Information on Accessing the ROSAT Data Archive at GSFC
- Searching for ROSAT Data Using Browse or Xamin
- Direct Access to ROSAT Data
- Historical Notes
- For More Information
Searching for ROSAT Data Using Browse or Xamin
The catalog of ROSAT PSPC and HRI archival data can be searched using the HEASARC Browse or Xamin interfaces. The main catalogs of archived ROSAT data are:- ROSMASTER: the catalog of ROSAT pointed observations with either the PSPC or HRI
- RASSMASTER: the catalog of ROSAT All-Sky Survey scanning observations with the PSPC
Direct Access to ROSAT Data
Users can also access public ROSAT data directly from the HEASARC web server. ROSAT data are stored within directories numbered by sequence type as follows:
| Sequence Type | Category |
| 000000 | Mispoints |
| 100000 | Calibration observations |
| 200000 | Normal stars |
| 300000 | Cataclysmic Variables |
| 400000 | X-ray Binaries |
| 500000 | Supernova Remnants |
| 600000 | Galaxies |
| 700000 | Active Galaxies |
| 800000 | Clusters of Galaxies |
| 900000 | Solar Systems, Surveys and Miscellaneous |
ROSAT data are located at:
- https://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/FTP/rosat/data/pspc/processed_data/ - public ROSAT PSPC datasets by sequence ID.
- https://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/FTP/rosat/data/hri/processed_data/ - public ROSAT HRI datasets by sequence ID.
Data are divided into subdirectories from 100000 to 900000 based on the sequence ID of the data based on the catagories in the table above. Thus the dataset rp500065n00, a PSPC pointing at Crab nebula, can be found in https://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/FTP/rosat/data/pspc/processed_data/500000/rp500065n00. The dataset rh400344n00, an HRI pointing at the Vela Pulsar, can be found in https://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/FTP/rosat/data/hri/processed_data/400000/rh400344n00/.
Historical Notes
Release of Data to the ROSAT Data Archives
ROSAT pointed-phase data had aA Brief Word about ROSAT Data Formats
Until the start of REV2 processing in 1994, ROSAT data produced at the US Data Center at GSFC and data processed at the German Data Center at MPE were in different formats. That is to say, the files output used FITS as the basic file structure, but the details of the file structure differed depending on where the data were processed. These differences came about naturally as a result of the different analysis tools used on either side of the Atlantic: primarily MIDAS/EXSAS in Europe, and primarily IRAF/PROS in the US. As these data became public, they were released into the ROSAT Data Archives, with the result that tools which might work on one form of archived data might not work on the other form. This could cause inconvenience to archive users who, for example, might want to compare US and German observations of the same object.With the start of REV2 processing, data were produced at the US and German data centers using a common data format, called the "Rationalized Data File" format. The RDF format uses FITS as the basic file structure, while specifying the details using approved multi-mission data structures and keywords. The REV2 data in RDF format represents the final ROSAT archive product. At preent, all ROSAT data in all ROSAT Data archives are stored RDF format. That is to say, data previously released were re-processed in RDF format, and data in the older format were removed from the archives.
For More Information
Contact the ROSAT help desk via the Feedback form.
Page Author: Dr. Mike Corcoran
Please use the Feedback link if you have questions on ROSAT.