Extragalactic X-ray observations - The 2A catalogue and supplementary results from the Ariel 5 sky survey

Abstract

A status report is given on the Ariel 5 sky survey for X -ray sources at galactic latitude | b | ≽ 10°. The operation of the sky survey instrument (s. s. i.) is briefly reviewed and the production of the recently published 2A catalogue of X -ray sources is described. A remarkably high percentage ( ca . 75%) of the 105 sources in the 2A catalogue have now been identified with extragalactic, or, in a few cases, galactic, counterparts, and this is attributed to the improved location of sources (cf. the earlier 3U catalogue), and the strong correlation with optically bright or outstanding objects. The 2A catalogue and subsequent studies have established active galaxies, especially of the Seyfert type 1, to be a major class of powerful X -ray emitter. Present members of this class, which also includes a number of emission line galaxies, radio galaxies and quasars, are listed and their basic X -ray properties reviewed. The second major class of extragalactic X -ray source, clusters of galaxies, first established with the Uhuru satellite, has been substantially extended by Ariel 5. This work also is briefly reviewed. Finally, additional X -ray data from the s. s. i. (still operative) is being used to revise and add to the 2A catalogue. Several examples of this more recent work are given, together with an estimate of the expected content of the final s. s. i. catalogue when the mission is terminated (now planned for October 1979).