Datasets:
license: cc-by-4.0
pretty_name: Ritter & Kolb Cataclysmic Variable Catalog
language:
- en
description: >-
Catalog of cataclysmic variables (CVs) from the Ritter & Kolb catalog — white
dwarfs accreting from companion stars
task_categories:
- tabular-classification
tags:
- space
- cataclysmic-variable
- white-dwarf
- nova
- dwarf-nova
- binary-star
- astronomy
- accretion
- open-data
- tabular-data
- parquet
size_categories:
- 1K<n<10K
configs:
- config_name: default
data_files:
- split: train
path: data/cataclysmic_variables.parquet
default: true
Ritter & Kolb Cataclysmic Variable Catalog
Credit: NASA/ESA/Hubble
Part of the Astronomy Datasets and Variable Stars & Transients collections on Hugging Face.
The Ritter & Kolb catalog of cataclysmic variables (CVs), sourced from NASA HEASARC. Currently 1,168 CVs with 51 attributes.
Dataset description
Cataclysmic variables (CVs) are binary star systems in which a white dwarf accretes matter from a low-mass companion star (typically a red dwarf) that overflows its Roche lobe. The infalling material forms an accretion disk around the white dwarf, producing dramatic brightness variations across timescales from seconds to decades. CVs are classified into several subtypes based on their outburst behavior and magnetic field strength:
- Dwarf novae (DN): exhibit quasi-periodic outbursts of 2-8 magnitudes caused by thermal instabilities in the accretion disk. Includes SU UMa, U Gem, and Z Cam subtypes.
- Classical novae (N): undergo thermonuclear explosions on the white dwarf surface when accreted hydrogen reaches a critical mass, brightening by 6-19 magnitudes.
- Polars (AM Her): strongly magnetic white dwarfs (B ~ 10-230 MG) where the magnetic field channels accretion directly onto the poles, preventing disk formation.
- Intermediate polars (DQ Her): moderately magnetic white dwarfs (B ~ 1-10 MG) with a truncated accretion disk and magnetically channeled inner flow.
- Nova-like variables (NL): high mass-transfer rate systems in a persistent bright state without the outburst cycles of dwarf novae.
The Ritter & Kolb catalog is the standard reference catalog for CV research, containing orbital periods, spectral types, magnitudes, and classifications for the known CV population. This dataset is essential for population studies, period distribution analysis, and understanding the evolution of compact binary systems.
Schema
| Column | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
__row |
str | |
name |
str | Primary designation of the cataclysmic variable |
alt_name |
str | |
ra |
float64 | Right ascension (J2000) in degrees |
dec |
float64 | Declination (J2000) in degrees |
lii |
float64 | Galactic longitude in degrees |
bii |
float64 | Galactic latitude in degrees |
acc_pos |
str | |
type1 |
str | |
type1_flag |
str | |
type2 |
str | Secondary type classification |
type2_flag |
str | |
type3 |
str | |
type3_flag |
str | |
type4 |
str | |
type4_flag |
str | |
mag1 |
float64 | Primary magnitude (typically in V band) |
mag2 |
float64 | Secondary magnitude (typically at minimum brightness) |
mag3 |
float64 | |
mag4 |
float64 | |
interval |
str | |
interval2 |
str | |
orbital_period |
float64 | |
period2 |
float64 | |
period3 |
float64 | |
period4 |
float64 | |
eclipse |
str | |
sb |
str | |
spect_type_2 |
str | |
spect_type_1 |
str | |
lim_mass_ratio |
str | |
mass_ratio |
str | |
mass_ratio_flag |
str | |
mass_ratio_error |
str | |
lim_inclination |
str | |
inclination |
str | |
inclination_flag |
str | |
inclination_error |
str | |
lim_m1 |
str | |
m1 |
str | |
m1_flag |
str | |
m1_error |
str | |
lim_m2 |
str | |
m2 |
str | |
m2_flag |
str | |
m2_error |
str | |
class |
str | Object classification code from Ritter & Kolb |
__x_ra_dec |
str | |
__y_ra_dec |
str | |
__z_ra_dec |
str | |
cv_subtype |
str | Derived CV subtype: dwarf_nova, polar, intermediate_polar, nova_like, classical_nova, or other |
Quick stats
- 1,168 cataclysmic variables
- 0 systems with measured orbital period
- CV subtypes:
- other: 1,166
Usage
from datasets import load_dataset
ds = load_dataset("juliensimon/cataclysmic-variable-catalog", split="train")
df = ds.to_pandas()
# Filter by CV subtype
dwarf_novae = df[df['cv_subtype'] == 'dwarf_nova']
polars = df[df['cv_subtype'] == 'polar']
# Period distribution
# No period column available
# Sky distribution
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np
fig, ax = plt.subplots(subplot_kw={"projection": "aitoff"})
ra = np.radians(df["ra"].values - 180) if "ra" in df.columns else []
dec = np.radians(df["dec"].values) if "dec" in df.columns else []
ax.scatter(ra, dec, s=1, alpha=0.5)
plt.title("Cataclysmic Variables - Sky Distribution")
Data source
All data comes from the Ritter & Kolb Cataclysmic Binaries catalog hosted by NASA's High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center (HEASARC), accessed via the TAP protocol. Originally published in: Ritter H., Kolb U., 2003, A&A 404, 301 (Edition 7.24).
Update schedule
Quarterly (Feb/May/Aug/Nov 1st at 08:30 UTC) via GitHub Actions.
Related datasets
- xray-binary-catalog — X-ray binary systems
- gaia-dr3-white-dwarfs — Gaia white dwarf catalog
- gcvs-variable-stars — General Catalogue of Variable Stars
- kepler-eclipsing-binaries — Kepler eclipsing binary catalog
Pipeline
Source code: juliensimon/space-datasets
Support
If you find this dataset useful, please give it a heart on the dataset page and share feedback in the Community tab! Also consider giving a star to the space-datasets repo.
Citation
@dataset{cataclysmic_variable_catalog,
author = {Simon, Julien},
title = {Ritter & Kolb Cataclysmic Variable Catalog},
year = {2026},
publisher = {Hugging Face},
url = {https://huggingface.co/datasets/juliensimon/cataclysmic-variable-catalog},
note = {Based on Ritter & Kolb (2003) catalog, sourced from NASA HEASARC}
}