Open Black Holes Catalog

This repository is a collection of blackhole data, including metadata, light curves, and spectra. The catalog is displayed in tabular form on holes.space. Individual event data can be downloaded by navigating to the individual-bh folder and downloading the '.json' file associated with a given event; however it might be easier to use the search function on the table displayed on holes.space to find the event you're looking for.

Contributing Data

Format of Data Files

The data files are in JSON format. Below is an example datafile for 0402+379:

{
    "0402+379": {
        "name": "0402+379",
        "aliases": [
            "0402+379", "4C+37.11"
        ],
        "sources": [
            {
                "name": "<a href='http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2006ApJ...646...49R'>2006ApJ...646...49R</a>",
                "alias": "1"
            },
            {
                "name": "<a href='http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2009ApJ...697...37R'>2009ApJ...697...37R</a>",
                "alias": "2"
            }
            {
                "name:" "<a href='http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/bib_query?2009A%26A...496L...9M'>2009A&A...496L...9M</a>",
                "alias": "3"
            }
        ],
        "bhtype": "massive",
        "multiplicity": {
            "number": "2",
            "method": [
                {
                    "type":"resolved",
                    "source":["1", "2"]
                },
                {
                    "type": "spectroscopic",
                    "source": "2",
                }
            ],
            "separation": {
                "value": "7.3",
                "source": "2",
            },
            "mass_total": "1.5e8",
            "galaxies": "none",
            "notes": "Resolved dual-AGN system (with VLBI).  A 'red shoulder' in the H-Alpha line suggests two components with 300 km/s separation.  Given the observed separation, this suggests total mass of 1.5e8 Msol (highly uncertain).  Proper motion cannot be resolved.",
        },
        "galaxy": {
            "classification": ["Sy", "NLRG"],
            "redshift": {
                "value": "0.055046",
                "sigma": ["0.000078", "0.000078"],
                "source": "3",
            },
            "ra": "040549.2",
            "dec": "+380332",
        },
        "jet": "yes",
    }
}

Fields:

bhtype: Mass-based type of blackhole
- {'stellar', 'intermediate', 'massive', 'limit'}, where 'limit' refers to an upper limit on the presence of a BH.
multiplicity: If there is claimed multiplicity to the blackhole / system
- mass_total: fiducial total mass of the binary system
- method: method by which binary was detected/inferred
  - 'resolved': secondary system photometrically resolved (e.g. via VLBI)
  - 'spectroscopic': distinct velocity components interpreted as a dynamic signature.
  - 'variable': inferred based on periodicity/variability signatures
- separation: fiducial separation between binary components, [parsecs]
galaxy: properties of the host galaxy/galaxies.
jet: evidence for a relativistic jet

At the moment, the only mandatory field for a given blackhole is its name.

lzkelley/holes

Open Black Holes Catalog

Contributing Data

Format of Data Files