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NRAO Newsletter N76, p.12 1 July 1998

A Catalog of 2118 Compact Radio Sources in the Northern Sky

J.M. Wrobel

SUMMARY: A catalog of 2118 compact radio sources was derived from the Jodrell Bank - VLA Astrometric Survey (JVAS) of flat-spectrum sources. Each compact VLA source (a) has a peak flux density at 8.4 GHz >= 50 mJy at a resolution of 200 milliarcsec; (b) contains 80% or more of the total source flux density; and (c) has a position known to an rms accuracy of 12-55 milliarcsec. The 2118 sources are uniformly distributed in the northern sky at Galactic latitudes |b| >= 2.5 degrees. The catalog can be read by the NRAO VLBI scheduling program SCHED. 
 DEFINITIONS:
 epoch  : J2000.
 calcode: M for the Jodrell Bank MERLIN.
 source : Name derived from the J2000 position.
 ra     : Right ascension of the source at epoch J2000.
 dec    : Declination of the source at epoch J2000.
 rem    : Remark giving a code for the published reference plus the
   total source flux density at 8.4 GHz quoted in that reference.
   Code JVAS1:
     Reference     : Patnaik et al. 1992, mnras, 254, 655
     Observing date: 1990 February
     Position error: 12 millliarcsec rms
   Code JVAS2:
     Reference     : Browne et al. 1998, mnras, 293, 257
     Observing date: 1992 October
     Position error: 14 millliarcsec rms
   Code JVAS3:
     Reference     : Wilkinson et al. 1998, mnras, submitted
     Observing date: 1991 June
     Position error: 55 millliarcsec rms

 FEEDBACK: If you find any significant errors in the catalog or you
 want to offer other feedback on it, please contact jwrobel@nrao.edu.

 Table generated by J.M. Wrobel on 22 April 1998.

NRAO Newsletters N76 (1998):

A catalog of 2118 compact radio sources was derived from the Jodrell Bank - VLA Astrometric Survey (JVAS) of flat-spectrum sources (Patnaik et al. 1992, MNRAS, 254, 655; Browne et al. 1998, MNRAS, 293, 257; Wilkinson et al., MNRAS, submitted). Each compact VLA source (a) has a peak flux density at 8.4 GHz 50 mJy at a resolution of 200 milliarcsecond; (b) contains 80 percent or more of the total source flux density; and (c) has a position known to a rms accuracy of 12-55 milliarcsecond. The 2118 sources are uniformly distributed in the northern sky at galactic latitudes |b| >= 2.5 degrees.

Although these sources are primarily intended for use as phase calibrators for the Jodrell Bank MERLIN, they will also be suitable as phase calibrators for the NRAO VLA and can be considered as candidate phase calibrators for VLBI arrays (Peck & Beasley 1998, IAU Colloquium 164, 155) and the NRAO MMA (Holdaway, Owen & Rupen 1994, MMA Memo No. 123). Furthermore, compact radio sources close to the galactic plane can be used to probe the interstellar medium, through studies of scintillation, angular broadening, Faraday rotation, and both molecular and atomic absorption. Compact radio sources also are useful as navigation aids for spacecraft missions to solar system bodies. Finally, masing conditions in cometary comas can be examined by observing compact radio sources during occultation events.

The catalog of 2118 compact radio sources is available via anonymous ftp from host ftp.aoc.nrao.edu; cd to directory /pub and get file sources.jvas. The file can be read by the NRAO VLBI scheduling program SCHED.

J. M. Wrobel for the JVAS Team