated to version 20240912 to update the clock correction file ...
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (17 Sep 2024)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb was updated to version 20240916. This release includes a new clock correction file, v190. Please see the release notes for more details.
• PIMMS updated to Version 4.14 (16 Sep 2024)
  Version 4.14 contains updated calibration for IXPE and new Athena calibration files.
• XSPEC 12.14.1a,b Patch Released (09 Sep 2024)
  These patches address issues with parameter limits in the sssed model and memory issues in the ismabs model.
• Chandra Cycle 26 Accepted Proposals and Targets Lists Are Now Available (6 Sep 2024)
  The Chandra Peer-Review recommended targets and proposals for Chandra Cycle 26, including GTO and GO proposals, joint proposals with other ground-based and/or satellite facilities, large and very large multicycle proposals, have now been publically released. Note: archive and theory proposals are no longer supported.
• Updates to IXPE tools (04 Sep 2024)
  HEASoft 6.34 has been released and contains updates to the IXPE software tools. This release also includes a new tool for flagging background events. Please see the release notes for more details. Downloads are available from the HEASoft page. IXPE users are recommended to use the latest version of HEASoft for their analysis.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (27 Aug 2024)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb was updated to version 20240826. This release includes a new clock correction file, v189. Please see the release notes for more details.
• Chandra CALDB 4.11.3 installed at the HEASARC (26 Aug 2024)
  The Chandra CalDB 4.11.3 is now installed in and available from the HEASARC CALDB. Chandra 4.11.3 was released by the CXC on August 21, 2024.
• First release of the XRISM Caldb (23 Aug 2024)
  The first release of the XRISM Caldb for the Resolve, XTEND and gen instruments is now available. Tar files can be downloaded from the XRISM Calibration page.
• HEASoft 6.34 released (23 Aug 2024)
  HEASoft 6.34 has been released. HEASoft 6.34 contains the first release of the XRISM analysis software. Please see the 6.34 release notes for details.
• IXPE Caldb Updated (20 Aug 2024)
  The IXPE Caldb has been updated for the XRT (version 20240726). Please see the release notes for details. Downloads are available from the IXPE Calibration page. Users can also access the HEASARC IXPE caldb via remote access.
• XMM-Newton AO-24 Solicitation Released (20 Aug 2024)
  XMM-Newton observing proposals are solicited in response to the 24th Announcement of Opportunity.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (12 Aug 2024)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb was updated to version 20240812. This release includes a new clock correction file, v188. Please see the release notes for more details.
• XRISM AO1 approved target list is now online (1 Aug 2024)
  The list of AO1 approved targets (in response to the XRISM Cycle 1 call for Type-1 proposals) is now publicly available on the XRISM Proposals webpage. A detailed email with panel evaluation will be sent separately to each proposer at a later stage.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (29 Jul 2024)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb was updated to version 20240729. This release includes a new clock correction file, v187. Please see the release notes for more details.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (19 Jul 2024)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb was updated to version 20240715. This release includes a new clock correction file, v186. Please see the release notes for more details.
• xTime tool updated (11 Jul 2024)
  A new version of the xTime mission date/time conversion tool was released that fixes issues with converting from either NuSTAR or INTEGRAL times to XRISM times.
• Successful XL-Calibur launch (10 Jul 2024)
  The XL-Calibur balloon from NASA was successfully launched at 05:04 local time on the 9th of July from Esrange Space Center (Sweden). The flight is expected to last 4-5 days and it is possible to follow its journey across the Atlantic before landing in northern Canada.
• XMMSTACK- XMM-Newton Serendipitous Source Catalog from Stacked Observations (4XMM-DR14s) Released (10 Jul 2024)
  The stacked catalog (XMMSTACK) and associated observation data ( XMMSTACKOB) offer new versions of the stacked catalog built from 10,336 4XMM-DR13 overlapping observations. XMMSTACK contains 1,751 stacks (or groups). The catalog contains 427,524 unique sources, with each observation also provided in the associated XMMSTACKOB table. Both are now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• XMM-Newton Serendipitous Source Catalog (4XMM-DR14) Released (10 Jul 2024)
  The most recent, updated version of this catalog (from Webb et al.,2020) containing 1,035,832 X-ray source detections (an increase of 621 more observations and 51,884 more detections since the previous version 4XMM-DR13) drawn from a total of 13,864 XMM-Newton EPIC observations made between 2000 Feb 3 and 2023 December 31 is now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• XMM-Newton Serendipitous Source Catalogue: 4XMM-DR14 Released (9 Jul 2024)
  14th release of the 4XMM Serendipitous Source Catalogue
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (01 Jul 2024)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb was updated to version 20240701. This release includes a new clock correction file, v185. Please see the release notes for more details.
• Swift SC CALDB updated (01 Jul 2024)
  The Swift SC has been updated to version 20240701 to update the clock correction file ...
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (18 Jun 2024)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb was updated to version 20240618. This release includes a new clock correction file, v184. Please see the release notes for more details.
• Chandra CALDB 4.11.2 installed at the HEASARC (07 Jun 2024)
  The Chandra CalDB 4.11.2 is now installed and available at the HEASARC. Chandra 4.11.2 was released by the CXC on June 6, 2024.
• HEAD Spring 2024 newsletter released (3 Jun 2024)
  This newsletter is available now for your reading pleasure at your electronic HEAD newsstand !
• Swift XRT CALDB updated (22 May 2024)
  The Swift XRT caldb has been updated to version 20240522 to update the XRT gains...
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (20 May 2024)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb was updated to version 20240520. This release includes a new clock correction file, v183. Please see the release notes for more details.
• Swift XRT and SC CALDB updated (14 May 2024)
  The Swift XRT caldb has been updated to version 20240506, and the Swift SC has been updated to version 20240506 ...
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (06 May 2024)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb was updated to version 20240506. This release includes a new clock correction file, v182. Please see the release notes for more details.
• Joint NICER/IXPE Analysis Workshop (01 May 2024)
  The 2024 Joint NICER/IXPE Workshop will be held at The George Washington University in Washington D.C from Monday, 29th of July, 2024 to Thursday, 1st of August, 2024. Registration is free for both in-person and remote attendees
• CALET CGBM Caldb Update (24 Apr 2024)
  The CALET CGBM caldb was updated to version 20240419.
• Swift XRT CALDB updated (23 Apr 2024)
  The Swift XRT caldb has been updated to version 20240327 ...
• HEASoft 6.33.2 released (22 Apr 2024)
  HEASoft 6.33.2 has been released. HEASoft 6.33.2 contains updates required for building the source code with GCC 14.x as distributed with for example, the Fedora 40 operating system. Additionally, it includes fixes for a couple of NICER mission tasks and updates Xspec to patch level 12.14.00h. Please see the 6.33.2 release notes for details.
• NuSTAR Cycle 10 Targets (22 Apr 2024)
  The list of NuSTAR targets recommended by the Cycle 10 peer review is now available. Cycle 10 observations will start to be routinely performed on June 1, 2024. Evaluations will be sent to all NuSTAR Cycle 10 proposal PIs in the coming weeks.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (22 Apr 2024)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb was updated to version 20240422. This release includes a new clock correction file, v181. Please see the release notes for more details.
• Chandra CALDB 4.11.1 installed at the HEASARC (18 Apr 2024)
  The Chandra CalDB 4.11.1 is now installed and available at the HEASARC. Chandra 4.11.1 was released by the CXC on April 18, 2023.
• BurstCube deployed (18 Apr 2024)
  BurstCube was deployed successfully from the ISS Thursday, April 18 at 7.26 am EST. The deployment operations included two 6U cubesat SnoOPI and BurstCube. A snapshot of the recorded video shows the two cubesats in space. BurstCube is the one of the left.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (16 Apr 2024)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb was updated to version 20240405. This release includes a new clock correction file, v180. Please see the release notes for more details.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (26 Mar 2024)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb was updated to version 20240325. This release includes a new clock correction file, v179. Please see the release notes for more details.
• BurstCube Launch (25 Mar 2024)
  NASA's SpaceX 30th commercial resupply mission lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 in Florida on Thursday, March 21 at 4:55 p.m. EDT. The Dragon spacecraft, carrying BurstCube and other scientific payloads as well as supplies, had docked to the International Space Station early morning on Saturday, March 23.
• HEASoft 6.33.1 released (21 Mar 2024)
  HEASoft 6.33.1 has been released. HEASoft 6.33.1 contains updates required for building the source code on Macs using the Apple XCode Command Line Tools (CLT) version 15.3. Please see the 6.33.1 release notes for details.
• XSPEC 12.14.0c Patch Released (21 Mar 2024)
  12.14.0c addresses a seg fault when using the plot polangle command.
• Important NuSTAR Caldb Update (21 Mar 2024)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb was updated to version 20240311a. This release corrects 13 invalid files which existed in the NuSTAR FPM caldb from Feb. 29, 2024 to Mar. 20, 2024. Please see the release notes for details.
• BurstCube Launch Schedule (13 Mar 2024)
  BurstCube is scheduled to be launched on the SpaceX 30th Commercial Resupply Services mission. The anticipated launch date is March 21, 2004. BurstCube will be carried in the Cargo Dragon C209 and flown to the International Space Station for deployment at a later date.
• Swift SC and BAT CALDB updated (12 Mar 2024)
  The Swift SC caldb has been updated to version 20240308, and the Swift BAT caldb has been updated to version 20230607 ...
• IXPE Quick Start Guide Updated (12 Mar 2024)
  The IXPE Quick Start guide has been updated to include the use of the ixpecalcarf tool to generate observation specific response files.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (11 Mar 2024)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb was updated to version 20240311. This release includes a new clock correction file, v178. Please see the release notes for more details.
• Xamin New Interface Released (07 Mar 2024)
  Xamin has a new, easier-to-use interface. Please give it a try. Feedback welcome. The "classic" interface is still available.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (29 Feb 2024)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb was updated to version 20240229. This release includes a new clock correction file, v177, and a new gain and arf. Please see the release notes for more details.
• IXPE Caldb Updated (28 Feb 2024)
  The IXPE Caldb has been updated for the XRT (version 20231201) and the GPD (version 20240125). Please see the release notes for details. Downloads are available from the IXPE Calibration page. Users can also access the HEASARC IXPE caldb via remote access.
• IXPE Viewing Tool Updated (28 Feb 2024)
  The Sun angle constraint has been updated in the Viewing tool for the IXPE mission.
• Viewing tool updated (27 Feb 2024)
  The Sun angle constraint has been updated in the Viewing tool for the IXPE mission.
• HEASoft 6.33 released (27 Feb 2024)
  HEASoft 6.33 has been released. HEASoft 6.33 includes new and updated mission-specific data analysis software (IXPE and NICER). Please see the 6.33 release notes for details.
• NICER XTI CALDB Updated (27 Feb 2024)
  The NICER XTI caldb has been updated to version 20240206.
• XRISM tools available for Cycle 1 GO proposals (21 Feb 2024)
  The XRISM Proposer's Observatory Guide, response files and tools for GO proposal feasibility are now available. In addition, because the Resolve aperture door ("gate valve") has not yet opened, the exposure time limit for GO proposals has been increased to 300 ks per pointing. However, the overall limit per proposal is still 600 ks.
• Update to Enhanced Visibility Calculator (09 Feb 2024)
  The NICER enhanced visibility calculator, which provides detailed target visibility information taking into account blockages by ISS structures and other constraints, has been updated. This update allows calculation of target visibilities using orbit day target/sun angles greater than 90 degrees, appropriate for targets observed during ISS orbit day in the presence of the XTI light leak. The update also allows the user to calculate visibilities for observations restricted to orbit night or orbit day.
• eROSITA DR1 caldb installed at the HEASARC (08 Feb 2024)
  The DR1 version of the eROSITA CALDB has been installed at the HEASARC, and the HEASARC caldb.config file has been updated to include the eROSITA CALDB data.
• Swift UVOTA CALDB updated (08 Feb 2024)
  The Swift UVOTA caldb has been updated to version 20240201 ...
• First eROSITA sky-survey data release (31 Jan 2024)
  Today, the German eROSITA consortium released the data for its share of the first all-sky survey by the soft X-ray imaging telescope flying aboard the Spectrum-RG (SRG) satellite. With about 900,000 distinct sources, the first eROSITA All-Sky Survey (eRASS1) has yielded the largest X-ray catalogue ever published. Along with the data, the consortium released today a series of scientific papers. See press release here.
• First eROSITA sky-survey data release (31 Jan 2024)
  The German eROSITA consortium released the data for its share of the first all-sky survey by the eROSITA telescope on the Spectrum-RG (SRG) satellite. With about 900,000 distinct sources, the first eROSITA All-Sky Survey (eRASS1) has yielded the largest X-ray catalogue ever published. Along with the data, the consortium released a series of scientific papers. See the press release for more information.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (30 Jan 2024)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb was updated to version 20240130. This release includes a new clock correction file, v176. Please see the release notes for more details.
• Viewing tool updated (29 Jan 2024)
  The Swift pole constraints have been updated in the Viewing tool. The revised coefficients extrapolate the trend for the next two years.
• AGILE satellite ceased scientific observations (26 Jan 2024)
  After 17 years of productive operations, the AGILE satellite ceased scientific observations on January 18, 2024.
• Update on Patching the NICER Light Leak (25 Jan 2024)
  On January 9, 2024, the NICER team received approval from the ISS program to proceed with a light-leak repair effort via either the ISS robotic system (EVR) or ISS astronauts during a spacewalk (EVA). The choice of EVR vs. EVA is expected to be made by the end of February. See the NICER Light-leak Update for more information.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (18 Jan 2024)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb was updated to version 20240118. This release includes a new clock correction file, v175. Please see the release notes for more details.
• Swift SC CALDB updated (18 Jan 2024)
  The Swift SC caldb has been updated to version 20240118 ...
• INTEGRAL AO-21 General Program Approved (18 Jan 2024)
  The INTEGRAL AO-21 General Programme, as recommended by the Time Allocation Committee (TAC) and approved by ESA's Director of Science (Prof. Carole Mundell), has been released and the observers have been informed.
• xTime tool updated with XRISM support (12 Jan 2024)
  Support for XRISM mission elapsed time has been added to xTime.
• XRISM Roll Angle tool released (08 Jan 2024)
  This new tool can determine the range of possible roll angles for a XRISM observation of a target or the time constraints for a roll-constrained XRISM observation of a target.
• XRISM first light (05 Jan 2024)
  XRISM's first light has been released! The two instruments are performing exceptionally: Resolve reaching a spectral resolution of 5 eV (exceeding the 7 eV requirement) and Xtend performing as expected.
• XRISM Cycle 1 call for GO proposals (04 Jan 2024)
  The XRISM Cycle 1 call for GO proposals has been announced and is now open. See the Proposals and Tools webpage for more information.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (04 Jan 2024)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb was updated to version 20240104. This release includes a new clock correction file, v174. Please see the release notes for more details.
• XMMAO (XMM-Newton Accepted Targets) Table (19 Dec 2023)
  The latest version of the table of accepted XMM-Newton targets, updated to include AO-23 results, is now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (19 Dec 2023)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb was updated to version 20231218. This release includes a new clock correction file, v173. Please see the release notes for more details.
• Chandra CALDB 4.11.0 installed at the HEASARC (15 Dec 2023)
  The Chandra CalDB 4.11.0 is now installed and available at the HEASARC. Chandra 4.11.0 was released by the CXC on December 12, 2023.
• XMM-Newton AO-23 Results Released (11 Dec 2023)
  The list of XMM-Newton observing proposals accepted by the AO-23 Observing Time Allocation Committee is now available.
• Swift UVOTA CALDB updated (08 Dec 2023)
  The Swift UVOTA caldb has been updated to version 20231208 ...
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (05 Dec 2023)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb was updated to version 20231205. This release includes a new clock correction file, v172. Please see the release notes for more details.
• HEASARC User Survey (4 Dec 2023)
  The High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center is interested in hearing from YOU! This brief survey will capture how users access and utilize HEASARC data, software, and services. The outcome(s) of this survey will be used to guide, prioritize, and plan our activities and development in the coming years. It contains 20 questions, generally takes just a few minutes to complete, and your answers will remain totally anonymous. The survey is open until Dec 18, 2023. We thank you in advance for your valuable feedback.
• HEAD Fall 2023 newsletter released (29 Nov 2023)
  This newsletter is available now for your reading pleasure at your electronic HEAD newsstand !
• NICER Cycle 6 Proposal Results Available (29 Nov 2023)
  The result of the recent NICER Cycle 6 review is now available for accepted proposals and approved targets. Cycle 6 begins March 1, 2024. The deadline for Cycle 6 Phase 2 proposals for accepted programs is January 24, 2024.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (22 Nov 2023)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb was updated to version 20231121. This release includes a new clock correction file, v171. Please see the release notes for more details.
• Chandra Legacy Program: Call for White Papers (21 Nov 2023)
  The Chandra X-ray Center announces a Chandra Legacy Program (CLP). The goal of the program is to provide the community with crucial results that only Chandra can produce and that will break new scientific ground and/or complement new and far-reaching observations in other wavelength regimes. Development of the CLP will be a multi-stage process that begins with this Announcement/Call for White Papers to select the topics for the CLP. A subsequent, fully open, Call for Proposals will be used to select the actual targets for implementing the CLP. White Paper deadline is January 22, 2024. For more information on the opportunity, please read the full program details at the CLP website.
• ACTSOUTH - Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) Extragalactic Southern Sources Catalog Released (21 Nov 2023)
  The ACTSOUTH catalog is a multi-frequency, multi-epoch catalog of extragalactic sources, based on 150, 220 and 280 GHz observations carried out in 2008, 2009 and 2010 using the Millimeter Bolometric Array Camera on the Atacama Cosmology Telescope. The catalog contains 695 sources, found in a sky area of ~600 square degrees, and is available in both Browse and Xamin.
• Swift SC CALDB updated (16 Nov 2023)
  The Swift SC caldb has been updated to version 20231115 ...
• NuSTAR Cycle 10 now Accepting Proposals (9 Nov 2023)
  The due date for NuSTAR Cycle 10 proposal submission is Jan 25, 2024. Proposals should be submitted via the HEASARC's ARK Remote Proposal System (RPS). For more information about this cycle, please visit the NuSTAR Proposal Page.
• The 2nd XRISM Community Workshop: Jan. 17-19, 2023 (02 Nov 2023)
  This workshop is to prepare the astronomical community for the upcoming Cycle 1 General Observer Call for Proposals for XRISM. There is no registration fee; however, registration is required. Deadline for in-person participation is Dec 22, 2023.
• XMM-Newton Optical Monitor Serendipitous UV Source Survey Catalog, v6.1, Released (26 Oct 2023)
  The recently updated XMMOMSUSS v6.1 Catalog of optical/UV sources detected by the Optical Monitor (OM) on-board the European Space Agency's (ESA's) XMM-Newton observatory, spans the period of observations from 2000 to November 2022. The total number of entries in this release is 9,920,390, including 6,659,554 unique sources. 1,225,117 sources have multiple entries in the source table, corresponding to different observations. For each entry, positional and photometric data (count rate, magnitude and flux) and quality flags for each measurement are provided. An associated catalog, XMMOMSUOB, contains the list of the corresponding observations and their characteristics. The source and observation catalogs are now available in Browse and Xamin.
• XMM-OM SERENDIPITOUS ULTRAVIOLET SOURCE SURVEY CATALOGUE: SUSS6.1 (26 Oct 2023)
  6th release of the XMM OM Serendipitous Source Catalogue
• HMXBCAT2 - Catalog of High-Mass X-Ray Binaries in the Galaxy Released (20 Oct 2023)
  The Catalog of High-Mass X-Ray Binaries in the Galaxy (HMXBCAT2) provides the most complete set of observables on Galactic HMXBs. Using previous catalogs of HMXBs supplemented by listings of hard X-ray sources detected in the past 20 years, this catalog includes the best known coordinates, companion star spectral type, systemic radial velocities, component masses, orbital period, eccentricity and spin period when available. In addition, this catalog includes the coordinates and identifiers for each counterpart found from hard X-rays to near-infrared, including counterparts from the recent Gaia DR3 catalog. HMXBCAT2 is now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (17 Oct 2023)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb was updated to version 20231017. This release includes a new clock correction file, v170. Please see the release notes for more details.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (04 Oct 2023)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb was updated to version 20231003. This release includes a new clock correction file, v169. Please see the release notes for more details.
• Update to the RXTE/PCA CALDB (29 Sep 2023)
  The PCA systematic error file pca_resp_syserr.fits has now been added to the RXTE PCA CALDB(update version 20230501)
• Dr. Andrew Ptak named HEASARC Director (21 Sep 2023)
  Dr. Andrew Ptak has been appointed as acting HEASARC Director, taking over from Dr. Alan Smale, who served as HEASARC Director from 2008 until his retirement in August, 2023.
• Swift SC CALDB updated (18 Sep 2023)
  The Swift SC caldb has been updated to version 20230918 ...
• NASA Hubble Fellowship Program (NHFP) Now Accepting Applications (18 Sep 2023)
  The NHFP supports promising postdoctoral scientists performing independent research that contributes to NASA Astrophysics. The research may be theoretical, observational, and/or instrumental. The Announcement of Opportunity, which includes detailed program policies and application instructions, is available at the website. The application submission page will be open from September 5 until November 2, 2023.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (18 Sep 2023)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb was updated to version 20230918. This release includes a new clock correction file, v168. Please see the release notes for more details.
• The end of the critical operation period and the start of commissioning for XRISM (11 Sep 2023)
  JAXA announced the end of the critical operation period, which is the period after the separation of the satellite from the launch vehicle until the satellite can maintain a stable and safe condition. XRISM has entered the commissioning period, which will last about three months to verify the functions of the satellite's onboard equipment.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (09 Sep 2023)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb was updated to version 20230906. This release includes a new clock correction file, v167. Please see the release notes for more details.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (09 Sep 2023)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb was updated to version 20230906. This release includes a new clock correction file, v167. Please see the release notes for more details.
• Completion of the sun acquisition control and deployment of the solar arrays for XRISM (07 Sep 2023)
  JAXA announced that completion of the sun acquisition control and deployment of the solar arrays for XRISM
• Successful Launch of XRISM (07 Sep 2023)
  XRISM was launched successfully from the Tanegashima Space Center at 8:42 a.m on September 7, 2023 JST (7:42 p.m on September 6, 2023 EDT).
• HEASARC data available in the cloud on on Amazon Web Services (06 Sep 2023)
  Users of Amazon Web Services can now access the HEASARC data holdings from their S3 object store thanks to the AWS Open Data project. In the "nasa-heasarc" bucket is a copy of almost the entirety of the HEASARC holdings, where now each compressed FITS file is an object available through AWS tools. We show how to access these data, including a Python tutorial, on our new Cloud page.
• INTEGRAL AO-21 Call for Observing Proposals is Open (05 Sep 2023)
  This announcement solicits proposals for observations to be carried out from January 1, 2024 for a period of 12 months. Proposers from all over the world are welcome to participate. All proposals will be subject to an independent peer review by the INTEGRAL Time Allocation Committee (TAC). The deadline for proposal submission is Friday September 29, 2023, 14:00 CEST.
• Important Bug Fix to NICERDAS 11 (24 Aug 2023)
  There's a significant bug in the version of nifpmsel released in HEASoft 6.32/NICERDAS 11, which can cause an incorrect normalization of lightcurves and spectra in some cases. NICERDAS users should update to HEASoft 6.32.1 and afterwards use nicerl2 to reprocess any NICER data processed with HEASoft 6.32/NICERDAS 11. A patch installer script is available to update existing HEASoft 6.32 installations to HEASoft 6.32.1.
• XMM-Newton AO-23 Solicitation Released (17 Aug 2023)
  XMM-Newton observing proposals are solicited in response to the 23rd Announcement of Opportunity.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (17 Aug 2023)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb was updated to version 20230816. This release includes a new clock correction file, v166. Please see the release notes for more details.
• EROSMASTER - eROSITA Observations Master Catalog Released (08 Aug 2023)
  The EROSMASTER database table contains the list of observations made by the SRG/eROSITA mission. Currently, this includes the observations obtained during the Calibration and Performance Verification (Cal-PV) program. Over one hundred individual pointing and field scans were performed with eROSITA as a prime instrument between mid-September and mid-December 2019 form part of the Cal-PV program. The catalog and data products are now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• Million Optical/Radio/X-Ray (MORX) Associations Catalog (07 Aug 2023)
  The Million Optical/Radio/X-Ray (MORX) Associations Catalog is a compendium of optical objects which are calculated as being associated with Chandra, XMM-Newton, Swift, or ROSAT X-ray sources, or with NVSS, FIRST, VLASS, LoTSS, RACS, or SUMSS radio sources or double radio lobes. The latest version (v2, 30 Jul 2023) of the Million Optical/Radio/X-Ray (MORX) Associations Catalog (Eric Flesch 2016 - 2023) is now available in both Browse and Xamin. This version contains over 3 million (3,115,575 to be exact) optical objects with probable radio/X-ray associations.
• The Million Quasars Catalog (07 Aug 2023)
  The latest version (v8, 2 Aug 2023) of the Million Quasars (MILLIQUAS) Catalog (Eric Flesch 2009 - 2023) is now available in both Browse and Xamin. This version contains over a million (1,021,800 to be exact) objects which are either certainly quasars or very likely to be quasars.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (03 Aug 2023)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb was updated to version 20230802. This release includes a new clock correction file, v165. Please see the release notes for more details.
• XRISM Mission to Study 'Rainbow' of X-rays (1 Aug 2023)
  
• ARK/RPS Downtime Scheduled for 2023-07-25 Completed (25 Jul 2023)
  The scheduled maintenance for the ARK database has completed, and ARK/RPS is fully operational. If you encounter any issues, please contact the ARK Help Desk.
• Swift XRT CALDB updated (25 Jul 2023)
  The Swift XRT caldb has been updated to version 20230725 ...
• ARK/RPS Downtime Scheduled for 2023-07-25 (24 Jul 2023)
  ARK/RPS will be down for maintenance starting on Tuesday, July 25, 2023, at ~3:00pm EDT (19:00 UTC). It should be back up within an hour or so. We apologize for any inconvenience.
• Swift SC CALDB updated (24 Jul 2023)
  The Swift SC caldb has been updated to version 20230721 ...
• HEASoft 6.32/NICERDAS 11 released (20 Jul 2023)
  HEASoft 6.32 was released on July 20, 2023. This release includes NICERDAS 11, a moderately significant feature release for NICER which contains a number of improvements, especially to deal with the optical light leak which developed on May 22, 2023. Please see the HEASoft 6.32 release notes for details.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (18 Jul 2023)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb was updated to version 20230718. This release includes a new clock correction file, v164. Please see the release notes for more details.
• CALET CGBM Caldb Update (13 Jul 2023)
  The CALET CGBM caldb was updated to version 20230630.
• The Million Quasars Catalog (13 Jul 2023)
  The latest version (v7.11, 30 June 2023) of the Million Quasars (MILLIQUAS) Catalog (Eric Flesch 2009 - 2023) is now available in both Browse and Xamin. This version contains over a million (1,023,326 to be exact) objects which are either certainly quasars or very likely to be quasars.
• XRISM Launch Announced for August 26, 2023 (13 Jul 2023)
  JAXA officially announced the launch date and time for XRISM and corresponding launch window.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (05 Jul 2023)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb was updated to version 20230705. This release includes a new clock correction file, v163. Please see the release notes for more details.
• IXPE Caldb Updated (16 Jun 2023)
  The IXPE Caldb has been updated for the XRT (version 20230526) and the GPD (version 20230526). Please see the 20230526 release notes for details. Downloads are available from the IXPE Calibration page. Users can also access the HEASARC IXPE caldb via remote access.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (14 Jun 2023)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb was updated to version 20230613. This release includes a new clock correction file, v162. Please see the release notes for more details.
• XMMSTACK- XMM-Newton Serendipitous Source Catalog from Stacked Observations (4XMM-DR13s) Released (12 Jun 2023)
  The stacked catalog (XMMSTACK) and associated observation data ( XMMSTACKOB) offer new versions of the stacked catalog built from 9,796 4XMM-DR13 overlapping observations. XMMSTACK contains 1,688 stacks (or groups). The catalog contains 401,596 unique sources, with each observation also provided in the associated XMMSTACKOB table. Both are now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• XMM-Newton Serendipitous Source Catalog (4XMM-DR13) Released (12 Jun 2023)
  The most recent, updated version of this catalog (from Webb et al.,2020) containing 983,948 X-ray source detections (an increase of 531 more observations and 44,678 more detections since the previous version 4XMM-DR12) drawn from a total of 13,243 XMM-Newton EPIC observations made between 2000 Feb 3 and 2022 December 22 is now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• XMM-Newton Serendipitous Source Catalogue: 4XMM-DR13 Released (12 Jun 2023)
  13th release of the 4XMM Serendipitous Source Catalogue
• Increase in NICER Daytime Light Loading (06 Jun 2023)
  On May 22, 2023, between 13:00 and 14:00 UTC, NICER appears to have developed an increase in optical contamination during daytime observations. The cause of this increase, and mitigation strategies are being evaluated. Observations during orbit night seem mostly unaffected. For details, please see the NICER "Tips and Caveats" page.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (31 May 2023)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb was updated to version 20230530. This release includes a new clock correction file, v161. Please see the release notes for more details.
• IXPE on the cover of Nature Astronomy (26 May 2023)
  IXPE made the cover of the May 2023 edition of Nature Astronomy with a polarized view of the Crab. The work by Bucciantini et al. provides insight into the magnetic field morphology and the generation of turbulence in this young supernova remnant system.
• HEAD Spring 2023 newsletter released (25 May 2023)
  This newsletter is available now for your reading pleasure at your electronic HEAD newsstand !
• Swift SC CALDB updated (17 May 2023)
  The Swift SC caldb has been updated to version 20230517 ...
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (16 May 2023)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb was updated to version 20230516. This release includes a new clock correction file, v160. Please see the release notes for more details.
• Million Optical/Radio/X-Ray (MORX) Associations Catalog (15 May 2023)
  The Million Optical/Radio/X-Ray (MORX) Associations Catalog is a compendium of optical objects which are calculated as being associated with Chandra, XMM-Newton, Swift, or ROSAT X-ray sources, or with NVSS, FIRST, VLASS, LoTSS, RACS, or SUMSS radio sources or double radio lobes. The latest version (v2, 15 May 2023) of the Million Optical/Radio/X-Ray (MORX) Associations Catalog (Eric Flesch 2016 - 2023) is now available in both Browse and Xamin. This version contains over 3 million (3,101,306 to be exact) optical objects with probable radio/X-ray associations.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (04 May 2023)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb was updated to version 20230504. This release includes a new clock correction file, v159. Please see the release notes for more details.
• FERMILBLAZ - Fermi LAT Gamma-Ray Blazar Classification Catalog (02 May 2023)
  The FERMILBLAZ table catalog of classifications for blazar candidates of uncertain type (BCU) detected by the Fermi Large Area Telescope gamma-ray instrument. These classifications have been determined by an Artificial Neural Network machine learning method. The complete list of 567 classified BCUs is presented in this table, with only 15 remaining as unclassified. The FERMILBLAZ table is found in Browse and Xamin.
• HaloSat reprocessing available in archive (1 May 2023)
  All Halosat data collected during the science operations from Oct 15, 2018 and Sep 29, 2020 were reprocessed (version hsuf_20221026) and are now available from the HEASARC archive. More details are available in the reprocessing page.
• HaloSat SDD Calibration Database Updated (28 Apr 2023)
  The calibration database for the HaloSat SDD has been updated version 20230324.
• The Million Quasars Catalog (21 Apr 2023)
  The latest version (v7.10, 15 April 2023) of the Million Quasars (MILLIQUAS) Catalog (Eric Flesch 2009 - 2023) is now available in both Browse and Xamin. This version contains over a million (1,447,613 to be exact) objects which are either certainly quasars or very likely to be quasars.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (20 Apr 2023)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb was updated to version 20230420. This release includes a new clock correction file, v158. Please see the release notes for more details.
• XMM-Newton SAS v21.0 Released (19 Apr 2023)
  The latest release of the XMM-Newton Science Analysis Software is now available.
• NuSTAR Cycle 9 Targets (17 Apr 2023)
  The list of NuSTAR targets recommended by the Cycle 9 peer review is now available. Cycle 9 observations will start to be routinely performed on June 1, 2023. Evaluations will be sent to all NuSTAR Cycle 9 proposal PIs in the coming weeks.
• CHANGALXRB - Chandra X-ray Binary Catalog of SINGS Galaxies (17 Apr 2023)
  The CHANGALXRB table presents the catalog from Lehmer+2019 and contains 4442 X-ray point sources from 38 nearby galaxies. In this work, the authors utilized 5.8 Ms of Chandra ACIS data, combined with UV-to-IR observations, for 38 nearby (D < ~30 Mpc) Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey (SINGS) galaxies to revisit scaling relations of the HMXB and LMXB X-ray luminosity functions (XLFs) with SFR and stellar mass, respectively. The CHANGALXRB table is found in Browse and Xamin.
• Chandra CALDB 4.10.4 installed at the HEASARC (05 Apr 2023)
  The Chandra CalDB 4.10.4 is now installed and available at the HEASARC. Chandra 4.10.4 was released by the CXC on March 22, 2023.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (05 Apr 2023)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb was updated to version 20230404. This release includes a new clock correction file, v157. Please see the release notes for more details.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (22 Mar 2023)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb was updated to version 20230321. This release includes a new clock correction file, v156. Please see the release notes for more details.
• Swift SC CALDB updated (21 Mar 2023)
  The Swift SC caldb has been updated to version 20230321 ...
• INTEGRAL Operations Extended (08 Mar 2023)
  ESA's Science Programme Committee (SPC) has confirmed the continued operations of INTEGRAL until 31 Dec 2024, enabling support of the 4th campaign of joint observations of gravitational waves by LIGO, Virgo, and KAGRA. This will be followed by two years of post-operations and monitoring of the spacecraft until re-entry in February 2029.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (07 Mar 2023)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb was updated to version 20230307. This release includes a new clock correction file, v155. Please see the release notes for more details.
• M83XRBCXO - M83 Chandra X-ray Binary Classifications Using HST (03 Mar 2023)
  The M83XRBCXO table presents a fully classified catalog of X-ray sources in M 83 published by Hunt+2021, that builds upon deep Chandra ACIS imaging data. This catalog utilized multi-band Hubble Space Telescope imaging data to classify each Chandra-detected compact X-ray source as a low-mass, high-mass, or intermediate-mass XRB based on either the location of its candidate counterpart on optical color-magnitude diagrams or the age of its host star cluster. The M83XRBCXO table is found in Browse and Xamin.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (27 Feb 2023)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb was updated to version 20230223. This release includes a new clock correction file, v154. Please see the release notes for more details.
• Spurious Timing Signal for NICER MPU 1 and 3 (22 Feb 2023)
  Since (at least) the start of 2023, low-sun angle data sets show non-science-related (spurious) power in a narrow band at 55 Hz, and a broad feature in the 18-30 Hz range. This timing feature is seen only on MPUs 1 & 3 (zero indexed), approximately identical for both MPUs and independent of energy. The NICER team is currently investigating the cause of this signal, and any remedies. Users should exercise caution in interpreting signals near these frequencies.
• Viewing tool updated with JWST support (15 Feb 2023)
  Support for James Webb Space Telescope's Sun angle range has been added the Viewing tool.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (08 Feb 2023)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20230208. This release includes a new clock correction file, v153. Please see the release notes for more details.
• The Million Quasars Catalog (07 Feb 2023)
  The latest version (v7.9, 5 February 2023) of the Million Quasars (MILLIQUAS) Catalog (Eric Flesch 2009 - 2023) is now available in both Browse and Xamin. This version contains over a million (1,461,834 to be exact) objects which are either certainly quasars or very likely to be quasars.
• SkyView v3.5.7 - Improvements to security and access to remote survey data (03 Feb 2023)
  SkyView has been updated to v3.5.7. This release includes security improvements and fixes to issues with accessing survey data from remote servers, particularly SDSS, SDSSdr7, and UKIDSS.
• Update to the NuSTAR FAQ for bright sources (2 Feb 2023)
  The NuSTAR FAQ entry "What do I do if I have a bright source?" has been updated to include additional guidance on the usage of the statusexpr keyword in NuSTARDAS.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (24 Jan 2023)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20230124. This release includes a new clock correction file, v152. Please see the release notes for more details.
• Swift SC CALDB updated (14 Jan 2023)
  The Swift SC caldb has been updated to version 20230109 ...
• Viewing tool updated (09 Jan 2023)
  The Swift pole constraints have been updated in the Viewing tool. The revised coefficients extrapolate the trend for the next two years.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (29 Dec 2022)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20221229. This release includes a new clock correction file, v151. Please see the release notes for more details.
• NICER Cycle 5 Accepted Proposals and Targets Now Available (24 Dec 2022)
  The NICER mission is pleased to announce that the proposal selection process for Cycle 5 of the Guest Observer program is complete, with observations scheduled to begin no later than March 1, 2023. Documents listing selected proposals and approved targets have been posted to the HEASARC's NICER Proposals Page.
• HEASoft 6.31.1 patch released (16 Dec 2022)
  HEASoft 6.31.1 has been released. HEASoft 6.31.1 is a patch-level release driven by bug fixes in the spectral tools (HEASPTOOLS), the Python interface to HEASoft (HEASoftPy), and in NICER mission data analysis software. Please see the 6.31.1 release notes for details.
• INTEGRAL AO-20 General Program Approved (15 Dec 2022)
  The INTEGRAL AO-20 General Programme, as recommended by the Time Allocation Committee (TAC) and approved by ESA's Director of Science (Prof. Günther Hasinger), has been released and the observers have been informed.
• VERIMASTER - VERITAS Source Catalog Released (14 Dec 2022)
  The Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS) is a major ground-based gamma-ray observatory operating in Arizona, USA. The VERITAS collaboration has published over 100 journal articles since 2008 reporting on gamma-ray observations of a large variety of objects. The VERIMASTER catalog lists the sources observed by VERITAS as of April 2022, including cross-matches with other gamma-ray observations and spectral fits, and has associated high-level data products containing data from VERITAS publications. This catalog is now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• The Million Quasars Catalog (08 Dec 2022)
  The latest version (v7.8, 4 December 2022) of the Million Quasars (MILLIQUAS) Catalog (Eric Flesch 2009 - 2022) is now available in both Browse and Xamin. This version contains over a million (1,427,250 to be exact) objects which are either certainly quasars or very likely to be quasars.
• NuSTAR Cycle 9 now Accepting Proposals (7 Dec 2022)
  The due date for NuSTAR Cycle 9 proposal submission is Jan 26, 2023. Proposals should be submitted via the HEASARC's ARK Remote Proposal System (RPS). For more information about this cycle, please visit the NuSTAR Proposal Page.
• XSPEC 12.13.0a-b Patches Released (02 Dec 2022)
  12.13.0a fixes delchi fitstat/chisq plotting issues, while 12.13.0b fixes issues with mdefine models.
• HEAD Fall 2022 newsletter released (30 Nov 2022)
  This newsletter is available now for your reading pleasure at your electronic HEAD newsstand !
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (30 Nov 2022)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20221130. This release includes a new clock correction file, v150. Please see the release notes for more details.
• XMMAO (XMM-Newton Accepted Targets) Table (28 Nov 2022)
  The latest version of the table of accepted XMM-Newton targets, updated to include the AO-22 results, is now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• XMM-Newton AO-22 Results Released (24 Nov 2022)
  The list of XMM-Newton observing proposals accepted by the AO-22 Observing Time Allocation Committee is now available.
• Chandra CALDB 4.10.2 installed at the HEASARC (18 Nov 2022)
  The Chandra CalDB 4.10.2 is now installed and available at the HEASARC. Chandra 4.10.2 was released by the CXC on November 15, 2022.
• IXPE Caldb Updated (17 Nov 2022)
  The IXPE Caldb has been updated for the XRT (version 20221021) and the GPD (version 20221020). Downloads are available from the IXPE Calibration page. Users can also access the HEASARC caldb remotely.
• A New Slant on Cas A (17 Nov 2022)
  IXPE image of magnetic fields in Cas A hits the HEASARC Picture of the Week
• HEASoft 6.31 released (15 Nov 2022)
  HEASoft 6.31 has been released. HEASoft 6.31 includes updates to NICERDAS, the IXPE analysis tools, and other improvements and bug fixes. This release also supports building on Silicon arm64 architecture on Macs. Please see the 6.31 release notes for details.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (15 Nov 2022)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20221115. This release includes a new clock correction file, v149. Please see the release notes for more details.
• Swift SC CALDB updated (02 Nov 2022)
  The Swift SC caldb has been updated to version 20221102 ...
• NICER XTI CALDB Updated (31 Oct 2022)
  The NICER XTI caldb has been updated to version 20221001. This version updates the detector gain, response and includes new background files.
• The 1st XRISM Data Analysis Workshop: Feb. 22-23, 2023 (26 Oct 2022)
  This workshop is to prepare the astronomical community for the upcoming Cycle 1 General Observer Call for Proposals for XRISM. There is no registration fee; however, registration is required. Deadline for in-person participation is Dec 6, 2022.
• OHMAN Monitoring Service Has Started (25 Oct 2022)
  The "OHMAN" (Orbiting High-energy Monitor Alert Network) X-ray follow-up observation program began operation on August 10, 2022. OHMAN uses JAXA's MAXI all-sky monitor to detect sudden X-ray bursts and to automatically notify NASA's NICER sensitive X-ray telescope for immediate followup. The first coordinated observation was successfully completed on September 13, 2022.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (19 Oct 2022)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20221019. This release includes a new clock correction file, v148. Please see the release notes for more details.
• The Million Quasars Catalog (17 Oct 2022)
  The latest version (v7.7, 15 October 2022) of the Million Quasars (MILLIQUAS) Catalog (Eric Flesch 2009 - 2022) is now available in both Browse and Xamin. This version contains over a million (1,630,662 to be exact) objects which are either certainly quasars or very likely to be quasars.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (26 Sep 2022)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20220926. This release includes a new clock correction file, v147. Please see the release notes for more details.
• NGC 2000.0 Catalog Updated (22 Sep 2022)
  NGC 2000.0 is a modern compilation of the New General Catalogue of Nebulae and Clusters of Stars (NGC), the Index Catalogue (IC), and the Second Index Catalogue compiled by J. L. E. Dreyer (1888, 1895, 1908). This catalog is available in both Browse and Xamin.
• General Catalog of Variable Stars, Version 5.1, June 2022 (22 Sep 2022)
  The latest version of this catalog of 58,202 confirmed variable stars (from Samus et al. 2017, ARep, 61, 80) is now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• The Million Quasars Catalog (19 Sep 2022)
  The latest version (v7.6, 15 September 2022) of the Million Quasars (MILLIQUAS) Catalog (Eric Flesch 2009 - 2022) is now available in both Browse and Xamin. This version contains over a million (1,613,389 to be exact) objects which are either certainly quasars or very likely to be quasars.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (14 Sep 2022)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20220912. This release includes a new clock correction file, v146. Please see the release notes for more details.
• NASA Hubble Fellowship Program (NHFP) Now Accepting Applications (8 Sep 2022)
  The NHFP supports promising postdoctoral scientists performing independent research that contributes to NASA Astrophysics. The research may be theoretical, observational, and/or instrumental. The Announcement of Opportunity, which includes detailed program policies and application instructions, is available at the website. The application submission page will be open from September 6 until November 3, 2022.
• Swift SC CALDB updated (07 Sep 2022)
  The Swift SC caldb has been updated to version 20220907 ...
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (30 Aug 2022)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20220829. This release includes a new clock correction file, v145. Please see the release notes for more details.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (16 Aug 2022)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20220815. This release includes a new clock correction file, v144. Please see the release notes for more details.
• Swift XRT CALDB updated (12 Aug 2022)
  The Swift XRT caldb has been updated to version 20220803 ...
• EFEDSMAIN - eROSITA Main X-ray (0.2 -2.3 keV) Source Catalog Released (5 Aug 2022)
  SRG/eROSITA performed scanning observations of the ~140 square degrees eROSITA Final Equatorial Depth Survey (eFEDS) field as part of its performance verification phase. The eROSITA main X-ray source catalog (EFEDSMAIN) presents the primary catalog of 27,910 X-ray sources, including 542 with significant spatial extent, detected in the 0.2-2.3 keV energy range. The associated eROSITA Hard X-ray source catalog (EFEDSHARD) table presents the hard band sample of 246 sources detected in the energy range 2.3-5.0 keV. Both are now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• ETACHAMAIN - Eta Chamaeleontis eROSITA EDR Field X-Ray (0.2-2.3 keV) Source Catalog Released (5 Aug 2022)
  The nearby young open cluster eta Chamaeleontis was observed by eROSITA/SRG during its performance verification phase for 150 ks. This table contains the "main" (0.2-2.3 keV) catalog of the X-ray sources in the eta Chamaeleontis field (ETACHAMAIN), which is released along with the associated "hard" (2.3-5.0 keV) catalog (ETACHAHARD). Both are now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (02 Aug 2022)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20220802. This release includes a new clock correction file, v143. Please see the release notes for more details.
• 2022 NICER Proposal and Science Workshop, Aug 31-Sep 1 (28 Jul 2022)
  In anticipation of the Cycle 5 proposal deadline (Sep 14, 2022). the NICER project will hold a Proposal and Science workshop highlighting the technical and scientific capabilities and strength of the NICER mission. The workshop will be held virtually on August 31st and September 1st, 09:00-11:00 and 14:00-16:00 EDT. Registration is free.
• XMMSTACK- XMM-Newton Serendipitous Source Catalog from Stacked Observations (4XMM-DR12s) Released (28 Jul 2022)
  The stacked catalog (XMMSTACK) and associated observation data ( XMMSTACKOB) offer new versions of the stacked catalog built from 9,355 4XMM-DR12 overlapping observations. XMMSTACK contains 1,620 stacks (or groups). The catalog contains 386,043 sources, with each observation also provided in the associated XMMSTACKOB table. Both are now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• XMM-Newton Serendipitous Source Catalog (4XMM-DR12) Released (28 Jul 2022)
  The most recent, updated version of this catalog (from Webb et al.,2020) containing 939,270 X-ray source detections (an increase of 502 more observations and 43,855 more detections since the previous version 4XMM-DR11) drawn from a total of 12,712 XMM-Newton EPIC observations made between 2000 Feb 3 and 2021 December 21 is now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• XMM-Newton Stacked Serendipitous Source Catalogue: 4XMM-DR12s Released (28 Jul 2022)
  12th release of the 4XMM stacked catalogue
• Announcing The General Coordinates Network (21 Jul 2022)
  We announce a new transient alert service called the General Coordinates Network. This network is an update to the familiar Gamma-Ray Coordinates Network, using modern, open-source, reliable, established and secure astronomical alert distribution technologies. The original Gamma-ray Coordinate Network is still available.
• XL-Calibur Launched Successfully (12 Jul 2022)
  The balloon-borne XL-Calibur experiment was successfully launched early morning on July 12 (CEST) from the Esrange Space Center near Kiruna, Sweden. XL-Calibur consists of an X-ray Telescope with a detector set to measure polarization in the hard X-ray band (~15-80 keV) for a selection of bright sources. The flight will last 5-7 days and its trajectory is posted and updated from the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility website. The launch video has be posted on youtube. The XL-Calibur data will be hosted at the HEASARC.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (06 Jul 2022)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20220706. This release includes a new clock correction file, v142. Please see the release notes for more details.
• Swift SC CALDB updated (05 Jul 2022)
  The Swift SC caldb has been updated to version 20220705 ...
• NuSTAR Phase 2 proposal deadline extended (29 Jun 2022)
  The deadline for NuSTAR Cycle 8 Phase 2 (budget) proposals has been moved back by one week to July 6, 2022.
• Fermitools 2.2.0 Released (27 Jun 2022)
  The latest version of the Fermi analysis software, Fermitools, was released on June 21, 2022
• Chandra CALDB 4.9.8 installed at the HEASARC (17 Jun 2022)
  The Chandra CalDB 4.9.8 is now installed and available at the HEASARC. Chandra 4.9.8 was released by the CXC on June 16, 2022.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (08 Jun 2022)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20220608. This release includes a new clock correction file, v141. Please see the release notes for more details.
• Two Decades of High-Energy Astronomy with INTEGRAL (1 Jun 2022)
  The conference Two Decades of High-Energy Astronomy with INTEGRAL will take place this autumn at the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany during the week of October 17-21, 2022. Registration and abstract submission are open.
• HEAD Spring 2022 newsletter released (27 May 2022)
  This newsletter is available now for your reading pleasure at your electronic HEAD newsstand !
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (25 May 2022)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20220525. This release includes a new clock correction file, v140. Please see the release notes for more details.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (10 May 2022)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20220510. This release includes a new clock correction file, v139 and a new FPMA gain file, v.010. Please see the release notes for more details. Downloads are available from the Caldb page.
• Swift SC CALDB updated (06 May 2022)
  The Swift SC caldb has been updated to version 20220504 ...
• The Million Quasars Catalog (03 May 2022)
  The latest version (v7.5, 30 April 2022) of the Million Quasars (MILLIQUAS) Catalog (Eric Flesch 2009 - 2022) is now available in both Browse and Xamin. This version contains over a million (1,122,492 to be exact) objects which are either certainly quasars or very likely to be quasars.
• SkyView v3.5.6 - Security updates and bug fixes (02 May 2022)
  SkyView has been updated to v3.5.6 today. This release mostly addresses various security vulnerabilities. It also features an updated header and footer, a fix to the 400 Bad Request Error (users should no longer receive this error or have to ... Continue reading ->
• NICERDAS 9 Released (28 Apr 2022)
  NICERDAS version 9, distributed in HEASoft 6.30, includes some NICER-related changes to nicerl2, niprefilter2, nicerarf. Please see the NICERDAS 9 page for details.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (27 Apr 2022)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20220426. This release includes a new clock correction file, v138. Please see the release notes for more details.
• NuSTAR Cycle 8 Targets (22 Apr 2022)
  The list of NuSTAR targets recommended by the Cycle 8 peer review is now available. Cycle 8 observations will start to be routinely performed on June 1, 2022. Evaluations will be sent to all NuSTAR Cycle 8 proposal PIs in the coming weeks.
• ACT MaDCoWS Candidates Catalog Released (19 Apr 2022)
  The ACT Massive and Distant Clusters of WISE Survey (MaDCoWS) candidate catalog presents 2839 significant galaxy overdensities at redshifts z=0.7-1.5, which included extensive follow-up imaging from the Spitzer Space Telescope to determine cluster richnesses. Concurrently, the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) has produced large area millimeter-wave maps in three frequency bands along with a large catalog of Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ)-selected clusters as part of its Data Release 5 (DR5). The catalog is now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• XGS Call Released (18 Apr 2022)
  Through the XGS program, scientists who are not XRISM Science Team members may apply to participate in the observation planning and data analysis of individual PV phase targets.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (14 Apr 2022)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20220413. This release includes a new clock correction file, v137. Please see the release notes for more details.
• OSA 11.2 Release (6 Apr 2022)
  The INTEGRAL Science Data Centre (ISDC) has released Offline Software Analysis (OSA) version 11.2. This software is also available from the INTEGRAL U.S. Guest Observer Facility .
• NICER Cycle 4 Budget Proposals Due May 4, 2022 (04 Apr 2022)
  The Phase 2 budget proposal deadline for accepted NICER Cycle 4 proposals with recommended observations of Category A or B targets is May 4, 2022 at 4:30pm EDT.
• CALDB.CONFIG file updated for CALET (04 Apr 2022)
  The CALDB file caldb.config has been updated for the first release of the CALET caldb. Caldb access for CALET via HEASoft requires this version of the caldb.config file. Please see the caldb installation instructions for details.
• First Release of the CALET CGBM Calibration Database (03 Apr 2022)
  The first version of the CALET CGBM calibration database, version 20220331, has been released.
• Chandra CALDB 4.9.7 installed at the HEASARC (28 Mar 2022)
  The Chandra CalDB 4.9.7 is now installed and available at the HEASARC. Chandra 4.9.7 was released by the CXC on March 24, 2022.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (28 Mar 2022)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20220328. This release includes a new clock correction file, v136. Please see the release notes for more details.
• HEASoft 6.30 released (22 Mar 2022)
  HEASoft 6.30 has been released. HEASoft 6.30 includes the first release of the analysis tools for IXPE, along with other improvements. Please see the 6.30 release notes for details.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (21 Mar 2022)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20220316. This release includes a new clock correction file, v135. Please see the release notes for more details.
• CALDB.CONFIG file updated for IXPE (21 Mar 2022)
  The CALDB file caldb.config has been updated for the first release of the IXPE caldb. Caldb access for IXPE requires this version of the caldb.config file. Please see the caldb installation instructions for details.
• Keith Gendreau, Zaven Arzoumanian and the NICER Team win the 2022 Rossi Prize (18 Mar 2022)
  The 2022 Bruno Rossi Prize has been awarded to Keith Gendreau, Zaven Arzoumanian and the NICER team "for development of the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) and the revolutionary insights it is providing about the extreme environments of neutron stars and black holes, including the first precise and reliable measurement of a pulsar's mass and radius from detailed modeling of its pulsed waveform."
• IXPE archive is open! (14 Mar 2022)
  The HEASARC has opened the IXPE data archive. Currently, Cas A and Cen X-3 datasets are available.
• ROSAT Archival Data Catalog (ROSMASTER) (02 Mar 2022)
  This catalog has been updated to add start and end times for the 157 sequence IDs which did not already have start and end times. The updated catalog is now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (02 Mar 2022)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20220301. This release includes a new clock correction file, v134. Please see the release notes for more details.
• Swift SC CALDB updated (02 Mar 2022)
  The Swift SC caldb has been updated to version 20220302 ...
• eROSITA suspends operations (26 Feb 2022)
  eROSITA suspended operations and placed in safe mode.
• Swift UVOTA CALDB updated (25 Feb 2022)
  The Swift UVOTA caldb has been updated to version 20211108 ...
• INTEGRAL AO-20 Call For Observing Proposals Opens 2 March 2022 (24 Feb 2022)
  This announcement solicits proposals for observations to be carried out beginning 1 January 2023. Proposers from all over the world are welcome to participate. All proposals will be subject to an independent peer review by the INTEGRAL Time Allocation Committee (TAC). The deadline for proposal submission is Friday 1 April 2022, 14:00 CEST.
• NICER Cycle 4 Proposal Results (23 Feb 2022)
  The result of the recent NICER Cycle 4 review is now available for accepted proposals and accepted targets. Cycle 4 begins March 1, 2022. Note that observations after Sept. 30, 2022 are contingent on Senior Review mission continuation. Also note that the deadline for Cycle 5 proposals (September 7, 2022) is earlier than for previous cycles.
• PIMMS updated to Version 4.12a (16 Feb 2022)
  Version 4.12a contains updates support for IXPE.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (16 Feb 2022)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20220215. This release includes a new clock correction file, v133. Please see the release notes for more details.
• IXPE first light image of Cas A! (14 Feb 2022)
  IXPE has released its first light image of supernova remnant Cassiopeia A using data taken in January.
• Solication for Proposals for NICER Cycle 5 Released (14 Feb 2022)
  The solicitation for observations in the NICER cycle 5 observing interval (Mar 2023 - Feb 2024) has been released.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (04 Feb 2022)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20220131. This release includes a new clock correction file, v132. Please see the release notes for more details.
• Fermi LAT 12-Year Point Source Catalog (4FGL-DR3) (02 Feb 2022)
  This catalog is an incremental version (Data Release 3) of the fourth catalog of gamma-ray sources detected by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. Based on the first twelve years of science data in the energy range from 50 MeV to 1 TeV, it contains 6658 sources. The updated catalog is now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• Recent problem of NuSTAR stray light evaluation tool fixed (26 Jan 2022)
  Since early January this year the NuSTAR target constraint tool did not correctly report possible stray light contamination. The problem was discovered and fixed on January 26, 2022. Proposers may wish to rerun the tool.
• NuSTAR Cycle 8 Due Date January 28, 2022 (24 Jan 2022)
  Phase-1 science proposals are due by 4:30 p.m. EST, January 28, 2022. Please see the Guide for Proposers and the Guidelines for Anonymous Proposals for more details.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (19 Jan 2022)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20220118. This release includes a new clock correction file, v131. Please see the release notes for more details.
• IXPE begins science operations. (13 Jan 2022)
  IXPE begins science operations with an observation of the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A.
• Swift CALDB updated (11 Jan 2022)
  The Swift SC caldb has been updated (update version 20220111) to update the clock correction file to v146 ...
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (05 Jan 2022)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20220105. This release includes a new clock correction file, v130. Please see the release notes for more details.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (21 Dec 2021)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20211221. This release includes a new clock correction file, v129. Please see the release notes for more details.
• IXPE boom successfully deployed. (16 Dec 2021)
  The IXPE spacecraft successfully deployed, positioning the mirrors 13 feet (4 meters) away from the instruments and is now ready for commissioning.
• The Million Quasars Catalog (14 Dec 2021)
  The latest version (v7.4, 12 December 2021) of the Million Quasars (MILLIQUAS) Catalog (Eric Flesch 2009 - 2017) containing a lot more than one million (1,115,590 to be exact) likely quasars is now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• Fermi LAT Lightcurve Repository Now Available (14 Dec 2021)
  The Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) Collaboration is pleased to announce a new database of multi-cadence light curves for over 1500 variable gamma-ray sources in the 10-year Fermi LAT point source catalog (4FGL-DR2, Ballet et al. 2020). The new Light Curve Repository (LCR) contains flux calibrated light curves on 3 day, 1 week, and 1 month timescales covering the entire Fermi mission duration, consisting of over 3.7 million individual time bins. The LCR will be continually updated as new data becomes available
• NASA's Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) Mission Has Launched Successfully! (10 Dec 2021)
  The IXPE observatory is NASA's first mission dedicated to measuring the polarization of X-rays from the most extreme and mysterious objects in the universe - supernova remnants, supermassive black holes, and dozens of other high-energy objects. IXPE launched successfully at 1AM on Dec 9, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The HEASARC will archive IXPE products and catalogs.
• XMMAO (XMM-Newton Accepted Targets) Table (10 Dec 2021)
  The latest version of the table of accepted XMM-Newton targets, updated to include AO-21 results, is now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• XMM-Newton AO-21 Results Released (9 Dec 2021)
  The list of XMM-Newton observing proposals accepted by the AO-21 Observing Time Allocation Committee is now available.
• IXPE launch! (9 Dec 2021)
  The IXPE spacecraft successfully launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
• NuSTAR Cycle 8 now Accepting Proposals (8 Dec 2021)
  The due date for NuSTAR Cycle 8 proposal submission is Jan 28, 2022. Proposals should be submitted via the HEASARC's ARK Remote Proposal System (RPS). For more information about this cycle, please visit the NuSTAR Proposal Page.
• HEAD Fall 2021 newsletter released (6 Dec 2021)
  This newsletter is available now for your reading pleasure at your electronic HEAD newsstand !
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (02 Dec 2021)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20211202. This release includes a new clock correction file, v128. Please see the release notes for more details.
• Ten Years of High-Energy Universe in Focus: NuSTAR 2022 (17 Nov 2021)
  This conference will be held June 20-22, 2022, in Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy. Registration and abstract submission are now open.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (15 Nov 2021)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20211115. This release includes a new clock correction file, v127. Please see the release notes for more details.
• The Second Swift-XRT Point Source Catalog (2SXPS) released (15 Nov 2021)
  This table contains the 2SXPS catalog of detections by the Swift X-ray Telescope (XRT) used in Photon Counting (PC) mode in the 0.3-10 keV energy range. It contains 1,091,058 detections of 206,335 unique sources. This catalog is now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• The Seven-Year Swift-XRT Point Source Catalog (1SWXRT) released (15 Nov 2021)
  This table contains the 1SWXRT catalog of point sources detected by X-ray Telescope (XRT) on board of the Swift satellite during the first seven years of operation (Jan 2005 - Dec 2011). It contains 84,979 detections of an estimated 36,000 unique sources. This catalog is now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• Swift Serendipitous Survey in Deep XRT GRB Fields (SwiftFT) released (15 Nov 2021)
  This table contains the SwiftFT catalog of 9,387 point sources detected by Swift's X-ray Telescope (XRT) in observations centered on gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) during the first four years of operation (Jan 2005 - Dec 2008). This catalog is now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• Swift CALDB updated (07 Nov 2021)
  The Swift SC caldb has been updated (update version 20211105) to update the clock correction file to v145 ...
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (04 Nov 2021)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20211103. This release includes a new clock correction file, v126. Please see the release notes for more details.
• Updated Million Quasars Catalog (v7.3) (29 Oct 2021)
  The latest version (v7.3, 31 Oct 2021) of the Million Quasars (MILLIQUAS) Catalog (Eric Flesch 2009 - 2021) containing more than a million (1,556,881 to be exact) likely quasars is now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• Open Source SkyView Function (26 Oct 2021)
  This is a spotlight on the work of one of our SkyView users: this user developed an open source function in Wolfram Mathematica to obtain SkyView images. Check it out here.
• Major NuSTAR Caldb Update (26 Oct 2021)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20211020. This is a major update in the calibration of the NuSTAR observatory based on detailed analysis of more than nine years of observations of the Crab, utilizing both focused and stray light measurements. Please see the release notes for more details.
• Open Source SkyView Function (22 Oct 2021)
  This is a spotlight on the work of one of our SkyView users: this user developed an open source function in Wolfram Mathematica to obtain SkyView images. Check it out here!
• HEASoft 6.29c now available on SciServer (14 Oct 2021)
  HEASoft 6.29c, along with ciao 4.13, XMM SAS v19, and Fermitools 2.0.8 is now available on the SciServer virtual science platform. SciServer provides a powerful data analysis environment with access to the entire HEASARC archive mounted locally, allowing users to analyze HEASARC data without having to install software.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (06 Oct 2021)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20211004. This release includes a new clock correction file, v125. Please see the release notes for more details.
• The NICER Enhanced Visibility Calculator Released (05 Oct 2021)
  The NICER Enhanced Visibility Calculator calculates NICER visibilities for targets over roughly the next 2-week period taking into account ISS orientation and target occultation by ISS structures, and other relevant constraints. These visibility intervals are more accurate than visibilities based solely on Sun and Moon avoidance
• Fermi LAT Long-Term Transient Source Catalog (29 Sep 2021)
  The First Catalog of Long-Term Transient Sources detected by Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) comprises of 142 unique, transient sources that were detected on monthly time intervals during Fermi-LAT operations. The monthly time scale allows to identify transient and variable sources that were not yet reported in other Fermi-LAT catalogs. This catalog is now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• NASA Hubble Fellowship Program (NHFP) Now Accepting Applications (29 Sep 2021)
  The NHFP supports promising postdoctoral scientists performing independent research that contributes to NASA Astrophysics. The research may be theoretical, observational, and/or instrumental. The Announcement of Opportunity, which includes detailed program policies and application instructions, is available at the website. The application submission page will be open from September 2 until November 4, 2021.
• XSPEC 12.12.0c-e Patch Released (29 Sep 2021)
  Fix to issue with smaug model, minor fixes to the kerrconv and refsch models, several modifications to the XSPEC model.dat model definitions file
• XSPEC 12.12.0a-b Patch Released (24 Sep 2021)
  XSPEC patches 12.12.0a & b have been released. These patches fix an issue running nested scripts and an issue with the calculation of the C-statistic in certain limited circumstances.
• Chandra CALDB 4.9.6 installed at the HEASARC (24 Sep 2021)
  The Chandra CalDB 4.9.6 is now installed and available at the HEASARC. Chandra 4.9.6 was released by the CXC on September 24, 2021.
• Swift XRT CALDB updated (24 Sep 2021)
  The Swift XRT caldb has been updated (update version 20210915) to update the XRT gain, teldef and psf files ...
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (21 Sep 2021)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20210921. This release includes a new clock correction file, v124. Please see the release notes for more details.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (08 Sep 2021)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20210908. This release includes a new clock correction file, v123. Please see the release notes for more details.
• Swift CALDB updated (07 Sep 2021)
  The Swift SC caldb has been updated (update version 20210907) to updated the clock correction file to v144 ...
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (25 Aug 2021)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20210824. This release includes a new clock correction file, v122. Please see the release notes for more details.
• XMMSTACK- XMM-Newton Serendipitous Source Catalog from Stacked Observations (4XMM-DR11s) Released (18 Aug 2021)
  The stacked catalog (XMMSTACK) and associated observation data ( XMMSTACKOB) offer new versions of the stacked catalog built from 8,292 4XMM-DR11 overlapping observations. XMMSTACK contains 1,475 stacks (or groups). The catalog contains 358,809 sources, with each observation also provided in the associated XMMSTACKOB table. Both are now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• XMM-Newton Serendipitous Source Catalog (4XMM-DR11) Released (18 Aug 2021)
  The most recent, updated version of this catalog (from Webb et al.,2020) containing 895,415 X-ray source detections (an increase of 563 more observations and 45,424 more detections since the previous version 4XMM-DR10) drawn from a total of 12,210 XMM-Newton EPIC observations made between 2000 Feb 3 and 2020 December 17 is now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• XMM-Newton AO-21 Solicitation Released (17 Aug 2021)
  XMM-Newton observing proposals are solicited in response to the Twenty-first Announcement of Opportunity.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (05 Aug 2021)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20210728. This release includes a new clock correction file, v121. Please see the release notes for more details.
• NuSTARDAS and Analysis Guide updates (28 Jul 2021)
  V2.1.1 of the NuSTAR Data Analysis Software (NuSTARDAS), featuring minor updates, was released with HEASoft V.29 and V1.9.7 of the NuSTAR Data Analysis Software Guide is available on the NuSTAR Analysis page.
• IceCube All-Sky Point-Source Events Catalog (2008-2018; ICECUBEPSC) Released (23 Jul 2021)
  IceCube has performed several searches for point-like sources of neutrinos. IceCube's 10-year neutrino point source event sample contains data beginning in 2008 (IC40) until the spring of 2018 (IC86-VII). ICECUBEPSC is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• HEASoft 6.29 Released (21 Jul 2021)
  Released July 20, 2021. This release includes updates to NICER, NuSTAR, Swift analysis tools, updates to the Caltools, and other improvements and bug fixes.
• NICER XTI CALDB Updated (20 Jul 2021)
  The NICER XTI caldb has been updated to version 20210707. This version updates the detector gain, response and effective area of the XTI and other files.
• Swift CALDB updated (16 Jul 2021)
  The Swift SC caldb has been updated (update version 20210707) to updated the clock correction file to v143 ...
• INTEGRAL: Towards the Third Decade of X- and Gamma-Ray Observations (7 Jul 2021)
  This conference will be a combined face-to-face and online meeting that will focus on the contributions of INTEGRAL to our knowledge of the high-energy sky. It will be held 11-16 October 2021 in Santa Margherita di Pula, Sardinia, Italy.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (02 Jul 2021)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20210701. This release includes a new clock correction file, v120. Please see the release notes for more details.
• INTEGRAL AO-19 General Program Approved (29 Jun 2021)
  The INTEGRAL AO-19 General Programme, as recommended by the Time Allocation Committee (TAC) and approved by ESA's Director of Science (Prof. Günther Hasinger), has been released and the observers have been informed.
• eROSITA Early Release Data (28 Jun 2021)
  eROSITA Early Release Data is made public
• The HEASARC is hiring! (14 Jun 2021)
  Applications are now being accepted for a scientist with significant experience and interest in the technical aspects of astrophysics research, to work in the HEASARC at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Greenbelt, MD. Refer to the AAS Job register for full details.
• HEAD Spring 2021 newsletter released (2 Jun 2021)
  This newsletter is available now for your reading pleasure at your electronic HEAD newsstand !
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (25 May 2021)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20210524. This release includes a new clock correction file, v119. Please see the release notes for more details.
• NICER detection of possibly periodic X-ray absorption dips in MAXI J1803-298 (06 May 2021)
  New NICER observations of the X-ray transient MAXI J1803-298 shows recurrent absorption dips in the lightcurve similar to dips seen in other high-inclination X-ray binaries, and suggest a possible orbital period of 7-8 hours.
• NICER follow-up observations of MAXI J1803-298 (05 May 2021)
  Continuing NICER observations of the new X-ray transient MAXI J1803-298 show temporal and spectral properties suggestive of a hard state accreting stellar-mass black hole than a neutron star, though confirmation is still needed.
• Updated Million Quasars Catalog (v7.2) (5 May 2021)
  The latest version (v7.2, 2 May 2021) of the Million Quasars (MILLIQUAS) Catalog (Eric Flesch 2009 - 2021) containing more than a million (1,573,824 to be exact) likely quasars is now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• Swift CALDB updated (04 May 2021)
  The Swift SC caldb has been updated (update version 20210504) to updated the clock correction file to v142 ...
• Chandra CALDB 4.9.5 installed at the HEASARC (30 Apr 2021)
  The Chandra CalDB 4.9.5 is now installed and available at the HEASARC. Chandra 4.9.5 was released by the CXC on April 29, 2021.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (27 Apr 2021)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20210427. This release includes a new clock correction file, v118. Please see the release notes for more details.
• NuSTAR Cycle 7 Targets (26 Apr 2021)
  The list of NuSTAR targets recommended by the Cycle 7 peer review is now available. Cycle 7 observations will start to be routinely performed on June 1, 2021. Evaluations will be sent to all NuSTAR Cycle 7 proposal PIs in the coming weeks.
• NICER detection of periodicity in the new X-ray transient MAXI J0901-531 (19 Apr 2021)
  NICER observation of the newly-discovered X-ray transient MAXI J0901-531 found periodic X-ray variations with a period of P = 14.055 seconds, consistent with the gamma-ray period seen by Fermi.
• MAXI/GSC 7-Year High and Low Galactic Latitude Source Catalog (3MAXI) (13 Apr 2021)
  This catalog of 221 low galactic latitude X-ray sources and 686 high galactic latitude X-ray sources detected by the MAXI Gas Slit Camera (GSC) in its first 7 years of operations (combining Hori et al. 2018, ApJS, 207, 36 and Kawamuro et al. 2018, ApJS, 238, 33) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• NICER Finds X-ray Boosts in the Crab Pulsar's Radio Bursts (08 Apr 2021)
  A global science collaboration using data from NASA's Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) telescope has discovered X-ray surges accompanying radio bursts from the pulsar in the Crab Nebula. The finding shows that these giant radio pulses release far more energy than previously suspected.
• NICER follow-up of SRGA J181414.6-225604 (08 Apr 2021)
  NICER followup observations of a possible new X-ray transient discovered by the SRG observatory detected a source showing a peak in soft X-rays and a hard non-thermal tail at higher energies. No evidence for temporal variability was seen.
• Viewing tool updated (07 Apr 2021)
  The Swift pole constraints have been updated in the Viewing tool. The revised coefficients extrapolate the trend for the next two years.
• NICER Virtual Data Analysis and Science Meeting: Registration Open (31 Mar 2021)
  Registration is now open for a virtual data analysis workshop, which will be held the week of May 10, 2021, on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 9 am to 1 pm. You can register using the workshop registration form.
• NICER and Swift observations of the new outburst of MAXI J1820+070 (30 Mar 2021)
  NICER and Swift observations of the black hole X-ray transient MAXI J1820+070 near the start of its outburst found an X-ray luminosity of only 1e33 ergs/s. This is one of the lowest luminosities at which the start of a black hole-X-ray transient outburst has been caught in X-rays.
• NICER X-ray activity shows GX 339-4 undergoing a rapid state transition (28 Mar 2021)
  NICER observations of the black hole binary system GX 339-4 during its recent outburst shows the presence of an evolving QPO in the power spectrum indicating that the source entered a hard-to-soft state transition.
• Swift CALDB updated (18 Mar 2021)
  The Swift SC caldb has been updated (update version 20210317) to updated the clock correction file to v141 ...
• PIMMS updated to Version 4.11b (17 Mar 2021)
  Version 4.11a contains updated effective area curves for Chandra.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (17 Mar 2021)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20210315. This release includes a new clock correction file, v117. Please see the release notes for more details.
• Rounding off PSR J0537-6910 with NICER and LIGO (15 Mar 2021)
  PSR J0537-6910 is fastest-rotating young pulsar known, monitored by NICER since 2017. It is losing energy faster than any other known young pulsar, which could be due to the emission of gravitational radiation. However, LIGO, Virgo and KAGRA gravitational wave detectors failed to detect the source. This shows that some other process is responsible for slowing the pulsar down, and that the neutron star must be spherical to better than 1 part in 30,000.
• NICER follow-up of the Be X-ray pulsar Swift J1626.6-5156 (14 Mar 2021)
  NICER observations of the recent X-ray outburst from the Be X-ray binary Swift J1626.6-5156 showed strongly pulsed emission with a 15.34 second period with the possible detection of a cyclotron absorption line similar to a feature seen previously.
• NICER follow up of the new X-ray transient IGR J17533-2928 (08 Mar 2021)
  NICER observations of the new transient IGR J17533-2928 about a week after it was first detected by INTEGRAL showed that the spectrum was consistent with modified blackbody emission and did not detect any pulsed emission. The nature of the transient remains to be revealed.
• XSPEC 12.11.1a-d Patch Released (03 Mar 2021)
  XSPEC patches 12.11.1a-d have been released. These patches improve the nsx model, fixes a crash in spectra in which all channels are ignored, fixes a bug in file checking, and fixes an error in the normalization of the gadem family of models.
• NICER Spectroscopy of MAXI J1848-015 in the Stellar Cluster GLIMPSE-C01 (02 Mar 2021)
  NICER observations of this new transient show complex iron line emission and a luminosity much less than the typical Eddington luminosity for a neutron star.
• NICER detects pulsations from Swift J1749.4-2807 (02 Mar 2021)
  NICER observations of the eclipsing, accreting millisecond pulsar Swift J1749.4-2807 finds a 1-10 keV X-ray luminosity of 2E36 ergs/s and recovers the the 518 Hz pulsation period.
• INTEGRAL AO-19 Call For Observing Proposals is Open (01 Mar 2021)
  This announcement solicits proposals for observations to be carried out from January 2022 for a period of 12 months. Proposers from all over the world are welcome to participate. All proposals will be subject to an independent peer review by the INTEGRAL Time Allocation Committee (TAC). The deadline for proposal submission is Friday 9 April 2021, 14:00 CEST.
• ARK/RPS Downtime Scheduled for 2021-02-24 Completed (24 Feb 2021)
  The scheduled maintenance for the ARK database has completed, and ARK/RPS is fully operational. If you encounter any issues, please contact the ARK Help Desk.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (23 Feb 2021)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20210210. This release includes a new clock correction file, v116, along with new alignment files and a new beryllium window file. Please see the release notes for more details.
• ARK/RPS Downtime Scheduled for 2021-02-24 (23 Feb 2021)
  ARK/RPS will be down for maintenance starting on Wednesday, February 24, 2021, at ~2:30pm EST (19:30 UTC). It should be back up within an hour. We apologize for any inconvenience.
• Fermi Cycle-14 Proposal Deadline Extension (21 Feb 2021)
  Owing to the severe weather situation and power outages in Texas and other areas, NASA has decided to postpone the Fermi Cycle-14 proposal deadline until 16:30 PM EST March 1, 2021. Please refer to the Fermi website for more information.
• Resumed NICER observations of the magnetar SGR 1830-0645 (19 Feb 2021)
  NICER has resumed observation of the magnetar SGR 1830-064 since it emerged from sun constraint on February 10. NICER shows that the source flux decay has flattened compared to values early in the outburst.
• Updated Million Quasars Catalog (v7.1) (18 Feb 2021)
  The latest version (v7.1, 14 Feb 2021) of the Million Quasars (MILLIQUAS) Catalog (Eric Flesch 2009 - 2021) containing more than a million (1,548,897 to be exact) likely quasars is now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• XRISM PV Targets Selected (17 Feb 2021)
  The science targets for the Performance Verification (PV) phase of the X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM) have been selected, and can be viewed here. The PV phase of the XRISM mission will commence immediately following the post-launch checkout and initial calibration phases, and will last approximately six months. PV phase data will remain proprietary to the XRISM Science Team for a period of one year.
• PV Targets Released (15 Feb 2021)
  The targets for the Performance Verification (PV) phase of the XRISM mission have been selected. The PV phase will commence after checkout and calibration and will last for approximately six months.
• ACT SZ Clusters Catalog Released (12 Feb 2021)
  The ACTSZCLUST catalog presents 4195 optically confirmed Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) selected galaxy clusters that were detected with signal-to-noise > 4 in 13,211 square deg of sky surveyed by the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT). Cluster candidates were selected by applying a multi-frequency matched filter to 98 and 150 GHz maps constructed from ACT observations obtained from 2008-2018, and confirmed using deep, wide-area optical surveys. The clusters span the redshift range z=0.04-1.91. The catalog is now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• NICER Cycle 3 Accepted Proposals (10 Feb 2021)
  The NICER mission is pleased to announce that the proposal selection process for GO Cycle 3 is complete, and observations will begin March 1, 2020.
• NICER X-ray activity indicates GX 339-4 rising in hard state (10 Feb 2021)
  NICER observations of GX 339-4 during its current outburst, indicates that this low-mass X-ray binary is entering a canonical hard state, and is already twice as bright as it was in the previous two hard-only outbursts.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (02 Feb 2021)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20210202. This release includes a new clock correction file, v115. Please see the release notes for more details.
• Hera and WebSpec short downtime on Wednesday, January 27th, 2:00pm EST (19:00 UTC) (25 Jan 2021)
  Hera and WebSpec will stop working at around 2:00pm EST (19:00 UTC) on Wednesday, January 27th, in order for the HEASARC to update some infrastructure. The downtime could last up to a half hour.
• FermiTools Updated (25 Jan 2021)
  The FermiTools were updated to version 2.0.8 on January 20, 2021. This release updates the pyLikelihood spectral models and help resolve some dependency issues.
• Jocelyn Bell Burnell Awarded the 2021 Gold Medal by the RAS (22 Jan 2021)
  The Royal Astronomical Society has awarded its highest honor, the Gold Medal, to Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell of the University of Oxford, the discoverer of radio pulsars, for her many contributions to astronomy.
• Swift CALDB updated (13 Jan 2021)
  The Swift SC caldb has been updated (update version 20210113) to updated the clock correction file to v140 ...
• Swift and NICER Show that the X-ray Outburst of Cen X-4 has Ended (13 Jan 2021)
  Observations with NICER and Swift, along with ground-based observations, suggest that the Cen X-4 has returned to quiescence
• Hera and WebSpec short downtime on Wednesday, January 13th, 2:00pm EST (19:00 UTC) (11 Jan 2021)
  Hera and WebSpec will stop working at around 2:00pm EST (19:00 UTC) on Wednesday, January 13th, in order for the HEASARC to update some infrastructure. The downtime could last up to an hour.
• Swift and NICER Indicate a Rare X-ray Outburst of Cen X-4 (06 Jan 2021)
  Following indications from ground-based observations, X-ray observations by Swift and NICER show a sudden X-ray brightening of the nearby low-mass X-ray binary Cen X-4, suggesting the onset of a rare X-ray outburst
• NuSTAR Cycle 7 Due Date January 29, 2021 (5 Jan 2021)
  Phase-1 science proposals are due by 4:30 p.m. EST, January 29, 2021. Please see the Guide for Proposers and the Guidelines for Anonymous Proposals for more details.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (05 Jan 2021)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20210104. This release includes a new clock correction file, v114. Please see the release notes for more details.
• NICER Resumes Science Observations (04 Jan 2021)
  NICER science operations, interrupted because of power issues on the ISS, resumed on Dec 23, 2020
• SkyView v3.5.5 release with TESS data (22 Dec 2020)
  We have just released the latest update to SkyView that now includes an additional optical dataset from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). This survey has covered roughly 90% of the sky in its first two years, aiming for 50 ... Continue reading ->
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (17 Dec 2020)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20201217. This release includes a new clock correction file, v113. Please see the release notes for more details.
• Chandra CALDB 4.9.4 installed at the HEASARC (16 Dec 2020)
  The Chandra CalDB 4.9.4 is now installed and available at the HEASARC. Chandra 4.9.4 was released by the CXC on October 16, 2020. Note that CALDB 4.9.4 is compatible with CIAO 4.12 and later versions only.
• NICER Interruption of Science Observations (16 Dec 2020)
  An unforeseen power condition onboard the International Space Station has required that NICER cease science operations and remain safely stowed for a few days. Look for further updates on the NICER home page
• Swift CALDB updated (15 Dec 2020)
  The Swift Caldb has been updated for the UVOTA (update version 20201215)...
• XMMAO (XMM-Newton Accepted Targets) Table (14 Dec 2020)
  The latest version of the table of accepted XMM-Newton targets, updated to include AO-20 results, is now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• XMMSTACK- XMM-Newton Serendipitous Source Catalog from Stacked Observations (4XMM-DR10s) Released (11 Dec 2020)
  The stacked catalog (XMMSTACK) and associated observation data ( XMMSTACKOB) offer new versions of the stacked catalog built from 7,803 4XMM-DR10 overlapping observations. XMMSTACK contains 1,396 stacks (or groups). The catalog contains 335,812 sources, with each observation also provided in the associated XMMSTACKOB table. Both are now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• XMM-Newton Serendipitous Source Catalog (4XMM-DR10) Released (11 Dec 2020)
  The most recent, updated version of this catalog (from Webb et al.,2020) containing 849,991 X-ray source detections (an increase of 343 more observations and 39,196 more detections since the previous version 4XMM-DR9) drawn from a total of 11,647 XMM-Newton EPIC observations made between 2000 Feb 1 and 2019 December 14 is now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• Swift CALDB updated (09 Dec 2020)
  The Swift Caldb has been updated for the UVOTA (update version 20201207)...
• SkyView Blog Comments Disabled (07 Dec 2020)
  Please note that the SkyView blog comments are currently disabled for the foreseeable future, until we can find a better method for handling spam comments and the like. If you have posted or want to post a comment on the ... Continue reading ->
• NICER observes a New Tidal Disruption Event (07 Dec 2020)
  A new transient source discovered by Gaia on 21 April 2020 has been attributed to a star in the process of being swallowed by a supermasive black hole at the center of a galaxy. NICER observations of the source indicates that the X-ray emission from the source increased by a factor of about 26 in about 8 months.
• HEAD Fall 2020 newsletter released (4 Dec 2020)
  This newsletter is available now for your reading pleasure at your electronic HEAD newsstand !
• XMM-Newton AO-20 Results Released (4 Dec 2020)
  The list of XMM-Newton observing proposals accepted by the AO-20 Observing Time Allocation Committee is now available.
• NICER bkg_estimator v0p6 released (25 Nov 2020)
  A update to the NICER bkg_estimator software, v0p6, has been released. This version fixes a bug in estimation of background counts in the lightcurve generator method mk_bkg_lc_evt
• NICER observations of 4FGL J0658.6+0636, candidate counterpart to the IceCube neutrino event IceCube-201114A (20 Nov 2020)
  NICER observed the Fermi gamma-ray source 4FGL J0658.6+0636, which may be the source of a high-energy neutrino detected by IceCube. The NICER unabsorbed flux was consistent with the enhanced flux detected in an earlier observation by the Swift XRT obtained 16 hours after the neutrino detection.
• SkyView v3.5.4 updates and bug fixes (17 Nov 2020)
  SkyView has been updated to v3.5.4 today. This version contains changes to exception handling when submitting a query, i.e. more detailed error messages when requests to remote servers fail and when the requested image size is too large. Sometimes a ... Continue reading ->
• NICER and NuSTAR observations of the Be/X-ray binary pulsar 1A 0535+262 in outburst (17 Nov 2020)
  NICER and NuSTAR observations of the Be/X-ray binary pulsar 1A 0535+262 during its recent giant outburst reveal complex pulsations with a pulse period of 103.57s, while its spectrum shows fluorescence iron emission along with cyclotron features.
• XMM-SAS v.19 released (11 Nov 2020)
  XMM-SAS version 19.0.0 was released on October 28, 2020.
• Swift CALDB updated (11 Nov 2020)
  The Swift Caldb has been updated for the UVOTA (update version 20201026) and the SC (update version 20201106)...
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (03 Nov 2020)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20201101. This release includes a new clock correction file, v111. Please see the release notes for more details.
• NGC6231 Chandra Catalog (version 2) Released (28 Oct 2020)
  NGC6231 is a young cluster with ~100 O and B stars. NGC6231CX2, based on Kuhn et al, 2017, AJ, 154, 87K, presents the X-ray properties for 2411 X-ray sources, of which 2148 are probable cluster members. This is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• NICER Detects X-ray pulsations from IGR J17494-3030 (28 Oct 2020)
  NICER observations of the newly-active source IGR J17494-3030 have detected a 376-Hz X-ray pulsation modulated but a 4509s period, showing that this source is an ultracompact binary with an accreting neutron star and a companion with a minimum mass of 0.015 solar masses.
• Update: SkyView hardware upgrade completed (26 Oct 2020)
  Update: The SkyView hardware upgrade has been successfully completed. Thank you for your patience, and please let us know if you encounter any issues or lags with the service through our feedback form.
• NICER identifies SGR 1830-0645 as a Magnetar (22 Oct 2020)
  NICER observations clearly show that the recently discovered source SGR 1830-0645 is a magnetar with a magnetic field strength of about 3x10¹⁴ gauss.
• Chandra CALDB 4.9.3 installed at the HEASARC (16 Oct 2020)
  The Chandra CalDB 4.9.3 is now installed and available at the HEASARC. Chandra 4.9.3 was released by the CXC on October 16, 2020. Note that CALDB 4.9.3 is compatible with CIAO 4.12 and later versions only.
• INTEGRAL Operations Approved Through 2022 (15 Oct 2020)
  ESA's Science Programme Committee (SPC) has confirmed the continued operation of INTEGRAL from January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2022. The decision was taken during the SPC meeting held October 1, 2020 following a comprehensive review.
• NICER and NuSTAR observations of the Blazar BL Lac (15 Oct 2020)
  NICER and NuSTAR obtained director's discretionary observations of the blazar BL Lac after its historical optical-to-gamma ray maximum. The NICER & NuSTAR spectrum can be fit with a broken power law, and these observations confirm the active state of the source.
• XRISM Site for the Public at NASA (14 Oct 2020)
  NASA XRISM web site is now open.
• Swift CALDB updated (10 Oct 2020)
  The Swift Caldb has been updated for the UVOTA (update version 20201008). This update fixes a problem with caldb.indx20200925...
• Update: SkyView hardware upgrade postponed (09 Oct 2020)
  Update: The SkyView hardware upgrade has been postponed to Wednesday, October 21, at 1pm ET. At that time SkyView will be unavailable for approximately one hour and 15 minutes. We encountered some technical difficulties in transitioning to a new storage system - ... Continue reading ->
• Beta Release of heasoftpy (06 Oct 2020)
  heasoftpy is a set of python wrappers to the HEASoft tools. heasoftpy allows users to more easily integrate HEASoft tools into a python workflow. This is the first (beta) release.
• Postponed: SkyView hardware upgrade (05 Oct 2020)
  Update: The SkyView hardware upgrade has been postponed again until some time next week (exact time will be updated soon). At that time SkyView will be unavailable for approximately one hour and 15 minutes. Thank you for your patience!
• Updated Million Quasars Catalog (v7.0) (2 Oct 2020)
  The latest version (v7.0, 30 Sep 2020) of the Million Quasars (MILLIQUAS) Catalog (Eric Flesch 2009 - 2020) containing more than a million (1,445,913 to be exact) likely quasars is now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• OSA 11.1 Release (2 Oct 2020)
  The INTEGRAL Science Data Centre (ISDC) has released Offline Software Analysis (OSA) version 11.1 . It is important to note that OSA 11.1 for IBIS/ISGRI is currently limited to data starting from revolution 1626. For earlier data, the user should use OSA 10.2 with the limitations described in the user manual.
• NICER detects pulsations from a new outburst of the accreting millisecond X-ray pulsar IGR J17379-3747 (01 Oct 2020)
  New NICER observations of the re-activated accreting pulsar IGR J17379-3747 recovered the 468 Hz spin period of the pulsar and made a new measurement of the change in the orbital period.
• Swift CALDB updated (30 Sep 2020)
  The Swift Caldb has been updated for the UVOTA (update version 20200925)...
• SkyView hardware upgrade update (28 Sep 2020)
  Update: The SkyView hardware upgrade has been postponed until Monday, October 5, 2020 at 10:30am ET. At that time SkyView will be unavailable for approximately one hour and 15 minutes.
• X-ray flaring of the nuclear transient AT2019avd (23 Sep 2020)
  Swift and NICER observations of the galactic nuclear transient discovered by the Zwicky Transient Facility shows that the source X-ray brightness increased 1000-fold over the last 5 years and show unusual X-ray properties.
• FermiTools Updated (22 Sep 2020)
  The FermiTools (formerly the SAE) were updated to version 2.0.0 on September 21, 2020. This release includes support for python 3 (python 2 is deprecated an no longer actively supported), and includes new instrument response functions along with an update to ROOT6.
• Swift CALDB Data updated (17 Sep 2020)
  The Swift SC clock correction file has been updated (CALDB update version 20200908).
• Globular Cluster 47 Tuc Chandra Catalog (version 2017) Released (16 Sep 2020)
  The GC47TUCCX2 catalog presents the Chandra properties of 370 (81 new, compared to previous GC47TUCCXO, v. 2005, table from Heinke et al, 2005) sources detected in combined Chandra observations from 2000, 2002 and 2014-2015 (total exposure time of 540ks) of globular cluster 47 Tucanae (from Bhattacharya, et al., 2017, MNRAS, 472, 3706B). This is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• NASA Hubble Fellowship Program (NHFP) Now Accepting Applications (14 Sep 2020)
  The NHFP supports promising postdoctoral scientists performing independent research that contributes to NASA Astrophysics. The research may be theoretical, observational, and/or instrumental. The Announcement of Opportunity, which includes detailed program policies and application instructions, is available at the website. The application submission page will be open from September 8 until November 5, 2020.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (13 Sep 2020)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20200912. This release includes a new clock correction file, v110.
• "Is My Favorite Object an X-Ray, Gamma-Ray, or EUV Source?" updated (09 Sep 2020)
  This tool has been enhanced to accept multiple object names and/or coordinates (separated by semicolons) as input.
• NuSTAR Users' Committee Membership (8 Sep 2020)
  The NuSTAR Mission is seeking letters of self-nomination, due Friday, October 2nd, 2020, for people to rotate onto the NuSTAR Users' Committee (NUC).
• IRAM NOrthern Extended Millimeter Array (NOEMA) Observation Log (08 Sep 2020)
  The first version of the IRAM NOEMA - the successor to the Plateau de Bure Interferometer (PdBI) - observing log (Dan et al. 1991-2017, IRAM Newsletters) containing 2781 observations from May 31 through March 31, 2019 is now available in Browse and Xamin, as well as updated versions of the IRAM PDBI and 30-m Single-Dish Telescope observing logs.
• Updated IRAM 30-m Telescope Observation Log (03 Sep 2020)
  The latest version of the IRAM 30-m telescope observing log (Dan et al. 1991-2020, IRAM Newsletters) containing 653,681 observations starting in January 2009 is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• Updated Million Quasars Catalog (v6.6) (31 Aug 2020)
  The latest version (v6.6, 31 Aug 2020) of the Million Quasars (MILLIQUAS) Catalog (Eric Flesch 2009 - 2020) containing more than two million (2,019,858 to be exact) likely quasars is now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• PIMMS updated to Version 4.11a (28 Aug 2020)
  Version 4.11a contains updated effective area curves for INTEGRAL ISGRI, NICER, and XMM-Newton EPIC instruments.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (26 Aug 2020)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20200826. This release includes a new clock correction file, v109.
• CFITSIO Version 3.49 released (25 Aug 2020)
  Version 3.49 of CFITSIO was released August, 2020. Some bug fixes and other improvements
• CMA and CMASCREEN- EXOSAT/CMA Sources (24 Aug 2020)
  The CMA and CMASCREEN tables have been released. These tables contain the results of the sources detected from the two EXOSAT LE telescopes. The CMASCREEN table has been screened for quality, while the CMA table contains the complete, unscreened list of detections. CMASCREEN supersedes SC_CMA_VIEW which has been in Browse since approximately 1995. These tables are available in Browse or Xamin.
• Assembling XRISM's X-ray Mirrors (19 Aug 2020)
  Goddard Media Studios features completed components of the flight mirror assemblies developed for XRISM.
• XMM-Newton AO-20 Solicitation Released (18 Aug 2020)
  XMM-Newton observing proposals are solicited in response to the Twentieth Announcement of Opportunity.
• HEASoft 6.28 Released (14 Aug 2020)
  Released August 14, 2020. This release includes updates to Swift and NuSTARDAS analysis software and other improvements and bug fixes. NuSTARDAS users with local installations of the NuSTAR CALDB should update to the latest NuSTAR CALDB (CALDB version 20200813).
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (13 Aug 2020)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20200813. This release includes a new clock correction file, v108 as well as temperature dependent ARFs for FPMA.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (11 Aug 2020)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20200811. This release includes a new clock correction file, v107.
• X-ray Brightening of AT2019wey (10 Aug 2020)
  NICER and Swift have obtained X-ray observations of AT2019wey, a new transient discovered by Spektr-RG. Both NICER and Swift show continued increasing emission through August 9 from this putative accreting binary.
• Swift CALDB Data updated (10 Aug 2020)
  The Swift XRT and UVOTA calibration data have been updated (XRT CALDB update version 20200724; UVOTA CALDB update version 20190101).
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (27 Jul 2020)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20200726. This release includes a new clock correction file, v106, using a more accurate estimate of the NuSTAR clock drift.
• NICER XTI CALDB Updated (27 Jul 2020)
  The NICER XTI caldb has been updated to version 20200722. This version updates the detector gain, response and effective area of the XTI.
• Viewing tool updated (24 Jul 2020)
  The Viewing tool also has been enhanced to accept multiple object names and/or coordinates (separated by semicolons) as input.
• nH tool updated (22 Jul 2020)
  The nH tool has been enhanced to accept multiple object names and/or coordinates (separated by semicolons) as input.
• SPTSZSPSC- South Pole Telescope Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Survey Point Source Catalog (2020) released (22 Jul 2020)
  The SPTSZSPSC table presents 4845 sources detected by the south Pole Telescope Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Survey, covering 2530 sq. deg and compiling data from 19 fields observed between 2008-2011 in three bands centered at 95, 150, and 220 GHz. These data are available in Browse or Xamin.
• Chandra CALDB 4.9.2.1 installed at the HEASARC (15 Jul 2020)
  The Chandra CalDB 4.9.2.1 is now installed and available at the HEASARC. Chandra 4.9.2.1 was released by the CXC on July 9, 2020. Note that CALDB 4.9.2.1 is compatible with CIAO 4.12 and later versions only.
• NICER X-ray observations of the Tidal Disruption Event (TDE) candidate AT2020ocn (13 Jul 2020)
  NICER has been monitoring the X-ray evolution of the likely TDE event, AT2020ocn.
• Swift CALDB Data updated (13 Jul 2020)
  The Swift SC clock correction file has been updated (CALDB update version 20200708).
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (13 Jul 2020)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20200712. This release includes a new clock correction file, v105, using a more accurate estimate of the NuSTAR clock drift.
• INTEGRAL AO-18 General Program Approved (8 Jul 2020)
  The INTEGRAL AO-18 General Programme, as recommended by the Time Allocation Committee (TAC) and approved by ESA's Director of Science (Prof. Günther Hasinger), has been released and the observers have been informed.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (26 Jun 2020)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20200626. This release includes a new clock correction file, v104, using a more accurate estimate of the NuSTAR clock drift.
• General CALDB updated (25 Jun 2020)
  Added a new leap seconds file, leapsec_20200625.fits, which fixes an error in the SECONDS column for the last 2 entries of the previous version.
• NICER detection of pulsations from RX J0529.8-6556 (23 Jun 2020)
  After the SRG/eROSITA discovery of a strong outburst from the LMC Be/X-ray binary RX J0529.8-6556, NICER followup observations discovered a period of 68s, indicating that the pulsar has been spinning up over the last 20 years.
• Version 0p5 of the NICER Space Weather Background Tool Released (22 Jun 2020)
  Version v0p5 of the nicer_bkg_estimator software has been released. This version fixes an issue with the calculation of the deadtime correction and also updates the EXPOSURE time keyword in the primary and GTI extension headers
• XSPEC 12.11.0m Patch Released (19 Jun 2020)
  XSPEC 12.11.0m fixes a bug in the handling of Bayesian priors.
• Updated Million Quasars Catalog (v6.5) (16 Jun 2020)
  The latest version (v6.5, 14 Jun 2020) of the Million Quasars (MILLIQUAS) Catalog (Eric Flesch 2009 - 2020) containing a lot more than one million (1,980,903 to be exact) likely quasars is now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• INTEGRAL Returns to Science Operations (16 Jun 2020)
  On 12 June 2020 INTEGRAL resumed science operations following an anomaly that caused the spacecraft to enter Emergency Safe Attitude Mode (ESAM) on 16 May 2020. Investigations are ongoing to understand and characterize the cause of the anomaly.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (12 Jun 2020)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20200612. This release includes a new clock correction file, v103, using a more accurate estimate of the NuSTAR clock drift.
• SRG completes first all-sky X-ray survey (10 Jun 2020)
  SRG completes first all-sky X-ray survey, which lasted from December 8, 2019 to June 10, 2020
• NuSTAR Phase 2 proposal deadline moved (5 Jun 2020)
  The deadline for NuSTAR Cycle 6 Phase 2 (budget) proposals has been moved back by one week to June 19, 2020.
• HEAD Spring 2020 newsletter released (5 Jun 2020)
  This newsletter is available now for your reading pleasure at your electronic HEAD newsstand !
• XSPEC 12.11.0l Patch Released (03 Jun 2020)
  XSPEC 12.11.0l patch was released on May 28. This patch fixes a bug in the calculation of effective area when using the multi-response code.
• SPIDERSXMM and SPIDERSROS- The Final SDSS-IV/SPIDERS X-ray Point Source Spectroscopic Catalogs released (29 May 2020)
  These catalogs provide detailed description of the SPectroscopic IDentification of ERosita Sources (SPIDERS) survey, an SDSS-IV program aimed at obtaining spectroscopic classification and redshift measurements for complete samples of sufficiently bright X-ray sources. The SPIDERSXMM catalog presents 3,196 sources drawn from the XMM Slew Suvey source catalog, version 2, and the accompanying SPIDERSROS table, presents the subsample of 21,288 sources which were drawn from the Second ROSAT All-Sky Survey (2RXS). These data are available in Browse or Xamin.
• Viewing tool updated (26 May 2020)
  Support for XMM-Newton has been updated to work with the latest version of the ESA XMM-Newton Target Visibility Checker.
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (26 May 2020)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated to version 20200526. This release includes a new clock correction file, v102, using a more accurate estimate of the NuSTAR clock drift.
• NICER observes the tail of a long-duration X-ray burst in the direction of MAXI J0911-655 (26 May 2020)
  NICER observations in the region including the intermittent accreting millisecond X-ray pulsar MAXI J0911-655 show a decrease in temperature consistent with the cooling tail of a thermonuclear X-ray burst from the neutron star.
• NICER observations of GRO J1008-57 (21 May 2020)
  NICER has observed X-ray emission from the Be/X-ray binary system GRO J1008-57 during its current outburst. NICER finds a pulsation period of 93.205 with a spin period consistent with that measured at higher energies by the Fermi/GBM instrument. The spectrum is consistent with comptonized emission from an accretion disk with plus a blackbody, along with partial-covering absorption.
• INTEGRAL Entered Emergency Safe Attitude Mode (ESAM) (19 May 2020)
  On 16 May 2020 INTEGRAL entered Emergency Safe Attitude Mode following a Reaction Wheel Bias (RWB) maneuver. No science operations can be performed at this time. A more detailed accounting of this anomaly and updates can be found at the above link.
• INTEGRAL AO-18 Preliminary Statistics (19 May 2020)
  ESA has released preliminary statistics for proposals submitted to INTEGRAL AO-18. A total of 52 proposals were received asking for approximately 70 Msec of observing time. A breakdown of proposals by source category can be found at the above link.
• XSPEC 12.11.0k Patch Released (18 May 2020)
  XSPEC 12.11.0k has been released. This patch fixes an occasional issue with SVD decomposition convergence.
• Update to the RXTE/PCA background model (15 May 2020)
  An update to the RXTE PCA background model was released to the HEASARC Caldb (update version 20200515)
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (14 May 2020)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated (update version 20200510). This release includes a new clock correction file, v101, using a more accurate estimate of the NuSTAR clock drift.
• X-ray monitoring of the active magnetar SGR 1935+2154 (12 May 2020)
  NuSTAR, Swift and NICER are monitoring the current X-ray outburst of the soft gamma-ray repeater, SGR 1935+2154
• NuSTAR Caldb Update (06 May 2020)
  The NuSTAR FPM caldb has been updated (update version 20200429). This release includes a new clock correction file using a more accurate estimate of the NuSTAR clock drift. The update also includes new ARF files to correct the low energy effective area due to thermal blanket tear in the optics associated with focal plane module FPMA.
• Swift CALDB Data updated (05 May 2020)
  The Swift SC clock correction file has been updated (CALDB update version 20200504).
• XMMAO (XMM-Newton Accepted Targets) Table (30 Apr 2020)
  The latest version of the table of accepted XMM-Newton targets, updated to include AO-19 results, is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• Burst forest from SGR 1935+2154 as detected with NICER (28 Apr 2020)
  NICER observed the bursting magnetar SGR 1935+2154 in a series of observations. The NICER lightcurve shows over 100 bursts within a 1 kilosec observation.
• CALDB.CONFIG file updated (25 Apr 2020)
  The CALDB file caldb.config has been updated for HaloSat.
• HEASoft 6.27.2 Released (23 Apr 2020)
  Released April 23, 2020. This release includes a patch to NICERDAS.
• XSPEC 12.11.0 Patches Released (23 Apr 2020)
  XSPEC 12.11 has been released, along with various patches which address some user issues.
• NuSTAR Cycle 6 Targets (21 Apr 2020)
  The list of NuSTAR targets recommended by the Cycle 6 peer review is now available. Cycle 6 observations will start to be routinely performed on June 1, 2020. Evaluations will be sent to all NuSTAR Cycle 6 proposal PIs in the next few weeks.
• M31PHATCXO- M 31 Disk Chandra PHAT Survey: X-Ray Source Catalog Released (20 Apr 2020)
  The M31PHATCXO table presents data that combines deep Chandra ACIS-I observations with extensive Hubble Space Telescope (HST) imaging from the Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury (PHAT) of the M 31 disk. The table contains 373 X-ray sources down to 0.35-8.0keV flux of 10^-15erg/cm^-2/s over 0.4deg², 170 of which are reported for the first time. The authors identify optical counterpart candidates for 188 of the 373 sources, after using the HST data to correct the absolute astrometry of our Chandra imaging to 0.1". The associated table, M31PHATSFH, presents the star formation histories of the regions surrounding potential high mass XRBs. The data are available in Browse or Xamin.
• HaloSat SDD Calibration Database Released (18 Apr 2020)
  The calibration database for the HaloSat SDD has been released to the HEASARC CALDB.
• HaloSat archive opens (15 Apr 2020)
  HaloSat, a Cubesat mission led by the University of Iowa (PI P. Kaaret), was designed to survey the distribution of hot gas in the Milky Way and constrain the mass and geometry of the Galactic halo. The first year of observations are now part of the HEASARC public archive.
• NICER sees the Shortest X-ray Recovery of Eta Carinae (15 Apr 2020)
  NICER observations of the last X-ray minimum of Eta Car show that it began on Feb 13, 2020, and ended on March 15, 2020. This X-ray minimum is now the shortest on record.
• Timeline tool updated (14 Apr 2020)
  Support for HaloSat has been added to the Timeline tool.
• Web Hera 3.5 Released (14 Apr 2020)
  Updated April 13, 2020. New dual user data directory explorers, new multi output terminal windows.
• Fv 5.5.2 released (14 Apr 2020)
  Updated April 2018; bug fixes, other enhancements.
• HEASoft 6.27.1 Released (14 Apr 2020)
  Released April 13, 2020. This release includes a patch to NuSTARDAS.
• XAMIN updated (14 Apr 2020)
  The HEASARC XAMIN archive interface has been updated to version 6.8b. Fixed the order of DESCRIPTION and VALUES in VOTABLE FIELDs..
• Important NuSTARDAS update for recent observations (13 Apr 2020)
  V1.9.2 of the NuSTAR Data Analysis Software (NuSTARDAS) was released in the HEASoft v6.27.1 patch release. It is required to analyze any observation performed after 3/16/2020. This is due to an adjustment of the onboard laser metrology system undertaken to improve the longevity of the flight hardware. There is no change to the quality of the science data.
• Chandra CALDB 4.9.1 installed at the HEASARC (03 Apr 2020)
  The Chandra CalDB 4.9.1 is now installed and available at the HEASARC. Chandra 4.9.1 was released by the CXC on April 3, 2020. Note that CALDB 4.9.1 is compatible with CIAO 4.12 and later versions only.
• xTime tool enhanced (01 Apr 2020)
  Support for INTEGRAL Julian Dates has been added. Also, xTime will now calculate time intervals (in days/hours/minutes/seconds, fractional days, and total seconds) between successive date/time conversions.
• HEASoft 6.27 Released (31 Mar 2020)
  Released March 31, 2020. This release includes updates to NICER and NuSTARanalysis software only and other fixes/improvements. In particular CFITSIO now interprets parentheses in path names correctly which improves compatibility with files stored on cloud services.
• 2020 NASA Awards Prize Postdoctoral Fellows Selected (30 Mar 2020)
  NASA has selected 24 new Fellows for its prestigious NASA Hubble Fellowship Program (NHFP). The program enables outstanding postdoctoral scientists to pursue independent research across NASA Astrophysics, using theory, observation, experimentation, or instrument development. Each fellowship provides the awardee up to three years of support. Full biographies and other information about this year's Fellows, including each Fellow's research plans, are available at this link.
• INTEGRAL AO-18 Proposal Deadline Postponed (30 Mar 2020)
  The INTEGRAL AO-18 proposal submission deadline has been postponed from Friday, 3 April to Monday, 4 May 14:00 CEST as result of the COVID-19 crisis. ESA will continue to follow developments closely and may provide additional updates in the next weeks, at the latest by Monday, 20 April.
• Swift-BAT 105-Month All-Sky Hard Band X-Ray Survey (SWBAT105M) released (27 Mar 2020)
  The SWBAT105M table includes hard X-ray sources detected in the first 105-months of observations with the BAT coded-mask imager on board the Swift observatory and provides 1632 (422 new detections) hard X-ray sources in the 14-195 keV band above the 4.8 sigma significance level. This catalog is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• NICER follow-up observation and a candidate timing anomaly from Swift J1818.0-1607 (25 Mar 2020)
  NICER followup observations of the magnetar candidate Swift J1818.0-1607 imply a spin down age of 310 years based on the period derivative. This makes Swift J1818.0-1607 one of the youngest magnetars known.
• Viewing tool updated (20 Mar 2020)
  The Swift pole constraints have been updated in the Viewing tool. The revised coefficients extrapolate the trend for the next year.
• NICER and NuSTAR detections of Type I bursts and periodic dips in Swift J1858.6-0814 (18 Mar 2020)
  Observations of the low-mass X-ray binary Swift J1858.6-0814 by NuSTAR and NICER detected three thermonuclear "Type I" X-ray bursts, which strongly suggest that the compact object in Swift J1858.6-0814 is a neutron star. NICER observations also show deep, prolonged dips with a period of roughly 78640 s which may be due to the eclipse of the compact object by the companion star.
• NICER detection of 1.36 sec periodicity from a new magnetar, Swift J1818.0-1607 (13 Mar 2020)
  NICER observations of a new soft gamma-ray repeater (SGR) candidate, Swift J1818.0-1607, revealed the presence of a 1.36 second period in the X-ray emission. This period suggests that Swift J1818.0-1607 is a new magnetar. If so, this source would have the shortest period of any known magnetar.
• Swift CALDB Data updated (09 Mar 2020)
  The Swift SC clock correction file has been updated (CALDB update version 20200305).
• XSPEC 12.10.1q,r,s Patches Released (09 Mar 2020)
  XSPEC 12.10.1q patch fixes an issue with the statistic command with the whittle option. XSPEC 12.10.1r fixes a crash issue when calculating chi-square using some compilers. XSPEC 12.10.s addresses an issuerunning chains of type Goodman-Weare
• PIMMS updated to Version 4.11 (09 Mar 2020)
  Version 4.11 contains an updated X-ray absorption model (an approximation of tbabs) which is now the default, and an updated instrument specific outputs for XMM-Newton EPIC pn instrument.
• NICER Helps Usher the Golden Age of Neutron Star Research (04 Mar 2020)
  A new Nature article describes how researchers are getting closer to solving the enigmatic nature of neutron stars, in part thanks to the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER)
• NICER Cycle 2 Accepted Proposals (03 Mar 2020)
  The NICER mission has released the list of accepted Cycle 2 proposals, along with a list of accepted targets with approved coordinated NuSTAR time. Cycle 2 observations began on March 1, 2020.
• X-ray and near-infrared observation of rebrightening of MAXI J1348-630 (03 Mar 2020)
  New NICER observations of this black hole binary candidate confirmed the re-brightening of the system seen by MAXI in November and show the source to be in a hard state, possibly indicating the presence of a jet.
• INTEGRAL AO-18 Call For Observing Proposals is Open (02 Mar 2020)
  This announcement solicits proposals for observations to be carried out from January 2021 for a period of 12 months. Proposers from all over the world are welcome to participate. All proposals will be subject to an independent peer review by the INTEGRAL Time Allocation Committee (TAC). The deadline for proposal submission is Friday 3 April 2020, 14:00 CEST.
• NICER detection of flux increase and spectral state change in Swift 1858.6-0814 (02 Mar 2020)
  Recent NICER observations of the low-mass X-ray binary Swift J1858.6-0814 show that the system is in an unusual state, in which the soft X-ray flux has increase by about a factor of 30 over the previous quiescent level, with little variability in the NICER observations.
• NICER Observations of the 2020 X-ray Minimum of eta Carinae (24 Feb 2020)
  NICER has observed the 2020 X-ray minimum of eta Carinae, a long-period eccentric binary system which produces X-ray emission from the collision of the powerful stellar winds from the two stars. X-ray monitoring observations with NICER showed that the X-ray minimum began on 2020-02-13, at which time the observed X-ray flux dropped by about two orders of magnitude from the peak flux seem about 1 month earlier. The NICER observations help establish variations in the stellar wind mass loss and provide a probe of the dense inner wind of the Luminous Blue Variable primary star.
• NICER XTI CALDB Updated (24 Feb 2020)
  The NICER XTI caldb has been updated to version 20200202. This version updates both the detector response file and the effective area of the XTI.
• Fermi Science Tools Updated (13 Feb 2020)
  The FermiTools (formerly the SAE) were updated to version 1.2.23 on February 11, 2020. This release includes the NewMinuit package for statistical fitting, adds the PLSuperExpCutoff3 model and provides support for RadialDisk model to ModelEditor, along with bug fixes.
• Re-brightening and decaying of MAXI J1348-630 as observed with NICER (11 Feb 2020)
  NICER observations of a new black hole candidate MAXI J1348-630 from Feb. 7 to 10 showed the source declining in X-ray flux by about a factor of 2 during this interval. NICER spectra show that the source is currently in the hard state. NICER will continue monitoring the source about once per day until the outburst fades.
• Initial NICER observations of the mysterious source Swift J0840.7-3516 (aka GRB 200205A) and detection of short X-ray flaring activity (07 Feb 2020)
  The source Swift J0840.7-3516 was originally reported as a Gamma-ray burst sourcce by the Swift BAT on February 5. Followup observations by the Swift XRT showed X-ray emission that was inconsistent with a GRB, along with the possible detection of an 8.96 seconds. Followup X-ray observations with NICER showed X-ray flaring during which the X-ray flux increasd by a factor of 4, but did not confirm the X-ray period.
• Updated Million Quasars Catalog (v6.4c) (05 Feb 2020)
  The latest version (v6.4c, 31 Dec 2019) of the Million Quasars (MILLIQUAS) Catalog (Eric Flesch 2009 - 2019) containing a lot more than one million (1,979,676 to be exact) likely quasars is now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• NICER observes a new outburst of V4641 Sgr (04 Feb 2020)
  V4641 Sgr is a binary system that contains a 6.4 solar mass black hole which went into X-ray outburst in early January. Observations by NICER on January 31 provided the best measure of the 2-10 keV spectrum and showed an inner disk radius temperature of about 1.5 keV, with no visible features in the power spectrum in the short NICER observation.
• XMMSTACK- XMM-Newton Serendipitous Source Catalog from Stacked Observations (4XMM-DR9s) Released (03 Feb 2020)
  The stacked catalog (XMMSTACK) and associated observation data ( XMMSTACKOB) offer new versions of the stacked catalog built from 6,604 4XMM-DR9 overlapping observations. XMMSTACK contains 1,329 stacks (or groups). The catalog contains 288,191 sources, with each observation also provided in the associated XMMSTACKOB table. Both are now available in Browse and Xamin.
• XRISM Calorimeter Spectrometer Insert and Mirror Tests (31 Jan 2020)
  Goddard Media Studios spotlights testing the XRISM instrument elements.
• Mirror Quadrants for XRISM (30 Jan 2020)
  Goddard Media Studios presents the XRISM X-ray Mirror Assemblies.
• NICER sees a state change in MAXI J0637-430 (30 Jan 2020)
  NICER observations of the newly-discovered X-ray transient MAXI J0637-430 indicate that the source is a black hole X-ray binary system. Recent observations detail the decline of the soft, thermal X-ray emission from the source which entered a hard state on January 14, 2020, indicating a signficant change in the accretion disk around the black hole.
• XRISM Site for the Public at ISAS/JAXA (29 Jan 2020)
  ISAS/JAXA XRISM web site is now open.
• XMM-Newton Serendipitous Source Catalog (4XMM-DR9) Released (28 Jan 2020)
  The most recent, updated version of this catalog (from Webb et al.,submitted) containing 810,795 X-ray source detections (an increase of 962 more observations and 35,642 more detections since the previous version 3XMM-DR8) drawn from a total of 11,204 XMM-Newton EPIC observations made between 2000 Feb 1 and 2019 February 26 is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• NuSTAR Cycle 6 Proposal Deadline is Near, Proposals MUST be Anonymized (17 Jan 2020)
  Phase-1 science proposals are due by 4:30 p.m. EST, January 24, 2020. Please see the Guide for Proposers and the Guidelines for Anonymous Proposals for more details.
• Swift CALDB Data updated (08 Jan 2020)
  The Swift SC clock correction file has been updated (CALDB update version 20200106).
• NuSTAR CALDB Update (19 Dec 2019)
  The NuSTAR CALibration DataBase was updated on December 19, 2019 (CALDB version 20191219). This is a patch release for update 20191213.
• Chandra Source Catalog v2 (CSC) Released (19 Dec 2019)
  The Chandra Source Catalog (CSC) is the definitive catalog of X-ray sources detected by the Chandra X-ray Observatory. By combining Chandra's sub-arcsecond on-axis spatial resolution and low instrumental background with consistent data processing, the CSC delivers a wide variety of uniformly calibrated properties and science ready data products for detected sources over four decades of flux. The second major release of the catalog, CSC 2.0, includes measured properties for 317,167 unique compact and extended X-ray sources in the sky, allowing statistical analysis of large samples, as well as individual source studies in the "Master Sources" table, available in Browse and Xamin.
• HEAD Fall 2019 newsletter released (19 Dec 2019)
  This newsletter is available now for your reading pleasure at your electronic HEAD newsstand !
• ARK/RPS Downtime Scheduled for 2019-12-18 Completed (18 Dec 2019)
  The scheduled maintenance for the ARK database has completed, and ARK/RPS is fully operational. If you encounter any issues, please contact the ARK Help Desk.
• XSPEC 12.10.1o,p Patches Released (18 Dec 2019)
  XSPEC 12.10.1.o patch fixes an error when 2 or more named models are in use; 12.10.1p extends the precision of floats to double precision for certain local variables in the Poisson randomization algorithm.
• Chandra CALDB 4.9.0 installed at the HEASARC (17 Dec 2019)
  The Chandra CalDB 4.9.0 is now installed and available at the HEASARC. Chandra 4.9.0 was released by the CXC on December 17, 2019...
• ARK/RPS Downtime Scheduled for 2019-12-18 (16 Dec 2019)
  ARK/RPS will be down for maintenance starting on Wednesday, December 18, 2019, at ~2:00pm. It should be back up within a few hours. We apologize for any inconvenience.
• NuSTAR CALDB Update (16 Dec 2019)
  The NuSTAR CALibration DataBase was updated on December 16, 2019 (CALDB version 20191213). This updates the NuSTAR bad pixel and gain files for FPMA and FPMB.
• eROSITA completes CAL-PV Phase (15 Dec 2019)
  eROSITA completes the Calibration and Performance Verification (Cal-PV) program
• NASA's NICER Delivers Best-ever Pulsar Measurements, 1st Surface Map (12 Dec 2019)
  Astrophysicists have redrawn the textbook image of pulsars thanks to new detailed monitoring by NICER of the X-ray pulsar J0030+0451. NICER's detailed measurement of the X-ray pulse shape allowed the distribution of X-ray hot spots over the surface of the pulsar to be mapped out, and determined precise values for the size and mass of the pulsar. A series of papers analyzing NICER's observations of J0030 appears in a focus issue of The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
• Updated Million Quasars Catalog (v6.4) (11 Dec 2019)
  The latest version (v6.4, 11 Dec 2019) of the Million Quasars (MILLIQUAS) Catalog (Eric Flesch 2009 - 2019) containing a lot more than one million (1,968,377 to be exact) likely quasars is now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• Happy 20th Birthday to XMM! (10 Dec 2019)
  Two decades ago today the X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission (XMM-Newton) launched into orbit. A pioneering satellite for studying the universe with different kinds of light, XMM-Newton has studied over half a million X-ray sources, including supernovae, star-shredding black holes and superdense neutron stars. In honor of XMM's 20th anniversary here is a video.
• XMM-Newton AO-19 Results Released (3 Dec 2019)
  The list of XMM-Newton observing proposals accepted by the AO-19 Observing Time Allocation Committee is now available.
• An X-ray Flare from eta Carinae as seen by NICER (03 Dec 2019)
  NICER monitoring of the massive colliding wind binary eta Carinae as the stars approach periastron passage has detected a sudden X-ray brightening. This X-ray flare is similar to the X-ray flaring seen at a similar orbital phase in previous binary orbital cycles. X-ray flaring should continue until the star reaches it X-ray maximum before the decline to the X-ray minimum on 2020 February 13.
• Viewing tool updated (02 Dec 2019)
  Support for the IXPE mission has been added to Viewing.
• IRAM NOrthern Extended Millimeter Array (NOEMA) Observation Log Updated (25 Nov 2019)
  The third version of the IRAM NOEMA - the successor to the Plateau de Bure Interferometer (PdBI) - observing log (Dan et al. 1991-2017, IRAM Newsletters) containing 2,180 observations from May 31, 2015 through November 12, 2019 is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• NICER detection of 9.29 s pulsations from RX J0209.6-7427 (25 Nov 2019)
  NICER observations of the hard X-ray transient MAXI J0206-749 = HMXB RX J0209.6-7427 revealed a strong 9.29 s X-ray periodicity, making this system only the second confirmed pulsar in the Magellanic Cloud bridge.
• NICER detection of a strong X-ray flare from GRS 1915+105 (25 Nov 2019)
  NICER detected a strong flare from the black hole binary system GRS 1915+105 during the source's current low flux state. The NICER flare was the largest yet seen from this system. This X-ray flare may have been the precursor to a strong radio flare seen from the source a short time after the NICER observation.
• Chandra CALDB 4.8.5 installed at the HEASARC (08 Nov 2019)
  The Chandra CalDB 4.8.5 is now installed and available at the HEASARC. Chandra 4.8.5 was released by the CXC on November 7, 2019...
• NASA's NICER Catches Record-setting X-ray Burst (07 Nov 2019)
  NICER detected an intense burst of X-rays at about 10:04 p.m. EDT on Aug. 20 from a massive thermonuclear flash on the surface of the pulsar SAX J1808.4-3658. This is the brightest burst seen by NICER so far. The burst shows a remarkable two-stage evolution in flux, along with and burst oscillations at the known pulsar spin frequency.
• NICER Background Estimator Tools (30 Oct 2019)
  Software tools to estimate background in NICER observations are under development, based on analysis of deep NICER exposures of "blank-sky" fields. "Alpha-release" versions of these tools are now available to help NICER observers better estimate backgound in observations and proposals. Understanding of the NICER background is still evolving so the estimates provided by these new tools should be used with caution.
• NICER detection of two thermonuclear (Type I) X-ray bursts establishes that MAXI J1807+132 hosts a neutron star. (29 Oct 2019)
  NICER has detected two thermonuclear X-ray bursts from the new MAXI X-ray transient MAXI J1807+132, discovered in March 2019. The detection of these bursts show that the system is an LMXB with a neutron star primary.
• NuSTAR Cycle 6 now Accepting Proposals (25 Oct 2019)
  The NuSTAR General Observer (GO) Program is soliciting proposals for observations during observing Cycle 6. Phase-1 science proposals are due by 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time January 24, 2020. For more information see the NuSTAR Proposal page.
• Swift CALDB Data updated (23 Oct 2019)
  The Swift SC clock correction file has been updated (CALDB update version 20191017), and the Swift XRT caldb has been updated to version 20190910.
• NICER Observes X-ray Brightening of a Tidal Disruption Event Candidate (23 Oct 2019)
  NICER observations reveal that the tidal disruption candidate source AT2019azh showed a late-time brightening which perhaps indicates the formation of a transient accretion debris disk around the supermassive black hole.
• eROSITA First Light (22 Oct 2019)
  On 22 October 2019, the beautiful first X-ray images of the eROSITA telescope were presented to the public at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE) in Garching. After an extended commissioning phase, since October 13 all seven X-ray telescope modules with their custom-designed CCD cameras have been observing the sky simultaneously. The first combined X-ray images of our neighbouring galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud, and a pair of interacting clusters of galaxies at a distance of about 800 Million lightyears, show remarkable details and demonstrate the promise of the ambitious science programme planned with the space-borne telescope.
• NICER is Back in Operation (21 Oct 2019)
  NICER is operating normally after stowing for last week's ISS operations.
• NuSTAR CALDB Update (16 Oct 2019)
  The NuSTAR CALibration DataBase was updated on October 16, 2019 (CALDB version 20191008). This updates the NuSTAR clock correction file to version 96, valid through 2019-10-08.
• NICER Stowed Due to ISS Operations (15 Oct 2019)
  In support of ISS operations, NICER has been stowed since Sunday, October 13. As a result, NICER is not currently taking requests for Target of Opportunity observations. We anticipate that NICER observations will resume as soon as the ISS operations are completed.
• NICER observations of the X-ray transient MAXI J1807+132: flaring activity (08 Oct 2019)
  NICER has been monitoring the X-ray transient MAXI J1807+132 regularly since September 16. During this time, NICER detected brief, sudden episodes of X-ray brightening which may be analogous to similar flaring behavior seen near the end of the 2017 outburst of the source.
• Fermi Science Tools Updated (07 Oct 2019)
  The FermiTools (formerly the SAE) were updated to version 1.2.1 on October 4, 2019. This release contains a major update to the implementation of the energy dispersion correction method in the Fermitools. It also includes new tool called gtdrm that estimates the energy dispersion matrix for the energy binning, and fixes a bug which was preventing updated parameter files from installing.
• M33 Supernova Remnant Catalog (M33SNRXMM) Catalog Released (02 Oct 2019)
  The M 33 Supernova Remnant (SNR) catalog comprises of deep observations of eight fields in M 33. This catalog includes 105 SNRs, detected at the 3-sigma level, of which 54 SNRs are newly detected in X-rays, and three are newly discovered SNRs. This catalog also includes optical emission line ratio data and results from X-ray spectral fitting, based on deep Chandra survey data. This table is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• XAMIN updated (02 Oct 2019)
  The HEASARC XAMIN archive interface has been updated to version 6.4. This release is a major update to installation utilities, along with other improvements.
• XSPEC 12.10.1n Patch Released (02 Oct 2019)
  This patch fixes an issue with the Pearson chi-square (pchi) test statistic calculatoin when a spectrum has mulitple models assigned to it.
• PIMMS updated to Version 4.10a (02 Oct 2019)
  Version 4.10a contains an updated set of effective area curves for XMM-Newton EPIC instruments, suitable for AO-19 proposals
• NICER observes increasing luminosity from XTE J1739-285 (30 Sep 2019)
  From September 27 to September 30, NICER observed this newly active Galactic Center high-energy transient. The NICER observations show that the X-ray flux in the 0.1-10 keV band more than doubled over a timespan of about 3 days, with a coincident increase in black body temperature.
• NICER observations of the X-ray transient MAXI J1807+132 (27 Sep 2019)
  NICER observations of the new X-ray transient MAXI J1807+132, discovered on September 10. The NICER observations show large variations from 200 NICER counts per second to 14 counts per second within a week. The nature of this source, based on this initial analysis (and on obsevations in other wavebands), is uncertain, and additional observations are planned.
• NICER follows up the rapidly variable and rising nuclear transient AT2019pevr (27 Sep 2019)
  NICER observation of this unusual source on 2019 September 25 found a 0.3-2 keV X-ray flux that is nearly 10 times brighter than the X-ray flux measured by Swift/XRT just one day earlier and about 100 times brighter than the archival ROSAT detection.
• MAXI CALDB updated (25 Sep 2019)
  The MAXI CALDB has been updated for both the SSC and GSC. The SSC CALDB has been updated to version 20190916. The GSC CALDB has been updated to version 20190916.
• Chandra CALDB 4.8.4.1 installed at the HEASARC (13 Sep 2019)
  The Chandra CalDB 4.8.4.1 is now installed and available at the HEASARC. Chandra 4.8.4 was released by the CXC on September 13, 2019...
• NICER detection of a 83 s periodicity in the super-soft source emission from V3890 Sgr (09 Sep 2019)
  Following the detection of super-soft source (SSS) emission from the recurrent nova V3890 Sgr by the Swift-XRT (Page et al., ATel#13084), NICER observations reveal a clear oscillation on a timescale of 83 s. The origin of this short-period modulation is possibly related to the spin of the white dwarf, or nonradial pulsations driven by an instability in the nuclear burning rate of the hot white dwarf.
• NASA Hubble Fellowship Program (NHFP) Now Accepting Applications (4 Sep 2019)
  The NHFP supports promising postdoctoral scientists performing independent research that contributes to NASA Astrophysics. The research may be theoretical, observational, and/or instrumental. The Announcement of Opportunity, which includes detailed program policies and application instructions, is available at the website. The application submission page will be open from September 3 until November 4, 2019.
• NICER detects a high luminosity reflare from SAX J1808.4-3658 (04 Sep 2019)
  NICER monitoring of the accreting millisecond X-ray pulsar SAX J1808.4-3658 showed an unusually bright, abrupt and soft reflare from SAX J1808.4-3658 on 2019 Sep 3, during which, over the span of 5.7 hours, the observed count-rate increased fivefold. A 401 Hz QPO was also detected during this reflare. This suggests that the accretion disk has suddenly become smaller in radius.
• Chandra CALDB 4.8.4 installed at the HEASARC (03 Sep 2019)
  The Chandra CalDB 4.8.4 is now installed and available at the HEASARC. Chandra 4.8.4 was released by the CXC on September 3, 2019...
• XMM-Newton AO-19 Solicitation Released (20 Aug 2019)
  XMM-Newton observing proposals are solicited in response to the Nineteenth Announcement of Opportunity.
• Swift CALDB Data updated (15 Aug 2019)
  The Swift SC clock correction file has been updated (CALDB update version 20190813).
• PIMMS updated to Version 4.10 (15 Aug 2019)
  Version 4.10 contains updates for NICER, suitable for Cycle 2 proposals. Note that the broadband background rate reported by version 4.9/4.9a included background counts below 0.2 keV, where the rate is very high. Version 4.10 restricts brodadband count rates for both source and background to the 0.2-12 keV range. This version also contains the current effective area curves for Athena X-IFU
• XSPEC 12.10.1m Patch Released (15 Aug 2019)
  This patch updates rdblur, kdblur, kdblur2, kerrconv for considerable speed improvements over previous patches, and removes the outdated relline, relline_lp, relline_lp_ext, relconv, relconv_lp, and relconv_lp_ext models.
• NuSTAR CALDB Update (12 Aug 2019)
  The NuSTAR CALibration DataBase was updated on August 8, 2019 (CALDB version 20190827). This updates the NuSTAR clock correction file to version 95, valid through 2019-08-12.
• XSPEC 12.10.1l Patch Released (08 Aug 2019)
  The HDUVERS1 keyword has been updated from '1.1.0' to '1.2.1' since CHANNEL and COUNTS columns can be written in 'J' format in output files generated by the fakeit command.
• NICER detects X-ray pulsations from the rapidly brightening SAX J1808.4-3658 (08 Aug 2019)
  NICER monitoring of the accreting millisecond X-ray pulsar SAX J1808.4-3658 successfully recovered a 401 Hz pulsation after correcting for delays due to the known binary orbit. The time of ascending node derived from the timing solution is 27 seconds earlier than predicted, which indicates that the orbital expansion is proceeding more slowly than expected.
• NICER detection of QPOs from EXO 1846-031 (01 Aug 2019)
  Following reports of renewed activity from the X-ray transient EXO 1846-031, NICER executed rapid follow-up observations. These observations detected a sharp QPO at 0.26 Hz. The timing and X-ray spectrum suggest that this source is a black hole X-ray binary in the hard state.
• Happy 20th Birthday to Chandra! (24 Jul 2019)
  In honor of Chandra's 20th launch anniversary, the Chandra X-ray Center has produced the following exciting anniversary items: a newsletter featuring articles on 20 years of operation, instrument, updates, and more; a photo gallery; and a video titled "First Light: Celebrating 20 years of Chandra Observatory"
• GSFC X-ray Technology Opens New Frontiers in Space and on Earth (24 Jul 2019)
  The Miniaturized High-Speed Modulated X-ray Source (MXS) has been chosen as NASA's 2019 Government Invention of the Year. MXS was developed by Keith Gendreau (the NICER Project Scientist) and Zaven Arzoumanian (the NICER Deputy Project Scientist) and was used in the ground calibration of NICER. It also can help generate medical images similar to a CT scan for patients on earth and for astronauts in space.
• Updated IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer Observation Log (24 Jul 2019)
  The latest version of the IRAM PdBI observing log (Dan et al. 1991-2017, IRAM Newsletters) containing 21,396 observations completed through March 31, 2017 is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• Fermi Science Tools Updated (18 Jul 2019)
  The FermiTools (formerly the SAE) were updated to version 1.0.10 on July 15, 2019. This release Added PLSuperExpCutoff2 model to modeleditor.
• INTEGRAL AO-17 General Program Approved (15 Jul 2019)
  The INTEGRAL AO-17 General Programme, as recommended by the Time Allocation Committee (TAC) and approved by ESA's Director of Science (Prof. Günther Hasinger), has been released and the observers have been informed.
• The Launch of SRG (14 Jul 2019)
  At 14:31 on 13 July 2019, the Spektrum-Roentgen-Gamma (SRG) space mission successfully lifted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome, carrying aloft the eROSITA and ART-XC telescopes.
• XAMIN updated (12 Jul 2019)
  The HEASARC XAMIN archive interface has been updated to version 6.3a. This release adds Chandra to HiPS in the Aladin Lite image display, and other improvements.
• XSPEC 12.10.1k Patch Released (12 Jul 2019)
  Fix for corner case usage of the slimbh mode.
• Viewing tool updated (11 Jul 2019)
  The Swift pole constraints have been updated in the Viewing tool. The revised coefficients extrapolate the trend for the next year.
• NuSTAR CALDB Update (01 Jul 2019)
  The NuSTAR CALibration DataBase was updated on July 1, 2019 (CALDB version 20190627). This updates the NuSTAR clock correction file to version 94, valid through 2019-06-27.
• Fermi Science Tools Updated (01 Jul 2019)
  The FermiTools (formerly the SAE) were updated to version 1.0.9 on July 1, 2019. This release fixes a critical interface issue with Fermitools version reporting in pyLikelihood.
• HEASoft 6.26.1 Patch Released (26 Jun 2019)
  Released June 26, 2019. This release includes updates to NICER and Swift data analysis software only. (Though it also includes a patch to rbnrmf applied previously to the 6.26 downloads.)
• XSPEC 12.10.1j Patch Released (26 Jun 2019)
  Fix to show pha and plot delchi commands.
• Fermi Science Tools Updated (20 Jun 2019)
  The FermiTools (formerly the SAE) were updated to version 1.0.7 on Junr 19, 2019. This release fixes a compilation error in the SolarSystemTools, and fixes the ST_Version method to work correctly with Fermipy in pyLikelihood.
• XSPEC 12.10.1i Patch Released (18 Jun 2019)
  Updates the libraries that are included when a local model Xspec is built.
• Updated Million Quasars Catalog (v6.3) (17 Jun 2019)
  The latest version (v6.3, 22 June 2019) of the Million Quasars (MILLIQUAS) Catalog (Eric Flesch 2009 - 2019) containing a lot more than one million (1,986,800 to be exact) likely quasars is now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• NuSTAR Cycle 5 Results (17 Jun 2019)
  The list of NuSTAR targets recommended by the Cycle 5 peer review is now available. Cycle 5 observations will start to be routinely performed on July 1, 2019. Evaluations will be sent to all NuSTAR Cycle 5 proposal PIs in the next few weeks.
• XMM-SAS v. 18 released (12 Jun 2019)
  XMM-SAS version 18.0.0 was released on June 10, 2019.
• XSPEC 12.10.1h Patch Released (10 Jun 2019)
  This patch fixes a crash that can occur with the relconv convolution models.
• Swift CALDB Data updated (09 Jun 2019)
  The Swift SC clock correction file has been updated (CALDB update version 20190607).
• Omega Centauri Globular Cluster X-ray Point Source Catalog (OMEGCENCX2) Catalog Released (04 Jun 2019)
  The Omega Centauri Globular Cluster Chandra Deep Survey X-Ray Point Source Catalog (OMEGCENCX2) presents 233 X-ray sources using a deep (222-ks) survey of the omega Centauri Globular Cluster region. This table is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• XSPEC 12.10.1g Patch Released (04 Jun 2019)
  This patch fixes a general-case calculation bug in the kerrconv model that was introduced in patch 12.10.1d.
• Updated Million Quasars Catalog (v6.2) (03 Jun 2019)
  The latest version (v6.2, 22 May 2019) of the Million Quasars (MILLIQUAS) Catalog (Eric Flesch 2009 - 2019) containing a lot more than one million (1,981,261 to be exact) likely quasars is now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• Chandra CALDB 4.8.3 installed at the HEASARC (03 Jun 2019)
  The Chandra CalDB 4.8.3 is now installed and available at the HEASARC. Chandra 4.8.3 was released by the CXC on May 23, 2019...
• Ultra-luminous X-ray pulsar NGC 300 ULX1 experienced unprecedented spin evolution, study finds (31 May 2019)
  NASA's NICER image shows 22 months of X-ray data recorded by the Space Station payload during its nighttime moves between targets.
• NASA's NICER Shows Entire Sky in X-rays in Stunning Arc Image (31 May 2019)
  NASA's NICER image shows 22 months of X-ray data recorded by the Space Station payload during its nighttime moves between targets.
• NASA Navigation Tech Highlights X-ray Navigation Using Pulsars (30 May 2019)
  X-ray navigation is a technology that NASA has already demonstrated on the International Space Station. X-ray navigation uses the ultra-regular oscillations of distant pulsars, a type of neutron star, for timing and location data.
• HEASoft 6.26 Released (21 May 2019)
  Released May 21, 2019. This release is primarily driven by updates to the NICER data analysis software, but also includes support for ftps, and other enhancements.
• Fermi Science Tools Updated (21 May 2019)
  The FermiTools (formerly the SAE) were updated to version 1.0.5 on May 20, 2019.
• HEAD Spring 2019 newsletter released (20 May 2019)
  This newsletter is available now for your reading pleasure at your electronic HEAD newsstand !
• NICER XTI CALDB Updated (20 May 2019)
  The NICER XTI caldb has been updated to version 20190516.
• nH tool updated (16 May 2019)
  The nH tool has been updated with support for the HI4PI survey map. This new map is now the default. The X-Ray Background Tool has also been updated to use the HI4PI map.
• X-Ray Observations of Compact Group Galaxies (HCGXRBS) Catalog Released (14 May 2019)
  The X-ray Observations of Compact Group Galaxies (HCGXRBS) catalog presents the total galaxy X-ray luminosities and other measured X-ray properties, based on Chandra observations, for 47 galaxies within a sample of 15 compact groups, as well as their multiwavelength properties such as star formation rates and stellar masses. This table is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• Updated Million Quasars Catalog (v6.1) (14 May 2019)
  The latest version (v6.1, 12 May 2019) of the Million Quasars (MILLIQUAS) Catalog (Eric Flesch 2009 - 2019) containing a lot more than one million (1,981,004 to be exact) likely quasars is now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• XSPEC 12.10.1f Patch Released (29 Apr 2019)
  This patch fixes some parsing issues with the "statistic test" command.
• Fermi Science Tools Updated (29 Apr 2019)
  The FermiTools (formerly the SAE) were updated to version 1.0.2 on April 22, 2019.
• Swift CALDB Data updated (22 Apr 2019)
  The Swift XRT CALDB has been updated (CALDB update version 20190412).
• XSPEC 12.10.1cde Patches Released (11 Apr 2019)
  Update (c) adds an optional argument to the PyXspec Fit.error() function to allow for error estimates on response parameters; (d) fixes a bug the rdblur, kdblur, kdblur2, and kerrconv convolution models; and (e) fixes a bug in the mdefine command.
• XAMIN updated (11 Apr 2019)
  The HEASARC XAMIN archive interface has been updated to version 6.0a. This release has many changes associated with use of DataLink to extract data products. It has also been updated to minimize the chance of OutOfMemory errors.
• Swift CALDB Data updated (08 Apr 2019)
  The Swift SC clock correction has been updated (CALDB update version 20190405).
• 2019 NHFP/Einstein Postdoctoral Fellows Selected (5 Apr 2019)
  NASA has announced the selection of the 2019 NASA Hubble Fellowship Program (NHFP), which supports postdoctoral fellows performing research across all of NASA astrophysics. NHFP postdocs are named as Hubble, Einstein, and Sagan fellows, depending on their research topics. Awards support each Fellow through a U.S. Host Institution for up to three years. Full biographies and other information about this year's Fellows, including each Fellow's research plans, are available at this link.:
• Planck Catalog of Galactic Cold Clumps (PlanckGCC) Released (5 Apr 2019)
  The Planck Catalog of Galactic Cold Clumps (PGCC) is an all-sky catalog of 13188 Galactic cold clump candidates detected by Planck. This table is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• Milky Way molecular cloud catalog(MWMC) Released (5 Apr 2019)
  The Milky Way molecular cloud catalog presents 8107 molecular clouds that were detected in ¹²CO, covering the entire Galactic plane. This table is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• Timeline tool updated (05 Apr 2019)
  The Timeline Tool has been enhanced to be more user-friendly. If no date is entered, it will now respond with the most recent date for which timeline data exists for the specified mission. Also, if only one date is queried, quick links to go to the previous and next days in the mission timeline are presented.
• Updated IRAM 30-m Telescope Observation Log (18 Mar 2019)
  The latest version of the IRAM 30-m telescope observing log (Dan et al. 1991-2017, IRAM Newsletters) containing 558,950 observations completed through December 31, 2017 is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• Updated IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer Observation Log (18 Mar 2019)
  The latest version of the IRAM PdBI observing log (Dan et al. 1991-2017, IRAM Newsletters) containing 21,061 observations completed through March 31, 2017 is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• Updated Million Quasars Catalog (v6) (18 Mar 2019)
  The latest version (v6, 15 March 2019) of the Million Quasars (MILLIQUAS) Catalog (Eric Flesch 2009 - 2019) containing a lot more than one million (1,983,729 to be exact) likely quasars is now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• NuSTAR CALDB Update (15 Mar 2019)
  The NuSTAR CALibration DataBase was updated on March 15, 2019 (CALDB version 20190314). This updates the NuSTAR clock correction file to version 91, valid through 2019-03-14.
• Release of Updated Fourth Catalog of Fermi-LAT Sources (07 Mar 2019)
  The (4FGL) catalog is based on the first eight years of LAT science data and is the largest and deepest ever in this energy range. It contains 5098 sources of gamma-rays from 50 MeV to 1 TeV. The source catalog is now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• NuSTAR CALDB Update (05 Mar 2019)
  The NuSTAR CALibration DataBase was updated on March 5, 2019 (CALDB version 20190228). This updates the NuSTAR clock correction file to version 90, valid through 2019-02-28.
• NuSTAR Cycle 5: Proposal Due Date March 29, 2019, Start of Observations July 1, 2019 (26 Feb 2019)
  The start of Cycle 5 (11 month duration) observations has been changed from June 1 to July 1, 2019 (no change in available total time). Cycle 5 proposers, please take this into account for visibility windows. Cycle 4 observations will extend into June. Please see the Guide for Proposers for more details.
• INTEGRAL AO-17 Call For Observing Proposals is Open (25 Feb 2019)
  This announcement solicits proposals for observations to be carried out from January 2020 for a period of 12 months. Proposers from all over the world are welcome to participate. All proposals will be subject to an independent peer review by the INTEGRAL Time Allocation Committee (TAC). The deadline for proposal submission is Friday 5 April 2019, 14:00 CEST.
• Swift CALDB Data updated (05 Feb 2019)
  The Swift SC clock correction has been updated (CALDB update version 20190129).
• Updated ROSES 2018 proposal deadlines (04 Feb 2019)
  Several NASA ROSES deadlines have been updated and the full list can be found in the ROSES 2018 Table 2. HEASARC lists the major upcoming deadlines for the submission of high-energy and general astrophysics and/or other missions which may be of interest to HEASARC users here.
• INTEGRAL AO-17 Schedule Announced (29 Jan 2019)
  The ISOC is preparing the next call for proposals requesting INTEGRAL observing time. The AO-17 release will be on 25 Feb 2019 with proposals due on 5 April 2019 (14:00 CEST).
• NuSTAR Guest Observer (GO) Cycle 5 Deadline is now TBD (17 Jan 2019)
  The due date for NuSTAR Cycle 5 proposal submission is now TBD. See the amendment recently posted at NSPIRES. A new date will be set when the government reopens, with some additional time provided since some proposers have been unable to work. Please note that the proposal submission website (ARK/RPS) will remain open as long as possible to accept proposals.
• NICER sees the contraction of the corona in a black hole X-ray transient (14 Jan 2019)
  NICER made the cover of Nature with an analysis by Kara et al. of the temporal behavior of the X-ray spectrum of the black hole transient system MAXI J1820+070. Their analysis of the time-resolved NICER spectra of this system showed that the inner edge of the accretion disk is near the accreting black hole and that variations in the X-ray spectral lags indicated that the corona shrank over a time interval of a few weeks.
• Updated Million Quasars Catalog (v5.7) (07 Jan 2019)
  The latest version (v5.7, 7 January 2019) of the Million Quasars (MILLIQUAS) Catalog (Eric Flesch 2009 - 2018) containing a lot more than one million (1,983,749 to be exact) likely quasars is now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• Accessing CALDB data through the CALDB Mirror (21 Dec 2018)
  In case the HEASARC CALDB is unavailable, users can still access CALDB data from the CALDB mirror site hosted at the CfA. The mirror CALDB is available at ftp://cda.cfa.harvard.edu/pub/arcftp/heasarc/caldb/. Remote access users should set their CALDB environment variable to % setenv CALDB ftp://cda.cfa.harvard.edu/pub/arcftp/heasarc/caldb/ (for c-shell users) and make sure your local CALDBCONFIG and CALDBALIAS files are up to date.
• Updated Million Quasars Catalog (v5.6) (19 Dec 2018)
  The latest version (v5.6, 17 December 2018) of the Million Quasars (MILLIQUAS) Catalog (Eric Flesch 2009 - 2018) containing a lot more than one million (1,984,120 to be exact) likely quasars is now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• Chandra CALDB 4.8.2 installed at the HEASARC (14 Dec 2018)
  The Chandra CalDB 4.8.2 is now installed and available at the HEASARC. Chandra 4.8.2 was released by the CXC on December 13, 2018...
• NuSTAR Guest Observer (GO) Cycle 5 (13 Dec 2018)
  The due date for NuSTAR Cycle 5 proposal submission is Jan 25, 2019. Proposals should be submitted via the HEASARC's ARK Remote Proposal System (RPS). New in Cycle 5 are the opportunity to propose for large programs and and the opportunity for joint observations with NICER. For more information about this cycle, please visit the NuSTAR Proposal page.
• XMM-Newton Optical Monitor (OM) Serendipitous UV Survey Source Catalog, v4.1 (11 Dec 2018)
  The updated version 4.1 of the XMM OM-SUSS Catalog listing the optical and UV properties of 8,176,156 source detections made by the XMM-Newton OM (v1.0 is described in Page et al. 2012, MNRAS, 426, 903) is now available in Browse and Xamin, as is the associated list of 9,749 XMM-Newton observations from 2000 to July 2017 in which these sources were found.
• XRSIG Decadal White Paper Repository (4 Dec 2018)
  The X-ray Science Interest Group and the PCOS office created web links off the XRSIG page to act as a centralized data base for all X-ray astronomy-related white papers. Anyone writing an XRSIG-related white paper is invited to submit the title of their white paper, the co-authors, the email address of the point of contact, and an optional abstract or outline through the web interface.
• HEAD Fall 2018 newsletter released (4 Dec 2018)
  This issue is full of information on your favorite HEA missions, news from the executive, information on upcoming meetings, and lots of other items of interest. Available now at your electronic HEAD newsstand !
• XMM-Newton AO-18 Results Released (28 Nov 2018)
  The list of XMM-Newton observing proposals accepted by the AO-18 Observing Time Allocation Committee is now available.
• Updated Million Quasars Catalog (v5.5) (21 Nov 2018)
  The latest version (v5.5, 19 November 2018) of the Million Quasars (MILLIQUAS) Catalog (Flesch, 2009 - 2018) containing a lot more than one million (1,982,872 to be exact) likely quasars is now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• Swift CALDB Data updated (17 Nov 2018)
  The Swift SC clock correction has been updated (CALDB update version 20181114).
• Fermi LAT CALDB update (08 Nov 2018)
  The Fermi LAT CALDB has been updated (update version 1.0.0). This is the first version of the LAT caldb which is released through github and available via the Fermi Science tools using the new conda installation. See the FermiTools wiki for details.
• NICER XTI CALDB Updated (07 Nov 2018)
  The NICER XTI caldb has been updated to version 20181105.
• Canis Major OB1 XMM Source Catalog (29 Oct 2018)
  This catalog provides the XMM properties for 387 detected sources along with ages and masses for matched NIR counterpart candidates in the associated table, as published in Santos-Silva et al., 2018. Both tables are now available in Browse and Xamin.
• Fermi Analysis Tools Updated (29 Oct 2018)
  The FSSC is pleased to announce the availability of a new version of the Fermi Science Tools, 1.0.0, released on October 15, 2018. This version corresponds to v11r06p03, but is now distributed via the Conda package management system. Please see the FermiTools Installation instructions for detailed information.
• XSPEC 12.10.1ab Patches Released (29 Oct 2018)
  Fixes an possible crash when calling the FNINIT initialization function, other fixes
• Chandra CALDB 4.8.1 installed at the HEASARC (29 Oct 2018)
  The Chandra CalDB 4.8.1 is now installed and available at the HEASARC. Chandra 4.8.1 was released by the CXC on October 25, 2018...
• MAXI archive opens at the HEASARC (25 Oct 2018)
  The MAXI archive, which is hosted at DARTS/ISAS, is now also available from the HEASARC. The two archives are synchronized weekly, and the archive is populated with the results of the data processing that occurs in Japan. Together with the archive opening, the MAXI software package has been released with HEASoft 6.25, and the calibration data are now also available within CALDB.
• New xisrmfgen Released (24 Oct 2018)
  A new version of xisrmfgen, which includes a different model of the Si K edge region of Suzaku XIS, has been released with HEASoft 6.25 together with a new set of quantum efficiency CALDB files.
• OSA 11.0 Release (24 Oct 2018)
  The INTEGRAL Science Data Centre (ISDC), the INTEGRAL instrument teams, and the INTEGRAL Science Operations Centre (ISOC) have announced the release of the Offline Software Analysis (OSA) version 11.0 . Several major improvements have been made in this new release. It is important to note that OSA 11.0 for IBIS is currently limited to data starting from 2015-12-26 (start of revolution 1626). For earlier data, the user should use OSA 10.2 with the limitations described in the user manual.
• NICERDAS Version 5 released (24 Oct 2018)
  The NICER data reduction software Version 5 was released on Oct 23 2018 with the release of HEASoft 6.25 . NICERDAS 5.0 includes updates to most tasks and includes new task, nicertimeconv, to do basic time conversions.
• Suzaku CALDB updated (23 Oct 2018)
  The Suzaku CALDB has been updated for the XIS (update version 20181010). Note that the new version of xisrmfgen distributed with HEASOFT 6.25 requires version 20181010 of the XIS caldb.
• HEASoft 6.25 Released (23 Oct 2018)
  Released October 23, 2018. This release is primarily driven by updates to the NICER data analysis software, but also includes other enhancements and fixes
• NuSTAR CALDB Update (22 Oct 2018)
  The NuSTAR CALibration DataBase was updated on October 22, 2018 (CALDB version 20181022). This updates the NuSTAR clock correction file to version 86, valid through 2018-10-22.
• Updated Million Quasars Catalog (v5.4) (19 Oct 2018)
  The latest version (v5.4, 17 October 2018) of the Million Quasars (MILLIQUAS) Catalog (Eric Flesch 2009 - 2018) containing a lot more than one million (1,982,686 to be exact) likely quasars is now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• Chandra White Paper Deadline Extension (16 Oct 2018)
  Call for White Papers for Chandra Cool Attitude Targets (CATs): deadline has been extended to 6 PM EDT Monday 22 October, 2018.
• Call for Proposals: NICER Guest Observer Program (16 Oct 2018)
  The ROSES Amendment for Cycle 1 of the NICER Guest Observer program has been released. Principal Investigators (PIs) for phase 1 proposals may submit their requested observations and corresponding scientific justification via the ARK/RPS portal. Deadline is 4:30 EST on December 20, 2018..
• AstroSat Data is now public (28 Sep 2018)
  AstroSat data was opened to public on September 26, 2018. Around 25% of the AstroSat (around 1TB) data from the four payloads, UVIT, SXT, LAXPC and CZT is available for download from the Indian Space Science Data Centre . This data provide an exciting opportunity in understanding the cosmos from UV to X-rays through out the world.
• MAXI CALDB installed at the HEASARC (25 Sep 2018)
  The 20180912 version of the MAXI CALDB is now installed and available at the HEASARC. This is the first official release of the MAXI Calibration Database. MAXI CALDB Users will need to update their $CALDBCONFIG to the latest version (caldb.config.20180925)
• IGR J17591-2342 second re-brightening observed with NICER (21 Sep 2018)
  NICER observations of the second re-brightening of the accreting millisecond pulsar IGR J17591-2342 show it reaching its highest flux yet seen, with strong pulsations remaining after almost 60 days post-outburst.
• 12th INTEGRAL Workshop and 1st AHEAD Gamma-Ray Workshop (19 Sep 2018)
  The 12th INTEGRAL Conference will be organized together with the 1st AHEAD Gamma-Ray Workshop on 11-15 February 2019: "INTEGRAL looks AHEAD to Multi-Messenger Astrophysics". It will be hosted by the Campus Biotech, in Geneva (Switzerland). This conference will discuss recent developments in high-energy astronomy, with particular emphasis on its role in multi-messenger astronomy. Further information including deadlines can be found at the above link.
• Viewing tool updated (17 Sep 2018)
  The Swift pole constraints have been updated in the Viewing tool. The revised coefficients extrapolate the trend for the next year. The Viewing tool now also can report a "preferred" visibility window for NICER observations, which has a Sun angle constraint of 60-180 degrees. (The nominal visibility window for NICER observations is unchanged.)
• PIMMS updated to Version 4.9 (17 Sep 2018)
  Version 4.9 contains updates for NICER rate simulations and updated calibrations for XMM....
• XAMIN updated (17 Sep 2018)
  The HEASARC XAMIN archive interface has been updated to version 5.3.1. This release includes improvements to VOTable output and other performance improvements
• Chandra CALDB 4.8.0 installed at the HEASARC (14 Sep 2018)
  CalDB 4.8.0 is now installed and available at the HEASARC. Chandra 4.8.0 was released by the CXC on June 28, 2018.
• Swift CALDB Data updated (14 Sep 2018)
  The Swift SC clock correction has been updated (CALDB update version 20180911).
• The Million Quasars Catalog v5.3 available (13 Sep 2018)
  The Million Quasars Catalog (MILLIQUAS) has been updated to version 5.3 (12 September 2018). It contains 618,097 type-I QSOs and AGN, including sources from SDSS-DR14Q and LAMOST DR4, and ~1,320,000 high-confidence (80%+ likelihood) quasar candidates. This table is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• HEAD prize/award nominations (11 Sep 2018)
  The HEAD is accepting nominations for the Rossi Prize, the Mid-Career Prize, the Dissertation Prize and the Schramm Award. Deadline for the Rossi Prize is October 15, and Oct 31 for the Mid-Career and Dissertation Prizes; deadline for Schramm Award nominations is November 2. See https://head.aas.org/awards) for more information
• Argus v4.2 released (10 Sep 2018)
  Support for NICER has been added to Argus.
• Announcement of Einstein/Hubble/Sagan Fellowships under the NASA Hubble Fellowship Program (NHFP) (8 Sep 2018)
  The NHFP supports promising postdoctoral scientists performing independent research that contributes to NASA Astrophysics. The research may be theoretical, observational, and/or instrumental. If your application is successful you will become an Einstein, Hubble or Sagan fellow depending on the area of your research. The Announcement of Opportunity, which includes detailed program policies and application instructions, is available at the website: http://nhfp.stsci.edu). Applications are due Thursday, November 1, 2018 (7 PM EDT, 4 PM PDT, 23:00 UTC)
• NICER Guest Observer Program approved by NASA (07 Sep 2018)
  NASA has approved a Guest Observer program for NICER. We expect that the Announcement of Opportunity will be released this fall, with proposals due by the end of the calendar year. More information will be posted on the NICER home page when available.
• XRISM Project Initiated by JAXA (4 Sep 2018)
  JAXA has established the project team for XRISM, which will recover the high resolution spectroscopic capabilities of Astro-H (Hitomi).
• XMM-Newton AO-18 Solicitation Released (22 Aug 2018)
  XMM-Newton observing proposals are solicited in response to the Eighteenth Announcement of Opportunity.
• NuSTAR and NICER Identification of X-ray Transient IGR J17591-2342 (17 Aug 2018)
  Observations by NICER and NuSTAR of the X-ray transient IGR J17591-2342 discovered by INTEGRAL on August 12 show that the new transient is an accreting millisecond pulsar in outburst. The pulsar has a spin frequency of approximately 527 Hz and an orbital period of 0.37 days.
• NICER and NuSTAR Identification of X-ray Transient IGR J17591-2342 (17 Aug 2018)
  Observations by NICER and NuSTAR of the X-ray transient IGR J17591-2342 discovered by INTEGRAL on August 12 show that the new transient is an accreting millisecond pulsar in outburst. The pulsar has a spin frequency of approximately 527 Hz and an orbital period of 0.37 days.
• X-Ray Background Tool v3.0 released (15 Aug 2018)
  The X-Ray Background Tool has been enhanced with support for counts statistics and the generation of counts-based spectra.
• NuSTAR CALDB Update (15 Aug 2018)
  The NuSTAR CALibration DataBase was updated on August 15, 2018 (CALDB version 20180814). This updates the NuSTAR clock correction file to version 84, valid through 2018-08-14.
• XMM-Newton Stacked Serendipitous Source Catalogue: 3XMM-DR7s Released (25 Jul 2018)
  First release of the 3XMM-DR7s stacked catalogue
• A Rapidly Spinning Black Hole with a Warped Disk (17 Jul 2018)
  NICER provides a detailed look at a rapidly-spinning black hole feeding off its companion star.
• Swift XRT CALDB Data updated (16 Jul 2018)
  The Swift XRT Caldb has been updated (CALDB update version 20180710).
• Release of the XMM-Newton Users Handbook v2.16 for AO-18 (16 Jul 2018)
  XMM-Newton Users Handbook v2.16 for AO-18
• The Generic Caldb updated to version 20180713 (13 Jul 2018)
  The generic caldb was updated to version 20180713. This was an update of the caldb.indx file to include the solar_geophys_data_v1.fits file and older leapsecond files which were missing from the previous version of the caldb.indx (20160713)
• NICER XTI CALDB Updated to Version 20180711 (12 Jul 2018)
  The NICER XTI caldb has been updated to version 20180711. Please make sure you're using the most recent version of the caldb.config file in order to access the NICER XTI CALDB data, and that your CALDB environment variable is set to https://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/FTP/caldb to remotely access the HEASARC NICER CALDB.
• Swift CALDB Data updated (09 Jul 2018)
  The Swift SC clock correction has been updated (CALDB update version 20180709).
• Chandra CALDB 4.7.9 installed at the HEASARC (29 Jun 2018)
  CalDB 4.7.9 is now installed and available at the HEASARC. Chandra 4.7.9 was released by the CXC on June 28, 2018...
• XAMIN updated (29 Jun 2018)
  The HEASARC XAMIN archive interface was updated to version 5.2 on June 27. This release includes updates to DataLink and TAP functionality which include DataLink VOSI elements and corrections to DataLink format per validation outputs
• COSPAR 2018 Awards Press Release (27 Jun 2018)
  This press release details the awards to be bestowed by the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) at its forthcoming Scientific Assembly in Pasadena, California, USA, 14 - 22 July 2018.
• Chandra Announcement: CIAO to only support Python 3.5 in the next release (27 Jun 2018)
  CXC plans to only support Python 3.5 in the next release of CIAO, which is currently planned for December 2018, as Python 2.7 is being phased out. The CIAO 4.10 version - which was released April 2018 - will be the last release to provide a version compatible with Python 2.7. For additional help, check out The Python 3 for Scientists website or contact the CXC Helpdesk.
• INTEGRAL AO-16 General Program Approved (27 Jun 2018)
  The INTEGRAL AO-16 General Program, as recommended by the Time Allocation Committee (TAC) and approved by ESA's Director of Science (Prof. Gunther Hasinger), has been released and the observers have been informed.
• HEAD Spring 2018 newsletter released (19 Jun 2018)
  Check out the latest HEAD newsletter, including status updates and interesting results.
• NGC 4382 Chandra LXMB Catalog (18 Jun 2018)
  This catalog listing the properties of 58 low-mass X-ray binaries that were detected in a Chandra ACIS-S3 observation of the X-ray-faint lenticular galaxy NGC 4382 (from Sivakoff et al. 2003, ApJ, 599, 218S) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• NGC 4365 Chandra LXMB Catalog (18 Jun 2018)
  This catalog listing the properties of 99 low-mass X-ray binaries that were detected in a Chandra ACIS-S3 observation of the X-ray-faint elliptical galaxy NGC 4365 (from Sivakoff et al. 2003, ApJ, 599, 218S) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• xTime tool updated (14 Jun 2018)
  Added support for MAXI and Hitomi and restored support for Suzaku.
• XSPEC 12.10.0d Patch Released (14 Jun 2018)
  Fixes an issue with the zxipcf multiplicative model.
• Ginga ASM Source Lightcurves (12 Jun 2018)
  This catalog, which lists the sources observed by the Ginga All-Sky Monitor from 1987 to 1991 and provides access to FITS lightcurves generated by ISAS/JAXA and quicklook GIF plots generated by the HEASARC, is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• Registration for the "X-Ray Skies with High-Res Eyes: Imaging the Cosmos with AXIS" Workshop is Now Open (12 Jun 2018)
  The "X-Ray Skies with High-Res Eyes" workshop will be held August 6 and 7 at the Carnegie Institution for Science in downtown Washington, DC. The purpose of this meeting is to explore the cutting edge astrophysics enabled by a high angular resolution X-ray observatory in the next decade, present the AXIS science case to the community, and solicit feedback.
• NASA's Fermi Satellite Celebrates 10 Years of Discoveries (11 Jun 2018)
  On June 11, 2018, NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope celebrates a decade of using gamma rays, the highest-energy form of light in the cosmos, to study black holes, neutron stars, and other extreme cosmic objects and events.
• NICER XTI CALDB Updated to Version 20180605 (07 Jun 2018)
  The NICER XTI caldb has been updated to version 20180605. Please make sure you're using the most recent version of the caldb.config file in order to access the NICER XTI CALDB data, and that your CALDB environment variable is set to https://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/FTP/caldb to remotely access the HEASARC NICER CALDB.
• NGC 1600 Chandra X-Ray Discrete Source Catalog (30 May 2018)
  This catalog listing the properties of 71 discrete X-ray sources that were detected in a Chandra ACIS-S observation of the X-ray-bright elliptical galaxy NGC 1600 and nearby members of the NGC 1600 Group (from Sivakoff et al. 2004, ApJ, 617, 262) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• NGC 1332 Chandra X-Ray Compact Source Catalog (29 May 2018)
  This catalog listing the properties of 72 X-ray point sources and 1 somewhat extended X-ray source that were detected in a Chandra ACIS-S observation of the nearby S0 galaxy NGC 1332 (from Humphrey & Buote 2004, ApJ, 612, 848) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• NGC 5866 Chandra X-Ray Point Source Catalog (23 May 2018)
  This catalog listing the properties of 71 X-ray point sources detected in a Chandra ACIS-S observation of the nearby edge-on S0 galaxy NGC 5866 (from Li et al. 2009, ApJ, 706, 696) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• NICER XTI CALDB Updated to Version 20180517 (23 May 2018)
  The NICER XTI caldb has been updated to version 20180517. Please make sure you're using the most recent version of the caldb.config file in order to access the NICER XTI CALDB data.
• CFITSIO Version 3.45 released (22 May 2018)
  Version 3.45 of CFITSIO was released May, 2018. Provides new support for reading and writing unsigned long long datatypes; increased the hardcoded NMAXFILES setting for maximum number of open files from 1000 to 10000, other improvements
• Swift CALDB Data Updated (20 May 2018)
  The Swift SC clock correction has been updated (CALDB update version 20180411).
• XMM-Newton Serendipitous Source Catalog (Version 3XMM-DR8) (17 May 2018)
  The most reccent, updated version of this catalog (from Rosen, Webb, Watson et al. 2016, A&A, 590, A1) containing 775,153 X-ray source detections (an increase of 47,363 compared to DR7) drawn from a total of 10,242 XMM-Newton EPIC observations made between 2000 Feb 3 and 2017 November 30 is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• Timeline tool updated (15 May 2018)
  Support for NICER has been added to the Timeline tool.
• First Announcement: X-Ray Skies with High-Res Eyes: Imaging the Cosmos with AXIS (15 May 2018)
  The "X-Ray Skies with High-Res Eyes" workshop will be held August 6 and 7 at the Carnegie Institution for Science in downtown Washington, DC. The purpose of this meeting is to explore the cutting edge astrophysics enabled by a high angular resolution X-ray observatory in the next decade, present the AXIS science case to the community, and solicit feedback.
• Winners of Gruber Foundation 2018 Cosmology Prize Announced (12 May 2018)
  The Gruber Foundation is pleased to present the 2018 Cosmology Prize to the Planck Team, and to Jean-Loup Puget and Nazzareno Mandolesi, the leaders of the HFI and LFI instrument consortia, for mapping the temperature and polarization of the cosmic microwave background radiation with the ESA Planck spacecraft.
• NASA's NICER Mission Finds an X-ray Pulsar in a Record-fast Orbit (11 May 2018)
  Scientists analyzing the first data from the Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) mission have found two stars that revolve around each other every 38 minutes. The discovery bestows the stellar pair with the record for the shortest-known orbital period for a certain class of pulsar binary system.
• Fv 5.5 released (09 May 2018)
  Updated May 2018; bug fixes, other enhancements.
• RXTE has Re-entered! (01 May 2018)
  NASA's Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE), launched on December 30, 1995, operated for more than 16 years observing the fast-moving, high-energy worlds of black holes, neutron stars and X-ray pulsars before it was decommissioned on January 5, 2012. Yesterday (April 30) at 10:45 am EDT, RXTE re-entered the earth's atmosphere (probably in the ocean north of Venezuela) and was destroyed, bringing to an end a remarkably productive career.
• Catalog of All-Sky Automatic Survey (ASAS) Photometry of ROSAT All-Sky Survey Sources (01 May 2018)
  This catalog listing the optical and X-ray properties of 2,302 periodic variables detected in the ASAS-South Survey that are positionally coincident with ROSAT All-Sky Survey sources (from Kiraga et al. 2012, AcA, 62, 67) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• NICER in the News: NASA Will Solve a Massive Physics Mystery This Summer (01 May 2018)
  A LIVESCIENCE article about how NICER will determine the state of matter inside neutron stars.
• HEASoft 6.24 Released (24 Apr 2018)
  Released April 24, 2018. This release includes important bug fixes in the CFITSIO library, improvements to the NICER analysis software, improved support for Ubuntu and Debian Linux, and other enhancements and fixes
• XAMIN updated (24 Apr 2018)
  The HEASARC XAMIN archive interface was updated to version 5.1 (1450/3907) on April 23. This version re-instates the "save to hera" functionality for on-line analysis of archived data using the Web Hera interface.
• DS9 Updated to Version 7.6 (24 Apr 2018)
  DS9 Version 7.6 was released on April 17. This version includes a new Windows 32/64 bit port, a new MacOS High Sierra port, support for HTTPS, and other improvements
• NICER in the News: Mushroom Clouds on Neutron Stars (23 Apr 2018)
  NICER was featured in an on-line publication by LiveScience on the ability to study photospheric radius expansion bursts, or "mushroom clouds" occurring on neutron stars.
• CFITSIO Version 3.44 released (19 Apr 2018)
  Version 3.44 released April, 2018 to enhance security. CFITSIO users are strongly encouraged to upgrade to version 3.44...
• NuSTAR Cycle 4 Results (19 Apr 2018)
  The list of NuSTAR targets accepted by the Cycle 4 peer review is now available. Cycle 4 observations will start to be routinely performed on June 1, 2018. Written evaluations will be sent to all NuSTAR Cycle 4 PIs in the next few weeks.
• TESS, NASA's Planet Hunter Is on Its Way to Orbit (19 Apr 2018)
  NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) launched on the first-of-its-kind mission to find worlds beyond our solar system, including some that could support life. TESS, which is expected to find thousands of new exoplanets orbiting nearby stars, lifted off at 6:51 p.m. EDT Wednesday on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. In its 2-year survey mission, TESS will survey the nearest and brightest stars in most (85%) of the sky in its search for exoplanets.
• NuSTAR CALDB Update (19 Apr 2018)
  The NuSTAR CALibration DataBase was updated on April 19, 2018 (CALDB version 20180419). This updates the NuSTAR clock correction file to version 80, valid through 2018-04-19.
• NICER XTI CALDB Updated to Version 20180417 (18 Apr 2018)
  The NICER XTI caldb has been updated to version 20180417. Please make sure you're using the most recent version of the caldb.config file in order to access the NICER XTI CALDB data.
• NICER Session at the American Physical Society Meeting (17 Apr 2018)
  A special session featuring NICER first results was held at the April 2018 meeting of the American Physical Society. Two results, "Scientists Spot the Shadow of a Strange Wind Blowing Past a Black Hole" and "NASA's Got a Plan for a 'Galactic Positioning System' to Save Astronauts Lost in Space", were featured stories on LIVESCIENCE.
• Registration for the Neil Gehrels Memorial Symposium is Now Open (17 Apr 2018)
  We are organizing a Memorial Meeting to celebrate the life and work of our friend and colleague Neil Gehrels, whom we lost on 2017, February 6th. The meeting will take place in Washington DC on 2018, May 21st to 22nd. We kindly request that you register no later than April 22 to facilitate planning.
• xTime tool updated (09 Apr 2018)
  Support for NICER has been added to xTime. Also, the RXTE mission day number time formats, which were really only used in mission planning, have been removed.
• Fermi Observatory Status (03 Apr 2018)
  Both instruments on Fermi have been returned to operational status and are actively collecting science data. For the LAT, this data will be used to monitor performance as the instrument returns to normal operating temperatures. GBM has returned to full functionality.
• LOFAR Radio Catalog of Herschel-ATLAS North Galactic Pole Field (03 Apr 2018)
  This catalog listing the low-frequency (126-173 MHz) properties of 15,532 sources detected at or above 5 sigma by the Low-Frequency Array in the Herschel-ATLAS North Galactic Pole (NGP) survey area (from Hardcastle et al. 2016, MNRAS, 462, 1910) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• NuSTAR Hard X-Ray Survey of the Galactic Center: Point Source Catalog (29 Mar 2018)
  This catalog listing the soft and hard X-ray properties of 77 point sources detected by NuSTAR in the Galactic Center and Sgr B2 fields (from Hong et al. 2016, ApJ, 825, 132) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• XSPEC 12.10.0c Patch Released (28 Mar 2018)
  Fixes an issue when a mix model is used with multiple data groups and there is more than 1 spectrum per group.
• Update on Fermi Operations (27 Mar 2018)
  Fermi was commanded out of sun-point mode earlier today (March 27). It is now oriented at a 50-degree rock(ing) angle (towards the northern hemisphere) with respect to the zenith. Operations at a fixed rock(ing) angle will continue while spacecraft performance is monitored. The Fermi team plans to start bringing the instruments back online over the next week or so - GBM first and then the LAT. They will post updates on the status of the observatory as the recovery proceeds.
• XSPEC 12.10.0b Patch Released (22 Mar 2018)
  Patches an issue with the mdefine command. Released March 19, 2018.
• Chandra CALDB 4.7.8 installed at the HEASARC (22 Mar 2018)
  CalDB 4.7.8 is now installed and available at the HEASARC. Chandra 4.7.8 was released by the CXC on March 19, 2018...
• Fermi Spacecraft Operational Anomaly (20 Mar 2018)
  At 5:11 UT on March 16, Fermi encountered an issue with the solar array drive that caused the observatory to go into safe hold. In this mode, the instruments are powered off, and thus science data taking has stopped. Initial investigation suggests that one of the solar panels is stuck. Investigation into the cause of the anomaly is ongoing and will continue for some time. We are exploring options to resume some science operations with a fixed solar panel which would run while the anomaly investigations are ongoing. The team is planning to start a return to science ops next week, to run in parallel with the ongoing engineering investigation.
• NICER ATEL: NICER observations of MAXI J1820+070 suggest a rapidly-brightening black hole X-ray binary in the hard state (15 Mar 2018)
  NICER observed the new X-ray transient MAXI J1820+070. The light curve shows large amplitude flaring on a time-scale of minutes. The X-ray spectrum shows a hard power-law spectrum and a low temperature disk blackbody component, while timing analysis shows a large amplitude broadband power spectrum. These characteristics strongly suggest that the source is a black hole X-ray binary that is rapidly increasing in flux through the canonical hard state.
• Stephen Hawking Has Died (14 Mar 2018)
  Stephen Hawking, one of the leading cosmologists and popularizers of astronomy in the last century, died earlier today. Hawking's achievements were made all the more remarkable by the fact that he developed ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) in his early twenties. His research on black holes and on the interaction between quantum mechanics and general relativity was a seminal contribution to the field.
• NuSTAR CALDB Update (13 Mar 2018)
  The NuSTAR CALibration DataBase was updated on March 13, 2018 (CALDB version 20180312). This updates the NuSTAR clock correction file to version 79, valid through 2018-03-12.
• Chandra Cycle 20 Proposal Deadline Has Been Postponed by One Day (13 Mar 2018)
  The US National Weather Service has issued a major winter storm warning for the Northeast of the USA for Tuesday, March 13. This storm will make commuting hazardous and may cause widespread power outages in the Boston area. Given the high risk of significant power outages which could affect proposal submission, Helpdesk responses, and the ability of CXC staff to support proposers, as well as the ability of Chandra proposers in the Northeast to prepare and submit their proposals, the deadline has been postponed by 24 hours. Helpdesk response may be delayed if CXC staff experience power outages. The new deadline is FRIDAY MARCH 16, 2018 at 6pm EDT (note that daylight savings time has started in the United States).
• 2018 Laboratory Astrophysics Workshop: Registration & Abstract Deadlines are Near (12 Mar 2018)
  The purpose of the NASA Laboratory Astrophysics Workshop to be held in Athens, GA on April 11-15 2018 is focused on identifying and prioritizing critical laboratory astrophysics data needs, defined broadly, to meet the demands of NASA's current and near-term astrophysics missions. The meeting will also provide a forum within which the community can present and review the current state of knowledge in laboratory astrophysics and identify challenges and opportunities for the field in the near future. The registration deadline is March 16, and the abstract deadline is March 22.
• Swift CALDB Data updated (08 Mar 2018)
  The Swift SC clock correction has been updated (CALDB update version 20180305).
• NICER Archive Opens (08 Mar 2018)
  NICER was launched to the International Space Station on June 3, 2017, and began regular observations of celestial sources on July 17, upon completion of its commissioning activities. While observations to fulfill the mission's baseline science are ongoing, most data acquired to date -- during an initial validation period lasting nearly 8 months -- are now available in the public archive at the HEASARC. The archive includes over 3000 observations that have been processed with the latest instrument calibration products and software, also now released, and are accessible through the HEASARC's archive interfaces. Excluded are datasets for a few targets, to be released at a later date after evaluation of long-term calibration stability. Following this initial release, new observations will be delivered to the archive regularly after a two-week processing and validation period.
• HEASoft 6.23 Released (07 Mar 2018)
  Released March 7, 2018. This release updates the NICER data analysis software and provides bug fixes in the FV (FitsViewer) GUI, among other changes. This release also fixes a security vulnerability identified in cfitsio; if you have code running cfitsio on a server we strongly recommend updating as soon as possible.
• Joint NuSTAR/INTEGRAL Observing Time Available in INTEGRAL's AO-16 (06 Mar 2018)
  The NuSTAR project is making available up to 100 ks of NuSTAR observing time to joint science proposals for INTEGRAL's AO-16. The due date for INTEGRAL AO-16 proposals is Friday, April 13, 2018, at 14:00 CEST.
• Joint NuSTAR/Chandra Observing Time Available in Chandra's Cycle 20 (06 Mar 2018)
  The NuSTAR project is making available up to 1 Ms of NuSTAR observing time to joint science proposals for Chandra LP or VLP Cycle 20 programs. The due date for Chandra Cycle 20 proposals is Thursday, March 15, 2018 at 6 p.m. EDT.
• 16th INTEGRAL Announcement of Opportunity (06 Mar 2018)
  ESA invites you to submit proposals to the International Gamma-ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL) 16th "Announcement of Opportunity" (AO-16) call for proposals, for observations to be performed during 2019. As previously, ESA also provides the opportunity to propose for coordinated observations with XMM-Newton, NuSTAR, and/or Swift with a total of 300 ks, 100 ks, and 150 ks, respectively, of their available time. Documentation, proposal submission and support software for this Announcement are being made available via the ESA INTEGRAL website. The deadline for proposal submission is Friday, April 13, 2018, 14:00 CEST.
• NICER XTI CALDB Updated (05 Mar 2018)
  The NICER XTI caldb has been updated to version 20180226. Please make sure you're using the most recent version of the caldb.config file in order to access the NICER XTI CALDB data.
• LISA Pathfinder Disturbance Reduction System (DRS) Data Are Now Available at the HEASARC (26 Feb 2018)
  The DRS was a NASA-funded package included in the LISA Pathfinder mission to explore technologies for achieving the LISA mission's requirements. An overview is available at Our LISA Pathfinder page, and more details can be found at the LISA Pathfinder mission site. (The full mission data holdings are at the ESA mission archive). The data at the HEASARC are available through FTP, Xamin and Browse (as the LPFFILES table) and via a custom interface which selects data by interval and instrument mode.
• Fermi Science Analysis Environment Updated (20 Feb 2018)
  The FSSC is pleased to announce the availability of a new version of the Fermi Science Tools, v11r5p3, released on February 15, 2018. This version improves support for pass 7 and pass 8 processed data, and removes support for pass 6 data, and other changes. Details and software download can be found here.
• XAMIN updated (20 Feb 2018)
  The HEASARC XAMIN archive interface has been updated to version 5.0b (1440/3845). This version provides a fix to compound data products.
• VLA Gould's Belt Survey Perseus Region Source Catalog (15 Feb 2018)
  This catalog listing the radio properties for 204 sources detected by the JVLA at 4.5 and/or 7.5 GHz in deep (rms noise of ~16-29 microJy) radio continuum observations of the Perseus star-forming complex, particularly the NGC 1333 and IC 348 clouds (from Pech et al. 2015, ApJ, 818, 116) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) 2018 Omnibus Solicitation (14 Feb 2018)
  NASA's Science Mission Directorate announced the release of its annual ROSES omnibus solicitation for 2018 (NNH18ZDA001N) on February 14, 2018. Table 2 listing the individual program deadlines in order of their due dates can be found here.
• Hitomi CALDB Update (14 Feb 2018)
  The Hitomi CALDB has been updated for the SXS (update version 20180212), the SXI (update version 20180212) and the General Mission (GEN) data (update version 20180212).
• AllWISE Counterparts and Gaia Matches to XMM Slew Catalog v.2 X-Ray Sources (08 Feb 2018)
  This catalog (from Salvato et al. 2018, MNRAS, 473, 4937) containing the 19,141 AllWISE counterparts and/or Gaia matches to 17,665 X-ray sources that were detected in the XMM-Newton Slew Survey (version 2) above Galactic latitude |b| > 15 degrees is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• AllWISE Counterparts and Gaia Matches to ROSAT/2RXS X-Ray Sources (05 Feb 2018)
  This catalog (from Salvato et al. 2018, MNRAS, 473, 4937) containing the 132,254 AllWISE counterparts and/or Gaia matches to 106,573 X-ray sources that were detected in the ROSAT 2RXS survey above Galactic latitude |b| > 15 degrees is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• Lists of Swift Cycle 14 Recommended Targets and Proposals Are Now Available (01 Feb 2018)
  The lists of Swift Cycle 14 Guest Investigator Program recommended targets and proposals have been posted on the Swift website.
• Abstract Deadline for the "High Energy Astrophysics in the 2020's & Beyond" Meeting Extended to February 7 (31 Jan 2018)
  The abstract deadline for the "High Energy Astrophysics in the 2020's & Beyond" meeting to be held in Rosemont (near Chicago), Illinois from the 18th to the 21st March has been extended to February 7 at 9 pm ET. In addition, the deadline for early registration has also been extended to February 7.
• NuSTAR CALDB Update (26 Jan 2018)
  The NuSTAR CALibration DataBase was updated on January 26, 2018 (CALDB version 20180126). This updates the NuSTAR clock correction file to version 78, valid through 2018-01-26.
• CALDB Mirror (22 Jan 2018)
  The CALDB is mirrored at ftp://cda.cfa.harvard.edu/pub/arcftp/heasarc/caldb. You can access the CALDB remotely by setting your CALDB environment variable to ftp://cda.cfa.harvard.edu/pub/arcftp/heasarc/caldb
• Newly Renamed Swift Mission Spies a Comet Slowdown (13 Jan 2018)
  The Gehrels Swift Observatory has captured an unprecedented change in the rotation of a comet. Images taken in May 2017 reveal that comet 41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresak was spinning three times more slowly than it was in March, when it was observed by the Discovery Channel Telescope at Lowell Observatory, according to Bodewits et al. (2018, Nature, 553, 186.
• Swift Renamed to the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory (13 Jan 2018)
  In honor of Neil Gehrels (October 3, 1952 - February 6, 2017), who helped develop the mission and served as its principal investigator until his death last year, the Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Explorer has officially been renamed the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory.
• Swift CALDB Data updated (13 Jan 2018)
  The Swift SC clock correction has been updated (CALDB update version 20180103).
• NICER/SEXTANT proves pulsars can function as a celestial GPS (12 Jan 2018)
  "NASA test proves pulsars can function as a celestial GPS", published in Nature, discusses how NICER/SEXTANT for the first time demonstrated in-space navigation using X-ray pulsars as a form of a Galactic Positioning System. This method will help spacecraft autonomously steer themselves through deep space. These results were featured in a press conference at the 231st Meeting of the AAS, in Washington DC.
• Preliminary Fermi LAT 8-year Point Source List Available (05 Jan 2018)
  A preliminary Fermi LAT 8-year Point Source List (FL8Y), based on the first eight years of science data from the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope mission and the 100 MeV-1 TeV range has been released by the Fermi project. The FL8Y source list has twice as much exposure as the 3FGL, and includes a number of analysis improvements, but does not use an updated model for Galactic diffuse gamma-ray emission. The FL8Y source list includes 5524 sources above 4-sigma significance, and includes source location regions and spectral properties.
• General Catalog of Variable Stars, Version 5.1, March 2017 (03 Jan 2018)
  The latest version of this catalog of 52,011 confirmed variable stars (from Samus et al. 2017, ARep, 61, 80) is now available in Browse and in Xamin.
• XSPEC 12.9.1u Patch Released (02 Jan 2018)
  Adds proper handling of gain fit parameters when stored and read back in with Xset.save and Xset.restore in PyXspec. Released Dec 27, 2017.
• FERMI3FHL - Third Catalog of Hard Fermi-LAT Sources (3FHL) (21 Dec 2017)
  This catalog (from Ajello et al. 2017, ApJS, 232, 18) contains 1,558 objects that have been characterized in the 10 GeV to 2 TeV energy range by Fermi's Large Area Telescope (LAT) in the first 7 years of observations using the Pass 8 event-level analysis. The sensitivity and angular resolution are improved by factors of 3 and 2 relative to the previous LAT catalog at the same energies (1FHL). 3FHL is now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• COSMOS Field VLBA Observations 1.4-GHz Source Catalog (20 Dec 2017)
  This catalog contains 468 radio sources and 36 radio source components that were detected at 1.4 GHz with the Very Long Baseline Array in the Cosmic Evolution Survey (COSMOS) field, and includes the radio fluxes of these sources, which are likely to be AGN, and their multiwavelength counterparts. This catalog (from Herrera Ruiz et al. 2017, A&A, 607, A132) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• Tabbed layout for Xamin results added to Xamin version 5.0 (20 Dec 2017)
  Xamin version 5.0 introduces the tabbed layout for grid formatted query results. This new output format replaces the current multi-window grid output. All new queries will be added to one main panel and each can be displayed by clicking its associated tab (figure 1). Tabs are labeled with the query number and mousing over the [...]
• Deadline for Proposls for Pathfinder Science for a Potential Chandra Successor Mission (CSM) is Next Month (19 Dec 2017)
  The deadline to submit in response to this call for proposals (CfP) is January 24, 6:00pm EST. The purpose of this special CfP is to propose for new Chandra observations that can demonstrate the feasibility for key CSM goals or otherwise enhance CSM science prospects. Proposals from all areas of astrophysics will be considered. Up to 1 Msec of Director's Discretionary Time (DDT) may be devoted to CSM programs.
• XSPEC 12.9.1t Patch Released (19 Dec 2017)
  Fixed an issue in which changing solar abundance table from the default (angr) does not work correctly for the raymond, meka, or mekal models. Released Dec 13.
• INTEGRAL Mission Extended Through 2019 (18 Dec 2017)
  The ESA Science Programme Committee (SPC) has approved extending the INTEGRAL mission by one year through 31 December 2019. A proposal to extend INTEGRAL through 2020 will be presented at the next meeting of the SPC in February 2018.
• Chandra CALDB 4.7.7 installed at the HEASARC (16 Dec 2017)
  CalDB 4.7.7 is now installed and available at the HEASARC. Chandra 4.7.7 was released by the CXC on December 14, 2017...
• Query visualization introduced with Xamin version 5.0 (15 Dec 2017)
  An interactive visualization component using the AladinLite data visualizer developed at the Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) has been added to Xamin grid queries. This new feature allows users to select regions visually and to display the location of observations and targets against images of the HEASARC archive holding. User can also select [...]
• Viewing tool updated (14 Dec 2017)
  The Sun angle constraint for NuSTAR observations has been updated in the Viewing tool to be greater than 43 degrees. This reflects the change by the NuSTAR Science Operations Center to ensure stable pointing. This new, slightly more restrictive range applies to all future ToO requests and Cycle 4 proposals.
• Hitomi CALDB Data Updated (14 Dec 2017)
  The Hitomi CALDB has been updated for the SGD (update version 20171207).
• Hitomi Master Observations Table (07 Dec 2017)
  The table of all Hitomi observations that were completed during its period of operations is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• The Amazing Year 2017 in High-Energy Astrophysics (07 Dec 2017)
  2017 was a banner year for our field. We list here some of the important events in high-energy astronomy (X-ray astronomy, gamma-ray astronomy, gravitational wave and cosmic-ray astronomy) which occurred and/or were announced in this last year. Let's see if 2018 can be even better!
• Winners of the 2018 Breakthrough Prize in Fundmental Physics Have Been Announced (05 Dec 2017)
  Congratulations to Charles L. Bennett, Gary Hinshaw, Norman Jarosik, Lyman Page Jr., David N. Spergel, and the members of the WMAP Science Team for winning this prestigious award, the "Oscar of Science". The HEASARC is particularly happy since several current members of its LAMBDA component (Mike Greason, Nils Odegard and Janet Weiland) and its one-time director, Gary Hinshaw, were so honored.
• NuSTAR CALDB Update (04 Dec 2017)
  The NuSTAR CALibration DataBase was updated on December 4, 2017 (CALDB version 20171204). This updates the NuSTAR clock correction file to version 76, valid through 2017-12-04.
• XSPEC 12.9.1s Patch Released (04 Dec 2017)
  Adds a new class member called Fit.nullhy to PyXspec. This provides access to the null hypothesis probability reported after chi-square fits.
• NICER overview published in Nature Astronomy (01 Dec 2017)
  "Searching for a pulse", an overview of NICER by K. Gendreau and Z. Arzoumanian, has been published by Nature Astronomy (Nature Astronomy 1, 895, 2017).
• XMMAO (XMM-Newton Accepted Targets) Table (29 Nov 2017)
  The latest version of the table of accepted XMM-Newton targets, updated to include AO-17 results, is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• Hitomi Mission Glimpses Cosmic 'Recipe' for the Nearby Universe (22 Nov 2017)
  Before its brief mission ended unexpectedly in March 2016, the Hitomi X-ray observatory captured exceptional information about the motions of the hot gas in the Perseus galaxy cluster. Now, thanks to unprecedented detail provided by the Soft X-ray Spectrometer on Hitomi, the Hitomi Collaboration (2017, Nature, in press) has been able to analyze the detailed chemical make-up of this gas, providing new insights into the stellar explosions that formed most of these elements and cast them out into space.
• NuSTAR Guest Observer (GO) Cycle 4 Solicitation (20 Nov 2017)
  Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Science for 2017 (ROSES-17) Amendment 38 (released on Oct 6, 2017) contains the revised text for Appendix D.10 soliciting proposals to the NuSTAR GO Cycle 4 opportunity. The due date for proposal submission is Jan 19, 2018. Proposals should be submitted via the HEASARC's ARK Remote Proposal System (RPS). For more information about this AO, please visit the NuSTAR Proposal page.
• IRAM NOrthern Extended Millimeter Array (NOEMA) Observation Log (20 Nov 2017)
  The second version of the IRAM NOEMA - the successor to the Plateau de Bure Interferometer (PdBI) - observing log (Dan et al. 1991-2017, IRAM Newsletters) containing 1,231 observations from May 31, 2015 through September 29, 2016 is now available in Browse and Xamin, as well as an updated version of the IRAM PDBI observing log.
• Sixth Announced Gravitational Wave Detection, GW 170608 (16 Nov 2017)
  The LIGO Scientific and Virgo collaborations report the detection of yet another gravitational wave signal, dubbed GW 170608, emitted during the final moments of the merger of two black holes with masses of about 7 and 12 times the mass of the sun located at a redshift of ~0.07 (340 Mpc). This is one of the first cases where black holes detected through gravitational waves have masses similar to those detected indirectly via e-m radiation, such as X-rays The discovery paper was just submitted to ApJL.
• Swift CALDB Data updated (15 Nov 2017)
  The Swift XRT Caldb has been updated (CALDB update version 20171113).
• Cassiopeia dwarf galaxy (IC 10) Chandra X-ray Point Source Catalog (07 Nov 2017)
  This catalog of 111 X-ray point sources detected in 10 Chandra ACIS-S observations of this dwarf-irregular galaxy that were designed to capture its variable and transient X-ray source population (from Laycock et al. 2017, ApJ, 836, 50) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• Update to the INTEGRAL IBIS AGN Catalog (07 Nov 2017)
  This catalog (from Malizia et al. 2016, MNRAS, 460, 19) of the classification and X-ray properties of 116 active galactic nuclei which have been newly detected and/or identified by the INTEGRAL IBIS instrument since the original INTEGRAL IBIS AGN Catalog of Malizia et al. (2012, MNRAS, 426, 1750) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• Swift CALDB Data updated (02 Nov 2017)
  A new Swift clock correction file has been added to the Swift SC Caldb (CALDB update version 20171101).
• Hitomi Archive Opens (01 Nov 2017)
  The Hitomi data archive has opened.
• NuSTAR Probes Black Hole Jet Mystery (31 Oct 2017)
  Using NASA's NuSTAR space telescope and a fast camera called ULTRACAM on the William Herschel Observatory in La Palma, Spain, Gandhi et al. have been able to measure the distance that particles in the jets from the black hole binaries V404 Cyg and GX 339-4 travel before they "turn on" and become bright in visible light. This distance called the "acceleration zone" is determined to be 0.1 light seconds (30,000 km) in these systems. See the published study in Nature Astronomy.
• News Story: Jupiter's X-ray northern and southern auroras pulse independently of each other (31 Oct 2017)
  Based on XMM-Newton and Chandra X-ray campaigns, performed in May-June 2016 and March 2007, Dunn et al. (2017, Nature Astronomy, in press) show that Jupiter's northern and southern auroral hot spots each exhibit different characteristics, such as different periodic pulsations and uncorrelated changes in brightness, in contradiction to the predictions of current models of X-ray generation for Jupiter.
• Swift CALDB Data updated (26 Oct 2017)
  The Swift BAT CALDB has been updated (CALDB update version 20171016).
• Astrophysics Advisory Committee (APAC) Self-Nominations are Invited (25 Oct 2017)
  The NASA Astrophysics Division announces an invitation for public nominations for service on its Federal advisory committee, the Astrophysics Advisory Committee (APAC), that advises the Astrophysics Division Director. US citizens may submit self-nominations for consideration to fill vacancies on the APAC. There will be member vacancies from time to time throughout the year, and NASA will consider self-nominationsto fill such intermittent vacancies. The deadline for NASA receipt of all public nominations is December 1, 2017.
• Outburst Catalog of Dwarf Novae-type and Other Cataclysmic Variables (24 Oct 2017)
  This catalog of the outbursts and other properties of over 722 dwarf novae and 316 other types of cataclysmic variables that were observed in the Catalina Real-time Transient Survey (CRTS) (from Coppejans et al. 2016, MNRAS, 456, 4441) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• NuSTAR Users Commitee: Call for Self Nominations (18 Oct 2017)
  NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) high-energy mission announces the creation of the NuSTAR Users Committee (NUC). The NUC will provide community advice and feedback to the project, to ensure that the interests of the guest investigator community are well-served by the project. Membership on this committee is open to the world, and we intend a committee that is diverse in terms of career stage, gender, and scientific focus. Letters of self-nomination to serve on this committee are due by November 3rd, 2017.
• NASA Missions Catch First Light from a Gravitational-Wave Event (16 Oct 2017)
  Shortly after 8:41am EDT on Aug. 17, 2 seconds after LIGO and VIRGO detected a gravitational wave event, the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope picked up a pulse of high-energy light from a powerful explosion, which was immediately reported to astronomers around the globe as a short gamma-ray burst. The Swift, Hubble, Chandra and Spitzer missions, along with dozens of ground-based observatories, including the NASA-funded Pan-STARRS survey, observed over the next few days and weeks the fading glow of the expanding debris from this blast, now believed to be a "kilonova".
• First Detection of Gravitational waves from a Binary Neutron Star Inspiral on August 17, 2017 at 8:41am EDT (16 Oct 2017)
  The LIGO Scientific and Virgo collaborations report the first joint detection of a gravitational wave signal from a binary neutron star system, dubbed GW 170817. The gravitational waves were emitted during the final moments of the merger of two neutron stars with masses of about 1.6 and 1.1 times the mass of the sun and located about 130 million light-years away. 1.7 seconds later the Fermi GBM detected a short gamma-ray burst (GRB 170817A), and follow-up multi-wavelength observations pinpointed the counterpart object to be a kilonova (an r-process supernova) in the elliptical galaxy NGC 4993. The discovery paper has just appeared in the Phys Rev Letters, v. 119, 161101 (2017).
• HEASoft 6.22.1 Released (12 Oct 2017)
  Released October 11, 2017. This release updates the NICER data analysis software and provides bug fixes in the FV (FitsViewer) GUI, along with other improvements...
• XSPEC 12.9.1o,p Patches Released (12 Oct 2017)
  Released on October 10, 2017. Release 12.9.1o fixes a multiple-prompting error in certain cases of missing data files, while 12.9.1p fixes some issues in steppar error messaging.
• Scientists Discover One of the Most Luminous Novae Ever (12 Oct 2017)
  Aydi et al. (2017, MNRAS, in press) have discovered possibly the most luminous 'new star' ever - a nova in the direction of one of our closest neighboring galaxies, the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). Using telescopes from South Africa to Australia to South America, as well as the orbiting Swift observatory, the team reports that the nova SMCN 2016-10a, which was discovered on 14th October 2016, is the most luminous nova ever discovered in the SMC, and one of the brightest ever seen in any galaxy.
• Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 10 New White Dwarf Catalog (10 Oct 2017)
  This catalog of over 9,000 new spectroscopically confirmed white dwarfs and subdwarfs in the SDSS DR10 (from Kepler et al. 2015, MNRAS, 446, 4078) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• Hitomi CALDB Data Updated (09 Oct 2017)
  The Hitomi CALDB has been updated for the SGD (update version 20170926).
• Swift CALDB updated (09 Oct 2017)
  The Swift Caldb has been updated for the UVOTA (update version 20170922)...
• NICER ATEL: Observation of Fast X-ray Flares in GX 339-4 (06 Oct 2017)
  NICER observed the black hole binary GX339-4 which is currently in outburst. The average hard color (4-12 / 2-4 keV) is near 0.5 or higher, which is harder than the value for Crab (0.25). These results are consistent with the report that GX339-4 is in a faint black hole hard state (Gandhi et al., Atel 10820).
• Black Holes with Ravenous Appetites Define Type I Active Galaxies (04 Oct 2017)
  For decades, astronomers have tried to pin down why two of the most common types of active galaxies, known as Type I and Type II galaxies, appear different. The leading theory, known as the unified model, explains that the central black holes of Type I and Type II galaxies have the same fundamental structure, but appear different solely because the galaxies point toward Earth at different angles. Ricci et al. (2017, Nature, 549, 488) tested this model by studying over 800 active galaxies detected by the Burst Alert Telescope on-board Swift and found that Type I and Type II galaxies do not just appear different--they are, in fact, very different from each other.
• 'Extreme' Telescopes Find the Second-fastest-spinning Pulsar (04 Oct 2017)
  By following up on mysterious high-energy sources mapped out by NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, the Netherlands-based Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) radio telescope has identified a pulsar spinning at more than 42,000 revolutions per minute, making it the second-fastest known. The new object, named PSR J0952-0607 is thus classified as a millisecond pulsar. It contains about 1.4 times the sun's mass and is orbited every 6.4 hours by a companion star that has been whittled away to less than 20 times the mass of the planet Jupiter, according to Bassa et al. (2017, ApJL, 846, L20).
• NuSTAR CALDB Update (03 Oct 2017)
  The NuSTAR CALibration DataBase was updated on October 3, 2017 (CALDB version 20171002). This updates the NuSTAR clock correction file to version 75, valid through 2017-10-02.
• NuSTAR Data Analysis Guide Updated (03 Oct 2017)
  The NuSTAR Data Analysis Guide was updated to version 1.9.3
• 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics Announcement (03 Oct 2017)
  Rainer Weiss, Barry C. Barish and Kip S. Thorne have won the 2017 Nobel Prize in physics for the detection of black hole collisions that created gravitational waves. The LIGO and Virgo detectors in the US and Italy were used to conduct this research. Just a week ago, The LIGO Scientific and Virgo collaborations reported the fourth such detection.
• Chandra ACIS Survey for X-Ray AGN in Nearby Galaxies (28 Sep 2017)
  This catalog of 719 galaxies within 50 Mpc with available Chandra ACIS observations that have been searched for X-ray emitting AGN (resulting in 314 detections) from She et al. 2017, ApJ, 835, 223) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• Gravitational waves from a binary black hole merger observed by LIGO and Virgo on August 14, 2017 (27 Sep 2017)
  The LIGO Scientific and Virgo collaborations report the first joint detection of gravitational waves with both the LIGO and Virgo detectors. The detection of GW170814 is the fourth one announced of a binary black hole system and the first significant gravitational-wave signal recorded by the Virgo detector. The gravitational waves were emitted during the final moments of the merger of two black holes with masses about 31 and 25 times the mass of the sun and located about 1.8 billion light-years away. A paper has been accepted for publication in the journal Physical Review Letters.
• Young Cluster NGC 3293 Chandra X-Ray Point Source Catalog (25 Sep 2017)
  This catalog of 1,026 X-ray point sources detected in a 71-ksec Chandra ACIS observation of NGC 3293, a young stellar cluster at the northwestern periphery of the Carina Nebula Complex (from Preibisch et al. 2017, A&A, 605, A85) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• Viewing tool updated (22 Sep 2017)
  Swift's orbital pole constraints have been updated in the Viewing tool. The revised coefficients extrapolate the trend for the next year.
• NICER First ATEL: The Hard X-ray transient MAXI J1535-571 (22 Sep 2017)
  NICER has observed the hard X-ray transient MAXI J1535-571 several times from 2017 September 9 through September 20. The source had a NICER count rate ranging from 3,200 to 17,000 counts per second over this interval. NICER detects a set of low-frequency QPOs in a 1:2 frequency ratio, while the time-averaged spectrum shows broadened iron emission and puts constraints on the black hole spin parameter and the inclination of the accretion disk.
• The Accretion-Powered Pulsar SXP 1062 Reveals Unique Timing Glitch (21 Sep 2017)
  The discovery of the largest timing irregularity yet observed in a pulsar is the first confirmation that pulsars in binary systems can exhibit the strange phenomenon known as a 'glitch'. A group of scientists from the Middle East Technical University and Baskent University in Turkey (Serim et al. 2017, MNRAS, 471, 4982) has discovered a sudden change in the rotation speed of the peculiar binary pulsar SXP 1062.
• TESS Cycle 1 Phase 1 Proposal Deadline Has Been Extended to October 6, 2017, 4:30 PM EDT (19 Sep 2017)
  To give more time to proposers who are without power because of Hurricane Irma, ROSES-17 Amendment 31 delays the Phase-1 proposal due date for this program element to October 6, 2017. Phase-1 proposals are due by 4:30 PM EDT on that day via the ARK/RPS web page. For full details on the TESS Cycle 1 program elements and how to submit proposals, please see the TESS proposers' information page.
• Swift Cycle 14 Deadline Has Been Extended to September 28, 2017, 4:30 PM EDT (18 Sep 2017)
  To give more time to proposers who are without power because of Hurricane Irma, ROSES-17 Amendment 30 delays the Phase-1 proposal due date for this program element to September 28, 2017. Phase-1 proposals are due by 4:30 PM EDT on that day via the ARK/RPS web page. For full details on the Swift Cycle 14 program elements and how to submit proposals, please see the Swift Cycle 14 information page at the top link and the Cycle 14 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).
• Star Formation in Nearby Clouds (SFiNCs) X-Ray Source Catalog (15 Sep 2017)
  This catalog of 15,364 X-ray sources detected in Chandra ACIS obsrervations of 22 nearby star-forming regions (SFRs), from Getman et al. 2017, ApJS, 229, 28, is now available in Browse and Xamin, as is the catalog of nearly 8500 probable cluster members of these SFRs (a 40% increase over the previous census) that was presented in the same paper.
• Reed Catalog of Galactic OB Stars (13 Sep 2017)
  This catalog of the photometric and spectroscopic properties of over 18,000 known or reasonably suspected OB stars in the Milky Way Galaxy, from Reed et al. 2005, AJ, 130, 1652 and Reed 2003, AJ, 125, 2531, is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• Viewing tool updated (12 Sep 2017)
  Support for XMM-Newton has been updated to work with the latest version of the ESA XMM-Newton Target Visibility Checker.
• NICER Featured on "Science in Seconds" (08 Sep 2017)
  NICER was featured on "Science in Seconds" a short introduction to NICER, with NASA Associate Administrator Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen and Dr. Rita Sambruna, NICER program scientist.
• Swift CALDB Data updated (08 Sep 2017)
  A new Swift clock correction file has been added to the Swift SC Caldb (CALDB update version 20170831).
• The NuSTAR Survey Source Catalog of the Extended Chandra Deep Field South (ECDF-S) (6 Sep 2017)
  This catalog of 54 sources detected by the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) in the full 30' x 30' area of the ECDF-S field to a maximum exposure of ~360 ks (~220 ks when corrected for vignetting at 3-24 keV), from Mullaney et al. 2015, ApJ, 808, 184, is now available in Browse and Xamin,.
• 2018 NASA Hubble Fellowship Program (NHFP) Is Now Accepting Applications (5 Sep 2017)
  The 2018 Announcement of Opportunity for new Hubble, Einstein and Sagan Fellows has been released, with applications due by Nov. 2, 2017 at 7 pm EDT/4 pm PDT. The NHFP provides an opportunity for highly qualified recent postdoctoral scientists to conduct independent research in any area of NASA Astrophysics. It encompasses the areas of astrophysics previously covered by the NASA Einstein, Hubble, and Sagan Fellowships.
• Evidence Found for an Intermediate-Mass Black Hole (IMBH) near the Galactic Center (5 Sep 2017)
  A team of researchers with Keio University in Japan has found evidence of a mid-sized black hole near the center of the Milky Way galaxy. In their paper (just published in Oka et al. 2017, Nature Astronomy), they describe their study using the Atacama Sub-mm Telescope Experiment (ASTE) and the Atacama Large mm/Sub-mm Array (ALMA) of a peculiar molecular cloud (CO-0.40-0.22) near the Galactic Center that has an extremely broad velocity width that they attribute to gas motion around an IMBH.
• NuSTAR CALDB Update (30 Aug 2017)
  The NuSTAR CALibration DataBase was updated on August 30, 2017 (CALDB version 20170817). This updates the NuSTAR clock correction file to version 74, valid through 2017-08-17.
• Chandra CALDB 4.7.6 installed at the HEASARC (28 Aug 2017)
  CalDB 4.7.6 is now installed and available at the HEASARC. Chandra 4.7.6 was released by the CXC on August 18, 2017...
• PIMMS updated to Version 4.8e (28 Aug 2017)
  Version 4.8e contains an updated set of XMM-Newton EPIC effective area curve files, suitable for use for AO-17 proposals....
• XSPEC 12.9.1m,n Patch Released (28 Aug 2017)
  Released on August 18, 2017. Release 12.9.1m updates the XSPEC Tcl library, while 12.9.1n fixes a normalization error in the calculation of the lorentzian line in the "speedy" option.
• IRAM NOrthern Extended Millimeter Array (NOEMA) Observation Log (28 Aug 2017)
  The first version of the IRAM NOEMA - the successor to the Plateau de Bure Interferometer (PdBI) - observing log (Dan et al. 1991-2017, IRAM Newsletters) containing 299 observations from May 31 through September 30, 2015 is now available in Browse and Xamin, as well as updated versions of the IRAM PDBI and 30-m Single-Dish Telescope observing logs.
• Participation in the X-Ray Astronomy Recovery Mission (XARM) (25 Aug 2017)
  JAXA and NASA are pleased to announce to the international community plans for scientific participation in the X-ray Astronomy Recovery Mission (XARM). The mission, which is expected to launch in early 2021, will bring spectacular advances in our understanding of the high-energy universe. These advances, however, are only possible with the full participation and engagement of the worldwide scientific community. Accordingly, the two agencies announce their plans for enabling community participation in XARM.
• News Story: NuSTAR Observed This Week's Solar Eclipse (24 Aug 2017)
  On August 21, for about two minutes across a swath of North America, Earth's moon passed in front of and completely blocked out the sun, causing a total solar eclipse. Countless people witnessed this rare phenomenon, the first total solar eclipse in North America in 38 years. Just last week, scientists at Caltech and JPL decided that NuSTAR, the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, would watch with them.
• Reminder: Swift Cycle 14 Deadline is Nearing: September 21, 2017, 4:30 PM EDT (23 Aug 2017)
  For details on the Swift Cycle 14 program elements and how to submit proposals, please see the Swift Cycle 14 information page (the link above) and the Cycle 14 Requently Asked Questions (FAQ) page.
• NuSTAR CALDB Update (21 Aug 2017)
  The NuSTAR FPM CALDB at the HEASARC was updated to CALDB version 20170727. This CALDB patch is a required update for using saamode=3 now available with NuSTARDAS v1.8.0., released in HEASoft 6.22.
• First release of the NICER XTI CALDB (18 Aug 2017)
  The first release of the NICER XTI caldb is now available from the HEASARC (CALDB update version 20170814). Please make sure you're using the most recent version of the caldb.config file in order to access the NICER XTI CALDB data.
• Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) Guest Investigator Cycle 1 Proposal Submission Page Is Now Open for Business (16 Aug 2017)
  The deadline for TESS Cycle 1 Guest Investigator proposals is 2017-09-29 at 4:30pm EDT. These proposals must be submitted through the HEASARC's Remote Proposal System, which is now open for such submissions.
• HEASoft 6.22 Released (16 Aug 2017)
  Released August 15, 2017. This release updates mission-specific software packages for NICER, Hitomi, NuSTAR, Swift, XTE and some other missions, and updates CFITSIO to handle remote file access via https ....
• ISS-CREAM for the International Space Station (14 Aug 2017)
  At 12:31 pm EDT today (August 14), a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft was launched from Kennedy Space Center carrying, among many other things, the ISS-CREAM (International Space Station Cosmic Ray Energetics And Mass) payload. This will be attached to the International Space Station and, starting in Fall 2017, will be used to to extend the energy reach of direct measurements of cosmic rays to the highest energy possible to probe their origin, acceleration and propagation. ISS-CREAM is a collaboration of US, Korean, French and Mexican institutions.
• The S-Band Polarization All-Sky Survey (S-PASS) 2.3-GHz Source Catalog (11 Aug 2017)
  This new catalog of 23,389 2.3-GHz sources detected by the Parkes radio telescope in the entire southern sky except for regions within 10 degrees of the Galactic Plane (from Meyers et al. 2017, PASA, 34, 13) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• NASA Selects Proposals to Study Galaxies, Stars, Planets (10 Aug 2017)
  NASA has selected 6 astrophysics Explorers Program proposals for concept studies. The selected proposals comprise 3 Medium-Class Explorers missions and 3 Explorers Missions of Opportunity, and include Arcus, a MidEx mission that would study stars, galaxies and clusters of galaxies using high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy, the Transient Astrophysics Observer on the ISS MoO, a wide-field X-ray transient detector that would observe numerous such events per year related to compact objects, e.g., GW counterparts, X-ray bursts, GRBs, etc., and the Compton Spectrometer and Imager Explorer (COSI-X), a balloon-borne, wide-FOV telescope designed to survey the gamma-ray sky at 0.2-5 MeV, performing high-resolution spectroscopy, wide-field imaging, and polarization measurements.
• Xamin Update (09 Aug 2017)
  Xamin, the HEASARC's modern and fast archive interface, was updated to version 4.2 on August 1, 2017. This version includes changes to support SSA data products for Chandra and INTEGRAL, and updates Hera support
• The Very Large Array 1.4-GHz Source Catalog of the Field of the A370 Cluster of Galaxies (08 Aug 2017)
  This catalog of 699 1.4-GHz sources detected in a VLA image of a 40 by 40 sq. arcmin. field containing the A370 cluster of galaxies that has a central noise level of 0.006 milliJansky (from Wold et al. 2012, ApJS, 202, 2) is now available in Browse and Xamin, as is the catalog of 524 1.4-GHz sources found in a similarly deep VLA image of a 34 by 34 sq. arcmin. field centered on the A2390 cluster of galaxies (from the same reference).
• The Million Quasars Catalog (08 Aug 2017)
  The latest version (v5.2, 5 August 2017) of the Million Quasars (MILLIQUAS) Catalog (Eric Flesch 2009 - 2017) containing a lot more than one million (1,998,464 to be exact) likely quasars is now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• NASA Seeks LISA Science Study Team Members (03 Aug 2017)
  ESA has selected the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna for formulation. LISA will be led by ESA with significant contributions in hardware and science from NASA and several European member states. NASA recently issued a call for nominations to serve on a NASA Science Study Team that will advise the NASA LISA Study Office, as well as for US representatives to ESA's LISA Science Study Team. Any US citizen or permanent resident with expertise in instrumentation, data analysis, astrophysics, or theory relevant to LISA is encouraged to apply. The deadline for applications is Sep 1. Further details & application instructions.
• NICER Press Release: Observations of PSR B1919+21 (02 Aug 2017)
  NICER's science observations have begun. One of the first targets observed was PSR B1919+21, the first pulsar identified 50 years ago by Jocelyn Bell and Anthony Hewish.
• XSPEC 12.9.1l Patch Released (31 Jul 2017)
  Released on July 26, 2017. Release 12.9.1l fixes the approximation used for the Voigt profile...
• Catalog of GALEX UV and ROSAT/XMM-Newton X-Ray Fluxes for M Dwarfs Within 10 Parsecs (27 Jul 2017)
  This catalog of the GALEX UV and ROSAT/XMM-Newton X-ray fluxes for 159 M dwarf stars selected from the All-Sky Catalog of Bright M Dwarfs that are within 10 pc of the earth (from Stelzer et al. 2013, MNRAS, 431, 2063; 2014, MNRAS, 442, 343) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• COSMOS Field X-Ray & Far-IR Detected AGN Multiwavelength Properties Catalog (25 Jul 2017)
  The catalog of the multiwavelength properties of 692 X-ray detected AGN and their far-infrared (FIR) detected host galaxies in the redshift range from 0.1 to 4 that have been found in the COSMOS field (from Lanzuisi et al. 2017, A&A, 602, A123) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• Chandra CALDB 4.7.5.1 installed at the HEASARC (21 Jul 2017)
  CalDB 4.7.5.1 is now installed and available at the HEASARC. Chandra 4.7.5.1 was released by the CXC on July 20, 2017...
• NuSTAR CALDB Update (21 Jul 2017)
  The NuSTAR CALibration DataBase was updated on July 21, 2017 (CALDB version 20170720). This updates the NuSTAR clock correction file to version 73, valid through 2017-07-20.
• Press Release: Astrosat, Chandra, Hubble Simultaneously Detect a Coronal Explosion on the Nearest Planet-Hosting Star (20 Jul 2017)
  Stars like Proxima Centauri are known to flare on timescales of a few minutes to hours. The ongoing analysis of the data for this flare detected on 31 May 2017 suggests that the flux increases by several orders of magnitude in both X-rays and UV and lasts ~1800 seconds. The energy released during this flare is of the order of ~10 ³⁰ erg, 100 times the energy of large solar flares.
• Sloan Digital Sky Survey Quasar Catalog (12th Data Release: DR12Q) (20 Jul 2017)
  The SDSS DR12Q Catalog listing the X-ray, UV, optical, IR and radio properties of 297,301 quasars, as well as their redshifts, that were identified in the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) of the SDSS-III via visual inspection of their spectra (from Paris et al. 2017, A&A, 597, A79) is now available in Browse and Xamin
• Gamma-ray Telescopes Reveal a High-energy Trap in Our Galaxy's Center (19 Jul 2017)
  A combined analysis of data from the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope and the High Energy Stereoscopic System (HESS), a ground-based observatory in Namibia, suggests the Galactic Center contains a "trap" that concentrates some of the highest-energy cosmic rays, among the fastest particles in the Galaxy. Gaggero et al. (2017) combined low-energy Fermi LAT data with high-energy HESS data of the Galactic Center to create a continuous gamma-ray spectrum describing this emission across a thousand-fold span of energies.
• NICER First Light (17 Jul 2017)
  NASA's new Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) mission to study the densest observable objects in the universe has begun science operations. To date, NICER has observed over 40 celestial targets to calibrate the X-ray Timing Instrument and supporting star-tracker camera. The observations also validated the payload's performance that will enable its key science measurements.
• The NuSTAR Serendipitous Survey 40-Month Primary Source Catalog (12 Jul 2017)
  This catalog of 498 sources detected by the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) in ~20 Ms of effective exposure time over 331 fields, with an areal coverage of 13 deg ² over the 3-24 keV energy range (from Lansbury et al. 2017, ApJ, 836, 99) is now available in Browse and Xamin, as is the companion Secondary Source Catalog of 64 other X-ray sources from the same paper.
• XSPEC 12.9.1j,k Patches Released (12 Jul 2017)
  Released on June 30, 2017. Release 12.9.1j fixes several issues wiht the "goodness" command, while 12.9.1.k improves diagnostic output in some instances when using the NEI model.
• North America (NGC 7000) & Pelican (IC 5070) Nebulae X-ray Source Catalog (11 Jul 2017)
  The catalog of 721 X-ray sources detected in 7 observations by the XMM-Newton EPIC and in 4 observations by the Chandra ACIS of the North-America and Pelican star-forming region (NGC 7000/IC 5070) (from Damiani et al. 2017, A&A, 602, A115) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• Chandra Cycle 19 Accepted Proposals and Targets Lists Are Now Available (10 Jul 2017)
  The Chandra Peer-Review recommended targets and proposals for Chandra Cycle 19, including GTO and GO proposals, joint proposals with other ground-based and/or satellite facilities, archive, theory, large and multicycle proposals, have now been publically released.
• News Item: JAXA, NASA approve replacement for failed Hitomi astronomy satellite (10 Jul 2017)
  The Japanese space agency (JAXA) is moving ahead with a smaller-scale X-ray astronomy satellite to replace the failed Hitomi observatory, which spun out of control about a month-and-a-half after its launch last year. The X-ray Astronomy Recovery Mission, or XARM, could launch as soon as March 2021, filling a potential gap in astronomers' X-ray vision of the universe, according to JAXA. NASA has agreed to be a junior partner in XARM, supplying X-ray telescopes and a spectrometer for this mission.
• The VLA-COSMOS 3-GHz Large Project Source Catalog (07 Jul 2017)
  This catalog of 10,830 3-GHz sources down to a 5-sigma detection level of ~0.011 milliJansky in the 2 square degree Cosmic Evolution Survey (COSMOS) field (from Smolcic et al. 2017, A&A, 602, A1) is now available in Browse and Xamin, as is the catalog of 9,161 multi-wavelength counterparts of these sources (from Smolcic et al. 2017, A&A, 602, A2).
• NICER Status Update (30 Jun 2017)
  NICER commissioning is underway. Fine alignment of the Star Tracker and X-ray Timing Instrument has been completed. The Thermal system is functioning exactly as expected. NICER has observed a number of celestial targets mostly calibration with some observations of NICER science targets.
• Swift CALDB Data updated (30 Jun 2017)
  A new Swift clock correction file has been added to the Swift SC Caldb (CALDB update version 20170629).
• XSPEC 12.9.1i Patch Released (27 Jun 2017)
  Released on June 16, 2017. Fixes issue with multiple XSPEC log file open and close operations on Macs.
• Chandra X-Ray Point Source Catalog for the Old Open Cluster Collinder 261 (15 Jun 2017)
  The catalog of 151 X-ray sources detected in a 53.8 ks observation of the 7-Gyr old open cluster Cr 261 by the Chandra ACIS instrument (from Vats & van den Berg 2017, ApJ, 837, 130) is now available in Browse and Xamin, as is the associated list of 135 optical counterpart candidates of 98 of these X-ray sources.
• A New X-Ray Observatory is Launched: the Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (HXMT) (15 Jun 2017)
  The Chinese X-ray observatory, HXMT (also known as Insight), was launched earlier today (3:00 UTC) on a Long March 4B rocket. This mission will perform the most sensitive all-sky survey to date in the hard X-ray (20-250 keV) energy band. It also has soft and medium X-ray (1 - 30 keV) detectors for pointed observations of such objects as X-ray binaries, AGN, SNRs, soft gamma repeaters, and clusters of galaxies. Congratulations to our Chinese colleagues!
• NuSTAR CALDB Update (14 Jun 2017)
  The NuSTAR CALibration DataBase was updated on June 14, 2017 (CALDB version 20170614) This updates the NuSTAR clock correction file to version 72, valid through 2017-06-14.
• NICER Installed on ELC2 (14 Jun 2017)
  As of June 14, NICER is installed on the ISS Express Logistics Carrier 2 Site 7, and power up of the instrument has begun.
• Happy 5th Birthday to NuSTAR! (13 Jun 2017)
  The Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) spacecraft was launched on a Pegasus XL rocket dropped from a Lockheed L-1011 "TriStar" aircraft flying over the Pacific Ocean near the Kwajalein Atoll on June 13, 2012. Since then it has made over 2100 hard X-ray observations in science mode which have yielded (to date) hundreds of refereed and other publications.
• ROSAT All-Sky Survey and Sloan Digital Sky Survey DR7 Galaxy Clusters (13 Jun 2017)
  This catalog of the X-ray emission (or lack thereof) found in the RASS at the positions of 64,646 candidate galaxy clusters optically identified in the SDSS DR7 (from Wang et al. 2014, MNRAS, 439, 611) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• Extraction of NICER from the Dragon Trunk (12 Jun 2017)
  This video by made by Mark Egan (MIT) shows NICER being extracted from the Dragon Trunk.
• INTEGRAL AO-15 General Program Approved (8 Jun 2017)
  The INTEGRAL AO-15 General Program, as recommended by the Time Allocation Committee (TAC) and approved by ESA's Director of Science (Prof. Alvaro Giménez), has been released and the observers have been informed.
• Upcoming NICER activities (07 Jun 2017)
  The following is the list of upcoming NICER activities and approximate dates: NICER extracted from the Dragon trunk (June 11); NICER installed on the ISS ELC2 (June 12-13); NICER powered up, deployed, and NICER range of motion verified by robotic camera (June 14); NICER executes initial Pointing control test and Detector initial checkout (June 15); NICER raster scan of Serpens X-1 to determine X-ray instrument and star tracker alignment (June 17); initial calibration and hardware commissioning (June 21-July 12); NICER science program begins (July 13)
• List of Selected Fermi Cycle 10 GI Program proposals is Now Available (07 Jun 2017)
  The Fermi Cycle-10 stage-I proposal selection process has now been completed, and the list of the selected programs, including the PIs, titles and abstracts is now available. There were a total of 43 new programs selected for stage I out of 183 proposals submitted.
• The Canadian Galactic Plane Survey Catalog of Compact 1420_MHz Sources (06 Jun 2017)
  The CGPS catalog of 72,758 compact (i.e., with an angular size less than 3 arcminutes) 1420-MHz continuum sources down to a 5-sigma detection level of ~1.2 mJy in the 52 < l < 192 degrees range of the Galactic Plane (from Taylor et al. 2017, AJ, 153, 113) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• Dragon Captured (05 Jun 2017)
  The Dragon capsule carrying NICER was successfully captured by the robotic arm on the ISS a bit ahead of the scheduled capture at 10:00 EDT.
• Rendezvous with ISS and Capture (05 Jun 2017)
  The Dragon capsule, and NICER, will rendezvous with the ISS this morning. Capture of the capsule by the station's robotic arm is scheduled for 10am EDT, and may be viewed live on NASA TV.
• NICER Launched June 3, 5:07pm EDT (05 Jun 2017)
  The Commercial Resupply Services-11 (CRS-11) mission launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on June 3, 17:07 EDT (21:07 UTC). CRS-11 marks the first re-use of a Dragon capsule. The CRS-11 payload includes the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) X-ray timing observatory. NICER is scheduled to be extracted from the Dragon trunk on June 11 and installed onto the Space Station's ExPRESS Logistics Carrier (ELC) on June 13.
• XMM-Newton Serendipitous Source Catalog (Version 3XMM-DR7) (05 Jun 2017)
  The updated version of this catalog (from Rosen, Webb, Watson et al. 2016, A&A, 590, A1) containing 727,790 X-ray source detections (an increase of 49,110 compared to DR6) drawn from a total of 9,710 XMM-Newton EPIC observations made between 2000 Feb 3 and 2016 December 15 is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• XSPEC 12.9.1f, g, h Patches Released (05 Jun 2017)
  Released on June 2, 2017. These patches fix issues with the "error" command, the "goodness" command when using cstat statistics and a problem setting the NEI version when NEI_VERSION is not specified.
• Planck Catalog of Compact Sources Public Release 2 (PCCS2) 30, 44, 70, 100, 143, 217, 353, 545 and 857 GHz Source Tables (01 Jun 2017)
  These 9 tables of 30-857 GHz radio sources (from the Planck Collaboration 2016, A&A, 594, A26) are now available in Browse and Xamin. These tables supersede the Planck Catalog of Compact Sources Public Release 1 (PCCS1) tables (which have been removed).
• Current NICER launch date: June 1, 2017 (23 May 2017)
  NICER is currently scheduled for launch to the ISS on SpaceX-11, which is now scheduled for launch on June 1 at 5:55 pm eastern time from the Kennedy Space Center. Backup dates are June 3 (5:04 PM EDT) and 4 (4:44 PM EDT).
• News Feature: SpaceX Dragon to Deliver Research - including NICER - to the Space Station (22 May 2017)
  SpaceX is scheduled to launch its Dragon spacecraft for its 11th commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station on June 1 from Kennedy Space Center's historic pad 39A. Dragon will lift into orbit atop the Falcon 9 rocket carrying crew supplies, equipment and scientific research, including the NICER payload, to crew members living aboard the station. Once affixed to the exterior of the space station, NICER will study the physics of neutron stars, providing new insight into their nature and behavior.
• Planck High-Redshift Source Candidates (PHZ) Catalog (22 May 2017)
  This catalog of 2,151 Planck high-z source candidates (the PHZ list) that have been detected in the cleanest 26% of the sky, with flux densities at 545 GHz above 500 mJy (from the Planck Collaboration 2016, A&A, 596, A100 is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• FRIICAT - FIRST Catalog of FR II Radio Galaxies (18 May 2017)
  This catalog of 123 Fanaroff and Riley class II edge-brightened radio galaxies (FR IIs) with redshifts ≤ 0.15 that were obtained by combining observations from the NVSS, FIRST, and SDSS surveys (from Capetti et al. 2017, A&A, 601, A81) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• Swift Ultraviolet and Optical Telescope (UVOT) Serendipitous Source Catalog, v1.1 (17 May 2017)
  Version 1.1 of the Swift UVOT SSC listing the optical and UV properties of 13,860,568 source detections made by this telescope (v1.0 is described in Page et al. 2015, Proc. Swift 10 Years of Discovery conference, p. 37) is now available in Browse and Xamin, as is the associated list of 23,059 UVOT observations from the start of Swift operations in 2005 until Oct 1, 2010 in which these sources were found.
• Second Planck Sunyaev Zel'dovich Source Catalog (PSZ2) (16 May 2017)
  The all-sky Planck catalog of 1,653 galaxy clusters and cluster candidates (PSZ2) derived from Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) effect detections using the full 29 months of Planck satellite observations - the largest SZ-selected sample of galaxy clusters yet produced and the deepest systematic all-sky survey of galaxy clusters - created by the Planck Collaboration 2016, A&A, 594, A27 is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• News Feature: Fermi Satellite Has Observed 1 Billion Gamma Rays with its LAT Instrument (15 May 2017)
  NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has been capturing images of the Universe in gamma rays, the most energetic form of light, since its launch in 2008. On April 12, 2017, one of the Fermi spacecraft's instruments - the Large Area Telescope or LAT - detected its billionth extraterrestrial gamma ray, hundreds of times more gamma rays than the previous-generation EGRET instrument on the Compton Gamma-ray Observatory did.
• Hitomi CALDB Data Updated (12 May 2017)
  The Hitomi CALDB has been updated for the SXI (update version 20170405).
• Swift CALDB Data updated (10 May 2017)
  A new Swift clock correction file has been added to the Swift SC Caldb (CALDB update version 20170505), and the Swift XRT caldb has also been updated (update version 20170501).
• NuSTAR Cycle 3 Results (10 May 2017)
  The list of NuSTAR targets accepted by the Cycle 3 peer review is now available. Cycle 3 observations will start to be routinely performed on June 1, 2017. Written evaluations will be sent to all NuSTAR Cycle 3 PIs in the next few weeks.
• The Million Optical/Radio/X-Ray Associations (MORX) Catalog (09 May 2017)
  The MORX catalog (from Flesch 2016, PASA, 33, 52), which combines all of the largest published optical, radio, and X-ray sky catalogs in order to find 1,121,055 probable radio/X-ray associations with optical objects, plus double radio lobes, is now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• NuSTAR CALDB Update (05 May 2017)
  The NuSTAR CALibration DataBase was updated on May 5, 2017 (CALDB version 20170503). This updates the NuSTAR clock correction file to version 71, valid through 2017-05-03.
• The Million Quasars Catalog (04 May 2017)
  The latest version (v4.8b, 30 July 2016) of the Million Quasars (MILLIQUAS) Catalog (Eric Flesch 2009 - 2016) containing more than one million (1,422,219 to be exact) likely quasars is now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• XMM-Newton Optical Monitor (OM) Serendipitous UV Survey Source Catalog, v3.0 (04 May 2017)
  The updated version 3.0 of the XMM OM-SUSS Catalog listing the optical and UV properties of 6,880,116 source detections made by the XMM-Newton OM (v1.0 is described in Page et al. 2012, MNRAS, 426, 903) is now available in Browse and Xamin, as is the associated list of 7,886 XMM observations from 2000 to July 2015 in which these sources were found.
• XSPEC 12.9.1e Patch Released (03 May 2017)
  Released May 3, 2017. Fixes problem with the PyXspec command Xset.restore() function handling of "cd" (change directory) commands.
• XMM-Newton Wide Angle Survey (XWAS) Catalog (03 May 2017)
  This catalog of 940 XMM-Newton X-ray sources that have been spectroscopically identified through optical observations using the AAT 2dF (from Esquej et al. 2013, A&A, 557, A123) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• NICER launch date update: June 1, 2017 (02 May 2017)
  NICER is currently scheduled for launch to the ISS on SpaceX-11, which is now scheduled for launch on June 1 at 5:55 pm eastern time from the Kennedy Space Center.
• Scientists Find Giant Wave Rolling Through the Perseus Galaxy Cluster (02 May 2017)
  Combining data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory with radio observations and computer simulations, an international team of scientists has discovered a vast wave of hot gas in the nearby Perseus galaxy cluster. Spanning some 200,000 light-years, the wave is about twice the size of our own Milky Way galaxy. See Walker et al. (2017, MNRAS, 468, 2506) for the full details.
• North Celestial Pole Region Radio Sources Detected by the 21cm Array (02 May 2017)
  This catalog of 624 radio sources detected around the North Celestial Pole (NCP) with the 21 Centimeter Array (21CMA) interferometer in a 12-hr observation with frequency coverage from 75 to 175 MHz (from Zheng et al. 2016, ApJ, 832, 190) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• VLA 6-GHz Observations of Low-Redshift SDSS QSOs Catalog (27 Apr 2017)
  This catalog of a volume-limited sample of 178 low-redshift (0.2 < z < 0.3) optically selected quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) observed at 6 GHz with the JVLA (from Kellermann et al. 2016, ApJ, 831, 168) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• XMM-Newton Slew Survey Source Catalogs (Version 2.0) (27 Apr 2017)
  The updated versions of the XMM-Newton Slew Survey "Clean" and "Full" Source Catalogs containing 29,393 and 72,352 X-ray sources, respectively, detected during spacecraft slews are now available in Browse and Xamin.
• SOXS added to Astro-Updated (26 Apr 2017)
  SOXS, the "Simulated Observations of X-ray Sources" has been added to the list of software monitored by Astro-Update. The current version of SOXS is 1.0.1
• XSPEC 12.9.1c,d Patches Released (26 Apr 2017)
  Released April 25, 2017. Patch c fixes the tclout(r) filename command for the case of type II pha files and adds a new tclout margin fractions option. Patch d adds additional attributes to the PyXSPEC Xset.parallel object (to match the options available in standard XSPEC's parallel command) and also adds a new Xset.parallel.show() function.
• UV-Bright Quasar Survey (UVQS) DR1 Catalog (25 Apr 2017)
  This catalog of 3460 redshift ~ 1 AGN candidates based on GALEX UV and WISE near-IR color selection criteria (from Monroe et al. 2016, AJ, 152, 25) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• NuSTAR CALDB Update (24 Apr 2017)
  The NuSTAR CALibration DataBase was updated on April 24, 2017 (CALDB version 20170419). This updates the NuSTAR clock correction file to version 70, valid through 2017-04-19.
• Astro-Update Updated (19 Apr 2017)
  The Astro-update page has been updated to include WVT Binning (last updated December 5, 2005) and to provide links to the CIAO and Fermi contributed software pages
• XSPEC 12.9.1b Released (13 Apr 2017)
  Released April 11, 2017. The default behavior of the goodness command has now been changed to draw parameter values from the posterior distribution
• IC 1396A & Trumpler 37 Cluster Chandra X-Ray Point Source Catalog (11 Apr 2017)
  This catalog of 415 X-ray sources detected by the Chandra ACIS Imaging array in the field of the IC 1396 H II region in the vicinity of the IC 1396A globule and the Trumpler 37 star cluster (from Getman et al. 2012, MNRAS, 426, 2917) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• HEASoft 6.21 Released (05 Apr 2017)
  Released April 5, 2017. This release fixes a problem in CFITSIO where remote copies and CALDB remote access would fail if secure https connections or ftp connections were used to access the HEASARC servers ....
• The Second ROSAT All-Sky Survey Source Catalog (03 Apr 2017)
  This database table contains the Second ROSAT All-Sky Survey Point Source Catalog (2RXS; Boller et al. 2016). This is the second publicly released ROSAT catalog of point-like sources obtained from the ROSAT All-Sky Survey observations performed with the Position-Sensitive Proportional Counter between June 1990 and August 1991. This catalog includes more than 135,000 X-ray detections in the 0.1-2.4 keV energy band down to a likelihood threshold of 6.5, and is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• NuSTAR Probes Puzzling Galaxy Merger (28 Mar 2017)
  A supermassive black hole (SMBH) inside a tiny galaxy is challenging scientists' ideas about what happens when two galaxies merge. Was 49 is the name of a system consisting of a large disk galaxy, referred to as Was 49a, merging with a much smaller "dwarf" galaxy called Was 49b. The dwarf galaxy rotates within the larger galaxy's disk, about 26,000 light years from its center. Using NuSTAR, Secrest et al. (2017, ApJ, 836, 183), have discovered that the dwarf galaxy is so luminous in high-energy X-ray, it must host an SMBH much larger and more powerful than expected for such a lightweight.
• BETA Pilot Multi-Epoch Continuum Survey of Spitzer SPT Deep Field (24 Mar 2017)
  This catalog of 3,722 radio source components detected by the Boolardy Engineering Test Array (BETA) prototype of the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) in the 711-1015 MHz band in 150 sq. deg. covering two-thirds of the Spitzer South Pole Telescope Deep Field (from Heywood et al. 2016, MNRAS, 457, 4160) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• Andromeda's Bright Hard X-Ray Mystery Source Identified by NuSTAR (24 Mar 2017)
  The Milky Way's close neighbor galaxy Andromeda (M 31), features a dominant source of high-energy X-ray emission, but its identity has been mysterious until now. As reported in a new study by Yukita et al. (2017, ApJ, in press), NASA's NuSTAR (Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array) mission has pinpointed the object responsible for this high-energy radiation to be Swift J0042.6+4112, a possible pulsar, the dense remnant of a dead star that is highly magnetized and spinning.
• Viewing tool updated (23 Mar 2017)
  Swift's orbital pole constraints have been updated in the Viewing tool. The revised coefficients extrapolate the trend for the next year.
• NICER expected launch date: May 14, 2017 (21 Mar 2017)
  NICER is currently scheduled for launch to the ISS on May 14, 2017 from the Kennedy Space Center.
• NASA's Swift Mission Maps a Star's 'Death Spiral' into a Black Hole (21 Mar 2017)
  Some 290 Myrs ago, a star much like the sun wandered too close to the central black hole of its galaxy. Intense tides tore the star apart, which produced an eruption of optical, UV and X-ray light that first reached Earth in 2014. Now, a team of scientists using observations from Swift have mapped out how and where these different wavelengths were produced in the event, named ASASSN-14li, as the shattered star's debris circled the black hole: see Pasham et al. (2017, ApJ, 837, L30) for the full details.
• 15th INTEGRAL Announcement of Opportunity (21 Mar 2017)
  The ESA Director of Science and Robotic Exploration (Prof. Alvaro Giménez Cañete) has released the 15th Announcement of Opportunity for observing proposals with INTEGRAL. The deadline for proposal submission is March 31, 2017. Additional information can be found on the ESA INTEGRAL website.
• Chandra Deep Field-South 7-Megasecond X-Ray Source Catalog (16 Mar 2017)
  This catalog of 1,055 X-ray sources detected in the combination of 102 separate observations of the CDF-S field (for a total cleaned exposure time of 6.73 Ms) by Chandra's Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer imaging array (ACIS-I) from Luo et al. 2017, ApJS, 228, 2 is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• The State of Xamin and Browse (10 Mar 2017)
  You may have noticed that a few problems have plagued the Browse and Xamin services over the last week. We have resolved many issues but anticipate that a few may still be pop up. We appreciate your patience as we implement this government mandated transition from http to https. Feel free to contact us if [...]
• Chandra ACIS GSG Point-Like X-Ray Source Catalog (10 Mar 2017)
  This catalog of 217,828 independent X-ray point sources detected in 10,029 observations by Chandra's Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer (ACIS) with a total exposure of 221,851 ks (from Wang et al. 2016, ApJS, 224, 40) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• Hitomi CALDB Data Updated (07 Mar 2017)
  The Hitomi CALDB has been updated for the SGD (update version 20170208), and general spacecraft caldb (update version 20170208), and the Hitomi caldb superindex (update version 20170208).
• Swift CALDB Data updated (07 Mar 2017)
  A new Swift clock correction file has been added to the Swift SC Caldb (CALDB update version 20170306)
• Xamin Batch Interface issues (07 Mar 2017)
  A new version of the jar file used for the Xamin command line interface has been released. The older version contains a URL that is no longer valid and queries using this jar file will fail. There are two ways to fix this: Users can download a new version of Xamin's users.jar file Users can [...]
• Reminder: Deadline for Chandra Cycle 19 Proposals is Very Near! (07 Mar 2017)
  The deadline to submit proposals for the Chandra - Cycle 19 Call for Proposals is March 15, 2017 at 6:00 pm EDT. This Call for Proposals (CfP) solicits basic research proposals for the conduct of space science observations and subsequent analysis of the resultant scientific data from Chandra. The CfP also solicits proposals for research that makes use of publicly available archived Chandra data and for theoretical and modeling studies related to the Chandra mission.
• NuSTAR Helps Find Universe's Brightest Pulsar (01 Mar 2017)
  The brightest pulsar ever found (NGC 5907 ULX, detected by both XMM-Newton and NuSTAR), has just been reported in the journal Science by Israel et al. (2017). In one second, NGC 5907 ULX emits the same amount of energy (10⁴¹ erg) as our sun does in three-and-a-half years. The authors note that standard accretion models fail to explain this high luminosity, but models with strong multipolar magnetic fields can.
• NuSTAR CALDB Update (24 Feb 2017)
  The NuSTAR CALibration DataBase was updated on February 24, 2017 (CALDB version 20170222). This updates the NuSTAR clock correction file to version 69, valid through 2017-02-22.
• GaLactic and Extragalactic All-sky MWA Survey (GLEAM) Extragalactic Catalog (24 Feb 2017)
  This catalog of 307,455 radio sources with 20 separate flux density measurements across the 72 - 231 MHz range that were detected in 24,402 square degrees south of +30 Dec (from Hurley-Walker et al. 2017, MNRAS, 464, 1146) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• FRICAT - FIRST Catalog of FR I Radio Galaxies (22 Feb 2017)
  This catalog of 233 Fanaroff and Riley class I edge-darkened radio galaxies (FR Is) obtained by combining observations from the NVSS, FIRST, and SDSS surveys (from Capetti et al. 2017, A&A, 598, A49) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• New version of Astro-Upate Available (17 Feb 2017)
  A new version of Astro-Update is now available. The software checks now are done using a python module which determines the software version and modification dates directly from the host page, ensuring that Astro-Update is kept up-to-date. In particular, see the new versions of Xamin, CASA, Tempo2 and the VLT pipeline software ...
• Extremely Luminous X-Ray Source Candidates Catalog (15 Feb 2017)
  This catalog of 119 unique luminous X-ray source candidates with X-ray luminosities more than 3 x 10 ⁴⁰ erg/s from 93 galaxies within a distance of 250 Mpc (from Gong et al. 2016, ApJ, 222, 12) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR) Two-Meter Sky Survey Preliminary Data Release Source Catalog (13 Feb 2017)
  The LoTSS catalog of 44,500 150-MHz radio sources detected by LOFAR in an area of 381 sq. deg. in the region of the HETDEX Spring Field (from Shimwell et al. 2017, A&A, 598, A104) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope All-Sky 150-MHz Radio Source Catalog (10 Feb 2017)
  The catalog of 623,604 150-MHz radio sources detected by the GMRT between April 2010 and March 2012 as part of the TIFR GMRT Sky Survey (TGSS) project (from Intema et al. 2017, A&A, 598, A78) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• 2WHSP Catalog of High Synchrotron Peaked (HSP) Blazars and Candidates (10 Feb 2017)
  A catalog of 1,691 HSP blazars and blazar candidates that are likely sources of high-energy and VHE gamma-ray emission (from Chang et al. 2017, A&A, 598, A17) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• Dan David Prize for 2017 Celebrates Time-Domain Astrophysics (09 Feb 2017)
  The Dan David Prize annually awards 3 prizes of $1M each to outstanding figures whose work represents remarkable achievement in selected fields within the three time dimensions: past, present, and future. For 2017, the fields are archaeology and natural sciences, literature, and astronomy. US astrophysicists Neil Gehrels (NASA/GSFC) and Shrinivas Kulkarni (Caltech), and Polish astronomer Andrzej Udalski (U Warsaw), are the 2017 laureates in the future time dimension in astronomy. Neil Gehrels sadly passed away on 6 Feb before he could be notified of his award.
• NuSTAR, Swift and XMM-Newton Help Solve the "Rapid Burster" Mystery (02 Feb 2017)
  Simultaneous Swift, NuSTAR and XMM-Newton observations of MXB 1730-335, a curious neutron star in a binary system known as the 'Rapid Burster', may have solved a 40-year-old mystery surrounding its puzzling X-ray bursts, according to van den Eijnden et al.(2016, MNRAS, 466, L98)). The neutron star magnetic field creates a gap in the accretion disk around the star, largely preventing it from feeding on matter from its companion. Gas builds up there until, under certain conditions, it hits the neutron star all at once, producing intense flashes of X-rays.
• Swift CALDB updated (01 Feb 2017)
  The Swift Caldb has been updated for the UVOTA (update version 20170130)...
• Lists of Swift Cycle 13 Recommended Targets and Proposals Are Now Available (31 Jan 2017)
  The lists of Swift Cycle 13 Guest Investigator Program recommended targets and proposals have been posted on the Swift website.
• Fermi LAT Second Catalog of Gamma-Ray Pulsars (27 Jan 2017)
  A catalog of 117 neutron star pulsars identified using LAT data through periodicity searches in gamma-rays and in radio data around LAT unassociated source positions (from Abdo et al. 2013, ApJS, 208, 17) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• HEASoft 6.20 Released (19 Jan 2017)
  Released January 19, 2017. This release is primarily driven by updates to XSPEC, NuSTARDAS, XRTDAS, and the Hitomi software, but also includes updates to other packages which have been revised to mirror the current development versions in use at the HEASARC....
• XSPEC 12.9.1 Released (19 Jan 2017)
  Released January 19, 2017, with the release of HEASoft 6.20. Many models updated, speed increases, other enhancements.
• Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Stripe 82 XMM-Newton Source Match Catalog (13 Jan 2017)
  A catalog of 5,220 XMM-Newton X-ray sources and their multi-wavelength (e.g., SDSS, FIRST, GALEX, Herschel, etc.) counterparts that were detected in the SDSS Stripe 82 Legacy field (from LaMassa et al. 2016, ApJ, 817, 172) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• Hitomi CALDB Data Updated (13 Jan 2017)
  The Hitomi CALDB released to the HEASARC on December 22, 2016 was incomplete. The complete Hitomi CALDB has been re-released. This release includes data for the HXI (version 20161122), General Mission (Gen) data (version 20161122), the SXI (version 20161122) and the SXS (version 20161122)
• Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Stripe 82 Chandra Source Match Catalog (12 Jan 2017)
  A catalog of 1,146 Chandra X-ray sources and their multi-wavelength (e.g., SDSS, FIRST, GALEX, Herschel, etc.) counterparts that were detected in the SDSS Stripe 82 Legacy field (from LaMassa et al. 2016, ApJ, 817, 172) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• Swift CALDB Data updated (11 Jan 2017)
  A new Swift clock correction file has been added to the Swift SC Caldb (CALDB update version 20170110)
• NuSTAR Guest Observer Cycle 3 Deadline Is Near (05 Jan 2017)
  The deadline for Phase-1 scientific/technical proposals for the NuSTAR Cycle 3 GO Program is imminent: proposals are due no later than 4:30 pm EST on Friday, January 27th, 2017.
• CFITSIO Version 3.41 released (29 Dec 2016)
  Version 3.40 released November, 2016; significant bug fixes and enhancements...
• XSPEC 12.9.0t, u Released (29 Dec 2016)
  Released November 10, 2016. version "u" restores the apec fix of 12.9.0o that was unintentionally removed in 12.9.0t.
• PIMMS updated to Version 4.8d (27 Dec 2016)
  Version 4.8d released on December 21, 2016; contains an updated set of Chandra effective area curves, suitable for use for Cycle 19 proposals....
• NuSTAR CALDB Tar File Updated (27 Dec 2016)
  The tar file produced for the 2016-12-07 NuSTAR CALDB at the HEASARC for the 2016-12-07 was missing some files and so has been re-created. If you had previously downloaded this tar file, please re-download the new tar file (designated goodfiles_nustar_fpm_20161207a.tar.gz or goodfiles_nustar_fpm_clockcor_20161207a.tar.gz for the tar file that only contains the updated clock correction file
• Hitomi CALDB Data Updated (22 Dec 2016)
  The Hitomi CALDB has been released for the HXI (version 20161122), General Mission (Gen) data (version 20161122), the SXI (version 20161122) and the SXS (version 20161122)...
• Chandra CALDB 4.7.3 installed at the HEASARC (22 Dec 2016)
  CalDB 4.7.3 is now installed and available at the HEASARC. Chandra 4.7.3 was released by the CXC on December 15, 2016...
• MAXI Solid-state Slit Camera First Catalog of X-Ray Sources in the 0.7-7.0 keV Band (20 Dec 2016)
  A catalog of 170 soft X-ray sources detected by the MAXI SSC instrument in the period from 2010 August to 2014 April (from Tomida et al. 2016, PASJ, 68, S32) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• NGC 6231 Young Massive Cluster Chandra X-Ray Point Source Catalog (16 Dec 2016)
  A catalog of 1,613 X-ray sources found in a total exposure of 120 ks of the Chandra ACIS-I of the NGC 6231 massive star cluster (from Damiani et al. 2016, A&A, 596, A82) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• DS9 Updated (15 Dec 2016)
  Version 7.5; improved BINTABLE support, security enhancements, 3D rendering performance, more ...
• Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope Low-Frequency Radio Survey of the Kepler K2 Field 1 (12 Dec 2016)
  A catalog of 7,445 150-MHz radio sources found by the GMRT in observations made as part of the TIFR GMRT Sky Survey (TGSS) in the area of the Kepler K2 Field 1 pointing, covering the North Galactic Cap, (from Tingay et al. 2015, AJ, 152, 82) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• Murchison Widefield Array Low-Frequency Radio Survey of the Kepler K2 Field 1 (09 Dec 2016)
  A catalog of 2,556 154- and 185-MHz radio sources found in an observation by the MWA that was contemporaneous with the Kepler K2 Field 1 pointing, covering the North Galactic Cap, (from Tingay et al. 2015, AJ, 152, 82) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• NuSTAR CALDB Update (08 Dec 2016)
  The NuSTAR CALibration DataBase was updated on December 8, 2016 (CALDB version 20161207). This updates the NuSTAR clock correction file to version 66, valid through 2016-12-07. This version is the long-awaited "corrected" clock correction file that tracks clock drift by fitting to screened clock data.
• Two-Year Extension for ESA-led Missions (7 Dec 2016)
  ESA's Science Programme Committee (SPC) has confirmed two-year extensions for nine scientific missions including INTEGRAL and XMM-Newton. This secures their operation until the end of 2018.
• INTEGRAL IBIS 11-Year Hard X-Ray Survey Above 100 keV Source Catalog (29 Nov 2016)
  The all-sky catalog of 132 transient and persistent sources detected above 100 keV by INTEGRAL IBIS during 11 years of operations (INTEGRAL revolutions 26 to 1377) published in Krivonos et al. (2015, MNRAS, 448, 3766) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• Long-sought Signal Deepens Mystery of Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) (21 Nov 2016)
  What causes split-second blasts of radio waves that appear in the sky from billions of light years away is one of the most perplexing mysteries in astronomy. Now, for the first time, astronomers using the Swift BAT have seen a flash of high-energy gamma-rays that looks as if it was emitted by the same event that produced an FRB on November 4, 2013. A paper by DeLaunay et al. on this event has just appeared in ApJ and is available online here .
• Swift CALDB Data updated (21 Nov 2016)
  A new Swift clock correction file has been added to the Swift SC Caldb (CALDB update version 20161118)
• NASA Space Telescopes Pinpoint Elusive Brown Dwarf (16 Nov 2016)
  In a first-of-its-kind collaboration, NASA's Spitzer and Swift space telescopes joined forces to observe a microlensing event, when a distant star brightens due to the gravitational field of at least one foreground cosmic object. This technique is useful for finding low-mass bodies orbiting stars, such as planets. In this case, the observations revealed a brown dwarf. This study by Shvartzvald et al. has just appeared in ApJ (2016, 831, 183).
• Starvation Diet for Black Hole Dims Brilliant Galaxy (10 Nov 2016)
  Astronomers may have solved the mystery of the peculiarly volatile behavior of a supermassive black hole (SMBH) at the center of the active galaxy Mkn 1018. Combined data from Chandra and other observatories suggest that this SMBH is no longer being fed enough fuel to make its surroundings shine brightly. After discovering the AGN's fickle nature during a survey project using ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT), astronomers observed it with both Chandra and Hubble. Other observatories used in this study include NuSTAR and Swift. Two papers on these results have just appeared in A&A: Husemann et al. and McElroy et al. .
• Sgr A* Region Compact Radio Source Catalog (03 Nov 2016)
  A catalog of 318 34.5-GHz sources found in a Jansky Very Large Array A configuration observation of the Galactic Center region and their near-IR counterparts (from Yusef-Zadeh et al. 2015, ApJ, 809, 10) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• NASA Missions Harvest a 'Passel of Pumpkin' Stars (28 Oct 2016)
  Steven Howell and colleagues (2016, ApJ, 831, 27) using observations from NASA's Kepler and Swift missions have discovered a batch of rapidly spinning stars that produce X-rays at more than 100 times the peak levels ever seen from the sun. The stars, which spin so fast they've been squashed into pumpkin-like shapes, are thought to be the result of close binary systems where two sun-like stars merge.
• IC 1805 Young Massive Cluster XMM-Newton Source Catalog (28 Oct 2016)
  A catalog of 191 X-ray sources found in a 49-ks XMM-Newton EPIC observation of the IC 1805 open cluster (from Rauw & Nazé 2016, A&A, 594, A82) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• NuSTAR CALDB Update (25 Oct 2016)
  The NuSTAR CALibration DataBase was updated on October 25, 2016 (CALDB version 20161021). This updates the NuSTAR clock correction file to version 63, valid through 2016-10-21.
• Fermi Finds Record-breaking Binary in Galaxy Next Door (13 Oct 2016)
  Using data from NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope and other facilities, an international team of scientists has found the first gamma-ray binary in another galaxy and the most luminous one ever seen. The dual-star system, dubbed LMC P3, contains a massive star and a crushed stellar core that interact to produce a cyclic flood of gamma rays, the highest-energy form of light. A paper on these results has just appeared in ApJ and is available online here.
• XSPEC 12.9.0q,r,s Released (4 Oct 2016)
  XSPEC patches 12.9.0q,r,s, released August 19. Fixes issues with simftest, the GW method for MCMC, and 2-D contour plotting.
• Viewing tool updated (28 Sep 2016)
  Support for NICER has been added, and support for Hitomi has been removed.
• NuSTAR CALDB Update (23 Sep 2016)
  The NuSTAR CALibration DataBase was updated on September 23, 2016 (CALDB version 20160922). This updates the NuSTAR clock correction file to version 62, valid through 2016-09-22.
• VLA Orion Nebula Cluster Compact Source Catalog (21 Sep 2016)
  A deep cm-wavelength catalog of 556 compact sources found in a 30-hr Jansky Very Large Array observation of the Orion Nebula Cluster (from Forbrich et al. 2016, ApJ, 822, 93) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• Fermi Science Analysis Environment Source package Updated Mac OS X El Capitan (20 Sep 2016)
  The FSSC is pleased to announce the availability of a version of the Fermi Science Tools that can be built from source on Darwin 15.6 (el Capitan). This release is only for users with problems using the binary version of the tools on el Capitan. Note that this version of the tools does not support the ROOT or gtburst software. The source code package can be found here.
• Swift CALDB Data updated (20 Sep 2016)
  A new Swift clock correction file has been added to the Swift SC Caldb (CALDB update version 20160908)
• Hitomi CALDB Data Updated (20 Sep 2016)
  The Hitomi CALDB has been released for the HXI (version 20160812), General Mission (Gen) data (version 20160812) and the SXS (version 20160715)...
• Chandra X-ray Detection Sheds New Light on Pluto (19 Sep 2016)
  Using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, Lisse et al. have made the first detections of X rays from Pluto. These observations offer new insight into the space environment surrounding the largest and best-known object in the solar system's outermost regions. While NASA's New Horizons spacecraft was speeding toward and beyond Pluto, Chandra was aimed several times on the dwarf planet and its moons, gathering data on Pluto that the missions could compare after the flyby. Each of the 4 times Chandra pointed at Pluto it detected low-energy X-rays from the small planet. A paper on these results has just appeared in Icarus .
• Einstein Post-doctoral Fellowship Program Is Now Accepting Applications (14 Sep 2016)
  The 2017 Call for Proposals for new Einstein Fellows has been released. These appointments are expected to begin on or about Sep 1, 2017. This program provides an opportunity for highly qualified, recent post-doctoral scientists to conduct independent research that is broadly related to the science goals of the NASA Physics of the Cosmos program. The deadline for applications is Nov 3, 2016.
• PIMMS updated to Version 4.8c (14 Sep 2016)
  Version 4.8c released on August 17, 2016; minor update of XMm-Newton EPIC effective area curves, suitable for use for AO-16 proposals....
• Young Magnetar Is Likely the Slowest Pulsar Ever Detected (13 Sep 2016)
  Using new data from Chandra, NuSTAR and Swift as well as archival data, Rea et al. have found evidence for what is likely one of the most extreme pulsars, or rotating neutron stars, ever detected. The source 1E 161348-5055 at the center of the RCW 103 SNR exhibits properties of a highly magnetized neutron star, or magnetar, yet its deduced spin period of 6.67 hours is thousands of times longer than any pulsar ever observed. A paper on these results has just appeared in ApJ Letters and is available online here.
• Fifth IBIS/ISGRI Soft Gamma-Ray Survey Catalog (08 Sep 2016)
  The fifth version of the IBIS/ISGRI source catalog containing the soft gamma-ray properties of 939 sources found in the first 1000 orbits (~3000 days) of INTEGRAL observations (from Bird et al. 2016, ApJS, 223, 15) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• Two New Fast X-ray Transients Discovered in the Galactic Plane (01 Sep 2016)
  Sguera et al. (2016, MNRAS, in press) have identified two new X-ray sources, IGR J03346+4414 and IGR J20344+3913, in the galactic plane with short outbursts (15 and 30 minutes, respectively) and very fast rise times, a category known as fast X-ray transients (FXTs). The newly detected FXTs were found in the archival data of ESA's INTErnational Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL) spacecraft.
• NuSTAR CALDB Update (30 Aug 2016)
  The NuSTAR CALibration DataBase was updated on August 30, 2016 (CALDB version 20160824). This updates the NuSTAR clock correction file to version 61, valid through 2016-08-24.
• Record-Breaking Galaxy Cluster Discovered (30 Aug 2016)
  A new record for the most distant galaxy cluster has been set using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and other telescopes. This galaxy cluster called CL J1001+0220 may have been caught right after birth, a brief, but important stage of evolution never seen before. It is located about 11.1 billion light years from Earth. The discovery of this object pushes back the formation time of galaxy clusters by about 700 million years. A paper on these results has just appeared in ApJ and is available online here.
• Extended Chandra Deep Field South 250-kilosecond Improved Point Source Catalog (26 Aug 2016)
  This catalog containing the X-ray and multiwavelength properties of 1059 X-ray sources found in a new analysis of the E-CDF-S Field 250-ks data (from Xue et al. 2016, ApJS, 224, 15) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• Chandra Deep Field North 2-Megasecond Improved Point Source Catalog (25 Aug 2016)
  This catalog containing the X-ray and multiwavelength properties of 755 X-ray sources found in a new analysis of the CDF-N Field 2-Ms data (from Xue et al. 2016, ApJS, 224, 15) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• A Black Hole Story Told by a Cosmic Blob and Bubble: The Mystery of Hanny's Voorwerp (10 Aug 2016)
  Two cosmic structures show evidence for a remarkable change in behavior of a supermassive black hole in a distant galaxy. Using data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory and other telescopes, Lia Sartori and colleagues are piecing together clues from a cosmic 'green blob' (dubbed Hanny's Voorwerp) and a gas bubble in the nearby galaxy IC 2497 that could be a new way to probe the past activity of a giant black hole and its effect on its host galaxy. A paper on these results recently appeared in MNRAS and is available online here.
• Xamin update August 2016 (08 Aug 2016)
  For this Xamin update we have reinstated the Product Explorer for Grid queries and added bibliography table options. The Product Explorer allows users to see and select the kinds of products associated with query results displayed as a grid. Look for the Product Explorer button in the top toolbar of grid table results. Documentation can [...]
• Kappa Orionis Region XMM-Newton X-Ray Point Source Catalog (05 Aug 2016)
  This catalog containing the X-ray and IR properties of 238 X-ray sources found in two XMM-Newton observations of fields in the region of the B0.5 Ia star Kappa Orionis (from Pillitteri et al. 2016, ApJ, 820, L28) is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• NuSTAR Feature: A Chorus of Black Holes Sings in X-rays (03 Aug 2016)
  Supermassive black holes (SMBH) in the universe are like a raucous choir "singing" in X-rays. When black holes pull in surrounding matter, they let out powerful X-ray bursts. These "songs" of X-rays, coming from a chorus of millions of black holes, fill the entire sky - a phenomenon astronomers call the cosmic X-ray background. NuSTAR has made significant progress in resolving the high-energy X-ray background, finding that at least 35% is attributable to SMBH, according to a new paper by Harrison et al. (2016, ApJ, in press).
• NuSTAR CALDB Update (02 Aug 2016)
  The NuSTAR CALibration DataBase was updated on August 2, 2016 (CALDB version 20160731). This updates the NuSTAR clock correction file to version 60, valid through 2016-07-31.
• Astronomers Discover Dizzying Spin of the Milky Way Galaxy's Halo (29 Jul 2016)
  Using archival X-ray data obtained by XMM-Newton, Hodges-Kluck et al. 2016, ApJ, 822, 21) have discovered that the hot gas in the halo of the Milky Way galaxy is spinning in the same direction and at comparable speed as the galaxy's disk, which contains our stars, planets, gas, and dust.
• XSPEC 12.9.0p Released (28 Jul 2016)
  Patch 12.9.0p, released July 28, Allows unlinking of an already linked parameter in a Python-coded local model in PyXspec.
• The South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) and NuSTAR Data (28 Jul 2016)
  The NuSTAR spacecraft flies through regions of the Earth's radiation belts, e.g., the SAA, in parts of its orbit, resulting in an enhanced background in its detectors. The NuSTAR team has some advice about how to analyze data affected by such high backgrounds (which is particularly applicable for fainter X-ray sources) here.
• Correction to NuSTAR CALDB Update 20160706 (28 Jul 2016)
  There was an error in the NuSTAR CALDB update version 20160706 in which the caldb.indx file was pointing to an older CALDB version (20151008). This has now been fixed, and the tar files have been updated. If you have previously downloaded NuSTAR CALDB 20160706, you should re-download and re-install this version, or use Remote Access to access version 20160706 of the NuSTAR CALDB.
• NuSTAR CALDB Update (22 Jul 2016)
  The NuSTAR CALibration DataBase was updated on July 22, 2016 (CALDB version 20160706). This updates the NuSTAR clock correction file to version 59, valid through 2016-07-06.
• NuSTAR CALDB Update (21 Jul 2016)
  The NuSTAR CALibration DataBase was updated on July 21, 2016 (CALDB version 20160606, corresponding to the internal NuSTAR project release 20160606).
• CANDELS H-Band Selected Chandra Source Catalog (21 Jul 2016)
  This catalog of Chandra X-ray point sources (from Cappelluti et al. 2016, ApJ, 823, 95), which contains information on 698 X-ray sources in the Chandra Deep Field South, is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• Viewing tool updated (20 Jul 2016)
  Swift's orbital pole constraints have been updated in the Viewing tool. The revised coefficients extrapolate the trend for the next year.
• List of Approved Fermi Cycle 9 GI Program proposals is Available (18 Jul 2016)
  The Fermi Cycle-9 stage-I proposal selection process has now been completed, and the list of the selected proposals is now available. Notification letters will be sent in the near future.
• Chandra Cycle 18 Accepted Proposals and Targets Lists Are Now Available (18 Jul 2016)
  The Peer-Review recommended targets and proposals for Chandra Cycle 18, including GTO and GO proposals, joint proposals with other ground-based and/or satellite facilities, archive, theory, large and multicycle proprosals, have now been publically released.
• General CALDB updated (13 Jul 2016)
  Update 13 July 2016: added new leap second (which will occur on 01 Jan 2017) into leapsec_010117.fits file.
• Chandra Legacy Survey (CLS) Catalog (12 Jul 2016)
  This catalog of Chandra X-ray sources (from Civano et al. 2016, ApJ, 819, 62), which contains information on 2,273 new X-ray sources as well as updated information on 1,743 C-COSMOS sources, is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• XMM-Newton Serendipitous Source Catalog (Version 3XMM-DR6) (07 Jul 2016)
  The updated version of this catalog (from Rosen, Webb, Watson et al. 2016, A&A, 590, A1) containing 678,680 X-ray source detections (an increase of 112,718 compared to DR5) drawn from a total of 9,160 XMM-Newton EPIC observations made between 2000 Feb 3 and 2015 June 4 is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• Swift CALDB Data updated (07 Jul 2016)
  A new Swift clock correction file has been added to the Swift SC Caldb (CALDB update version 20160706), and the Swift XRT CALDB has been updated to version 20160609 ...
• Reminder: ROSES-2016 Astrophysics Theory Program Proposal Deadline Is Nearing! (06 Jul 2016)
  Proposals for the ATP component of the ROSES-2016 NASA Research Opportinity are due no later than July 8th.
• INTEGRAL AO-14 General Program Approved (28 Jun 2016)
  The INTEGRAL AO-14 General Program, as recommended by the Time Allocation Committee (TAC) and approved by ESA's Director of Science and Robotic Exploration (Prof. Alvaro Gimenez), has been released and the observers have been informed.
• The Million Quasars Catalog (27 Jun 2016)
  The latest version (v4.8, 22 June 2016) of the Million Quasars (MILLIQUAS) Catalog (Eric Flesch 2009 - 2016) containing more than one million (1,422,497 to be exact) likely quasars is now available in both Browse and Xamin.
• Hitomi HXI CALDB Data Updated (24 Jun 2016)
  The Hitomi HXI CALDB has been updated to include 2 files, ah_hx1_instmap_20140101v002.fits and ah_hx2_instmap_20140101v002.fits, which were inadvertently left out of the June 22 2016 release
• Large Quasar Astrometric Catalog, 3rd Release (23 Jun 2016)
  The 3rd edition of this catalog (from Souchay et al. 2015, A&A, 583, A75), which contains cross-identifications, optical, IR and radio data for 321,957 quasars, is now available in Browse and Xamin.
• Hitomi CALDB Data Updated (22 Jun 2016)
  The Hitomi CALDB has been released for the HXI (version 20160606), the SXI (version 20160614), the SGD (version 20160614), Generic Mission (Gen) data (version 20160606) and the SXS (version 20160606)...
• Suzaku CALDB updated (16 Jun 2016)
  The Suzaku CALDB has been updated for the XIS (update version 20160607) ...
• LISA Pathfinder Mission Paves Way for Space-based Detection of Gravitational Waves (14 Jun 2016)
  LISA Pathfinder (LPF), an ESA-led mission with NASA contributions, has successfully tested a key technology needed to build a space-based observatory for detecting gravitational waves: it has reduced non-gravitational forces on the two floating test masses to a level about 10,000 times smaller than drag-free control technologies used on all previous science missions.
• Happy 4th Birthday to NuSTAR (14 Jun 2016)
  The Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) spacecraft was launched on a Pegasus XL rocket dropped from a Lockheed L-1011 "TriStar" aircraft flying over the Pacific Ocean near the Kwajalein Atoll on June 13, 2012. Since then it has made over 1660 hard X-ray observations in science mode which have yielded (to date) hundreds of refereed and other publications.
• Results of 2016 NASA SMD Astrophysics Senior Review of Operating Missions (10 Jun 2016)
  The Astrophysics Division held the 2016 Senior Review in February and March this year. There were individual panels for the Hubble Space Telescope and the Chandra X-ray Observatory that were separate from the main comparative panel. Both the Hubble and Chandra reviews were undertaken as incremental reviews from those held in 2014. The panel reports and the NASA response document for the 2016 Senior Review are now available.
• NICER, the New NASA Mission Studying Neutron Stars, Is On Track for Launch (09 Jun 2016)
  On June 8th, NICER arrived at Kennedy Space Center. The launch for NICER onboard a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft is currently set for February 2017. NICER will deploy as an external attached payload on the ISS ExPRESS Logistics Carrier 2.
• Second Announcement of 11th INTEGRAL Conference (25 May 2016)
  The 11th INTEGRAL Conference: Gamma-Ray Astrophysics in Multi-Wavelength Perspective to be held 10-14 October 2016 in Amsterdam is now open for registration and abstract submission. The abstract submission deadline is 1 July 2016.
• NICER Passes Pre-Ship Review (25 May 2016)
  NICER has cleared another major milestone review, and the flight payload yesterday passed its Pre-Ship Review at Goddard, and will depart for Kennedy Space Center on June 7. The launch date for NICER is currently scheduled for February 1, 2017.

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