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NICER Master Catalog

Metadata Updated: April 10, 2026

This table records high-level information for the observations obtained with NICER (Neutron star Interior Composition ExploreR) and provides access to the NICER data archive. NICER is a NASA Explorer program Mission of Opportunity dedicated to the study of the neutron stars, exploring the exotic states of matter where density and pressure are higher than in atomic nuclei. NICER instrument is a payload aboard the International Space Station (ISS). It was launched on 3 June 2017 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and placed on the ISS. Normal operation started on 17 July 2017 after a commission phase to test the system and perform initial calibration. NICER's X-ray Timing Instrument (XTI) consists of an aligned collection of 56 X-ray "concentrator" optics (XRC) and silicon drift detector (SDD) pairs working in the energy range of 0.2-12 keV. Each XRC collects X-rays over a large geometric area from a roughly 30 arcmin<sup>2</sup> region of the sky and focuses them onto a small SDD. The SDD detects individual photons, recording both energies (with a 3% energy resolution at 6 keV) and high precision times (with 100 nanoseconds RMS relative to Universal Time). During one day of operation, NICER monitors several sources. For each observed source the data are divided into intervals of one day and labeled with a sequence number. This database table contains one record for each sequence number and includes parameters related to the observation. This contents of this database table are generated at the NICER Science and Mission Operations Center (SMOC) and updated regularly with new observations. Note that some fields have been added and are populated by the HEASARC. This is a service provided by NASA HEASARC .

Access & Use Information

Public: This dataset is intended for public access and use. License: See this page for license information.

Downloads & Resources

Dates

Metadata Created Date April 11, 2025
Metadata Updated Date April 10, 2026

Metadata Source

Harvested from NASA Data.json

Additional Metadata

Resource Type Dataset
Metadata Created Date April 11, 2025
Metadata Updated Date April 10, 2026
Publisher High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center
Maintainer
Identifier ivo://nasa.heasarc/nicermastr
Data Last Modified 2026-04-06
Category Astrophysics
Public Access Level public
Bureau Code 026:00
Metadata Context https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema/catalog.jsonld
Schema Version https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema
Catalog Describedby https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema/catalog.json
Harvest Object Id a7044bb7-37ac-4b93-af1f-5ebf7c4d47df
Harvest Source Id 58f92550-7a01-4f00-b1b2-8dc953bd598f
Harvest Source Title NASA Data.json
Homepage URL ivo://nasa.heasarc/nicermastr
License https://www.usa.gov/government-works
Program Code 026:000
Source Datajson Identifier True
Source Hash 63b52518323359eb0e1f761cd1db7a81733334f0d7e7c0153db603dc89f3876c
Source Schema Version 1.1

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