Datasets:

juliensimon
/

xray-binary-catalog

+---
+license: cc-by-4.0
+pretty_name: "X-ray Binary Catalog"
+language:
+  - en
+description: "Merged catalog of high-mass and low-mass X-ray binaries from HEASARC (Liu et al. 2006/2007)"
+task_categories:
+  - tabular-classification
+tags:
+  - space
+  - x-ray-binary
+  - hmxb
+  - lmxb
+  - x-ray
+  - astronomy
+  - compact-object
+  - neutron-star
+  - black-hole
+  - open-data
+  - tabular-data
+  - parquet
+size_categories:
+  - n<1K
+configs:
+  - config_name: default
+    data_files:
+      - split: train
+        path: data/xray-binaries.parquet
+    default: true
+---
+# X-ray Binary Catalog
+*Part of the [Astronomy Datasets](https://huggingface.co/collections/juliensimon/astronomy-datasets-69c24caf2f17e36128946743) and [Stellar Catalogs](https://huggingface.co/collections/juliensimon/stellar-catalogs-69c24caf2f17e36128946744) collections on Hugging Face.*
+![Update X-ray Binaries](https://github.com/juliensimon/space-datasets/actions/workflows/update-xray-binaries.yml/badge.svg)
+![Updated](https://img.shields.io/badge/dynamic/json?url=https://raw.githubusercontent.com/juliensimon/space-datasets/main/status.json&query=$.xray-binaries&label=updated&color=brightgreen)
+Merged catalog of **305** X-ray binaries (116 high-mass, 189 low-mass) from NASA HEASARC,
+combining the HMXB catalog (Liu, van Paradijs & van den Heuvel 2006) and the LMXB catalog (Liu, van Paradijs & van den Heuvel 2007).
+## Dataset description
+X-ray binaries are stellar systems in which a compact object (neutron star or black hole) accretes matter from a
+companion star, producing intense X-ray emission. They are divided into two classes based on the mass of the donor star:
+- **High-Mass X-ray Binaries (HMXBs)**: The donor is a massive O or B star (typically >10 solar masses). Accretion
+  occurs via stellar wind or Roche lobe overflow. HMXBs are found in star-forming regions and include Be/X-ray
+  binaries (the largest subclass) and supergiant X-ray binaries.
+- **Low-Mass X-ray Binaries (LMXBs)**: The donor is a low-mass star (typically <1 solar mass). Accretion proceeds
+  through Roche lobe overflow, forming a bright accretion disk. LMXBs are concentrated toward the Galactic center
+  and globular clusters. They include the Z and Atoll sources (classified by their X-ray color-color diagrams) and
+  the soft X-ray transients.
+X-ray binaries are natural laboratories for studying accretion physics, strong gravity, and the equation of state of
+ultra-dense matter. Their X-ray variability (pulsations, quasi-periodic oscillations, thermonuclear bursts) encodes
+information about the compact object's mass, spin, and magnetic field. Several black hole mass measurements come from
+dynamical studies of X-ray binary orbits.
+This dataset merges the two standard reference catalogs maintained at HEASARC, providing a unified view of the known
+Galactic X-ray binary population with positions, X-ray fluxes, orbital periods, and companion star classifications.
+## Schema
+| Column | Type |
+|--------|------|
+| `__row` | string |
+| `name` | string |
+| `xray_type` | string |
+| `ra` | float |
+| `dec` | float |
+| `lii` | string |
+| `bii` | string |
+| `position_type` | string |
+| `optical_name` | string |
+| `ref_optical` | string |
+| `vmag_limit` | string |
+| `vmag` | string |
+| `vmag_min` | string |
+| `vmag_flag` | string |
+| `bv_color` | string |
+| `bv_color_flag` | string |
+| `bv_color_max` | string |
+| `ub_color` | string |
+| `reddening` | string |
+| `reddening_max` | string |
+| `reddening_flag` | string |
+| `ref_photometry` | string |
+| `jmag` | string |
+| `hmag_limit` | string |
+| `hmag` | string |
+| `kmag_limit` | string |
+| `kmag` | string |
+| `fx_limit` | string |
+| `fx` | string |
+| `fx_max` | string |
+| `fx_range` | string |
+| `ref_fx` | string |
+| `porb` | string |
+| `porb_flag` | string |
+| `pulse_per` | string |
+| `pulse_per_flag` | string |
+| `ref_periods` | string |
+| `spect_type` | string |
+| `alt_name_1` | string |
+| `alt_name_1_flag` | string |
+| `alt_name_2` | string |
+| `alt_name_3` | string |
+| `class` | string |
+| `__x_ra_dec` | string |
+| `__y_ra_dec` | string |
+| `__z_ra_dec` | string |
+| `binary_type` | string |
+| `ref_optical_name` | string |
+| `reddening_limit` | string |
+| `flux_limit` | string |
+| `flux` | float |
+| `flux_max` | string |
+| `flux_range` | string |
+| `ref_flux` | string |
+| `pulse_period` | string |
+| `lmxb_notes` | string |
+## Quick stats
+- **305** X-ray binaries total
+- **116** High-Mass X-ray Binaries (HMXB)
+- **189** Low-Mass X-ray Binaries (LMXB)
+## Usage
+```python
+from datasets import load_dataset
+ds = load_dataset("juliensimon/xray-binary-catalog", split="train")
+df = ds.to_pandas()
+# Count by type
+print(df["binary_type"].value_counts())
+# HMXBs vs LMXBs
+hmxb = df[df["binary_type"] == "HMXB"]
+lmxb = df[df["binary_type"] == "LMXB"]
+print(f"{len(hmxb):,} HMXBs, {len(lmxb):,} LMXBs")
+# Sky distribution
+import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
+fig, ax = plt.subplots(figsize=(12, 6))
+for btype, group in df.groupby("binary_type"):
+    ax.scatter(group["ra"], group["dec"], s=5, alpha=0.7, label=btype)
+ax.set_xlabel("RA (deg)")
+ax.set_ylabel("Dec (deg)")
+ax.legend()
+ax.set_title("X-ray Binary Sky Distribution")
+```
+## Data source
+All data comes from the HEASARC X-ray binary catalogs:
+- [HMXB Catalog (hmxbcat)](https://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/W3Browse/all/hmxbcat.html) — Liu, van Paradijs & van den Heuvel (2006)
+- [LMXB Catalog (lmxbcat)](https://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/W3Browse/all/lmxbcat.html) — Liu, van Paradijs & van den Heuvel (2007)
+Accessed via the HEASARC TAP protocol.
+## Update schedule
+Quarterly (February, May, August, November 1st at 08:00 UTC) via [GitHub Actions](https://github.com/juliensimon/space-datasets).
+## Related datasets
+- [pulsar-catalog](https://huggingface.co/datasets/juliensimon/pulsar-catalog) — ATNF Pulsar Catalog
+- [mcgill-magnetar-catalog](https://huggingface.co/datasets/juliensimon/mcgill-magnetar-catalog) — McGill Magnetar Catalog
+- [chandra-x-ray-sources](https://huggingface.co/datasets/juliensimon/chandra-x-ray-sources) — Chandra Source Catalog
+- [gravitational-wave-events](https://huggingface.co/datasets/juliensimon/gravitational-wave-events) — LIGO/Virgo GW Events
+## Pipeline
+Source code: [juliensimon/space-datasets](https://github.com/juliensimon/space-datasets)
+## Support
+If you find this dataset useful, please give it a heart on the [dataset page](https://huggingface.co/datasets/juliensimon/xray-binary-catalog) and share feedback in the Community tab! Also consider giving a star to the [space-datasets](https://github.com/juliensimon/space-datasets) repo.
+## Citation
+```bibtex
+@dataset{xray_binary_catalog,
+  author = {Simon, Julien},
+  title = {X-ray Binary Catalog},
+  year = {2026},
+  publisher = {Hugging Face},
+  url = {https://huggingface.co/datasets/juliensimon/xray-binary-catalog},
+  note = {Based on HEASARC HMXB (Liu et al. 2006) and LMXB (Liu et al. 2007) catalogs}
+}
+```
+## License
+[CC-BY-4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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