Table · dataset · 2026
BASALT faint blazar candidates
Listed in IVOA Registry (Virtual Observatory)
We present a sample of blazar candidates from the Very Large Array Sky Survey (VLASS) catalog, with cross-referencing to optical and infrared data from the Panoramic Survey Telescope & Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) and the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), respectively.
Description
We focus on compact radio sources and employ a multistage selection process to minimize contamination from non-blazar sources. We considered constraints derived from the radio-optical spectral index and from the infrared and optical colors.
We identified the variable objects through an optical variability analysis of Pan-STARRS light curves using two reference samples of stars. We further selected sources whose variability exceeds the level observed in quasars. This led to the selection of 3467 candidates with blazar-like properties and strong optical variability.
Read the rest (2 more)
Only 45% is available in other blazar candidate catalogs, with the remainder representing new identifications. In particular, we unveil a large population of faint sources, down to r~20.5. The blazar nature of a subsample of these sources is confirmed by available spectra.
Our work offers new insights into the blazar population and serves as a foundation for future variability studies, especially in view of the upcoming Legacy Survey of Space and Time at the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, which will reach even fainter sources.
Links
Where it is published
- Reference page cdsarc.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/cat/J/A+A/708/A220 ↗
landing page · from IVOA Registry
Documentation and papers
- ADS 2026A&A...708A.220C ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2026A%26A...708A.220C ↗
publication · from IVOA Registry
Catalogue records · 2
- VOResource record dc.g-vo.org/oai.xml?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=ivo_vor&identifier=ivo%3… ↗
metadata API · from IVOA Registry
- Registry record (GAVO) dc.g-vo.org/I/cds.vizier/j/a%2Ba/708/a220 ↗
catalogue entry · from IVOA Registry
Topics
- From keywords
- Astronomy & Astrophysics
Provenance · 1 source records, 10 field assertions
| Source | Key | Last seen | Raw |
|---|---|---|---|
| IVOA Registry (Virtual Observatory) | ivo://cds.vizier/j/a+a/708/a220 | 11 d ago | JSON v1 |
| Field | Assertion | Extractor | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| access_level | source · IVOA Registry | connector:ivoa_registry@1.0.0 | |
| concepts[field].local:field:astronomy | mapping · IVOA Registry | connector:ivoa_registry@1.0.0 | |
| concepts[modality].ivoa_waveband:infrared | source · IVOA Registry | connector:ivoa_registry@1.0.0 | |
| concepts[modality].ivoa_waveband:optical | source · IVOA Registry | connector:ivoa_registry@1.0.0 | |
| concepts[modality].ivoa_waveband:radio | source · IVOA Registry | connector:ivoa_registry@1.0.0 | |
| description | source · IVOA Registry | connector:ivoa_registry@1.0.0 | rr.resource.res_description |
| license_text | source · IVOA Registry | connector:ivoa_registry@1.0.0 | |
| publication_date | source · IVOA Registry | connector:ivoa_registry@1.0.0 | |
| title | source · IVOA Registry | connector:ivoa_registry@1.0.0 | rr.resource.res_title |
| updated_date | source · IVOA Registry | connector:ivoa_registry@1.0.0 |