Massive stars in nearby galaxies Virtual Observatory Resource

Authors
  1. Maravelias G.
  2. Bonanos A.Z.
  3. Antoniadis K.
  4. Munoz-Sanchez G.,Christodoulou E.
  5. de Wit S.
  6. Zapartas E.
  7. Kovlakas K.
  8. Tramper F.,Bonfini P.
  9. Avgousti S.
  10. Published by
    CDS
Abstract

Mass loss is a key aspect of stellar evolution, particularly in evolved massive stars, yet episodic mass loss remains poorly understood. To investigate this, we need evolved massive stellar populations across various galactic environments. However, spectral classifications are challenging to obtain in large numbers, especially for distant galaxies. We addressed this by leveraging machine-learning techniques. We combined Spitzer photometry and Pan-STARRS1 optical data to classify point sources in 26 galaxies within 5Mpc, and a metallicity range 0.07-1.36Z_{sun}_. Gaia DR3 astrometry was used to remove foreground sources. Classifications are derived using a machine-learning model developed in our previous work. We report classifications for 1147650 sources, with 276657 sources (~24%) being robust. Among these are 120479 Red Supergiants (RSGs; ~11%). The classifier performs well even at low metallicities (~0.1Z_{sun}_) and distances under 1.5Mpc, with a slight decrease in accuracy beyond ~3Mpc due to Spitzer 's resolution limits. We also identified 21 luminous RSGs (log(L/L_{sun}_)>=5.5), 159 dusty Yellow Hypergiants in M31 and M33, as well as 6 extreme RSGs (log(L/L_{sun}_)>=6) in M31, challenging observed luminosity limits. Class trends with metallicity align with expectations, though biases exist. This catalog serves as a valuable resource for individual-object studies and James Webb Space Telescope target selection. It enables follow-up on luminous RSGs and Yellow Hypergiants to refine our understanding of their evolutionary pathways. Additionally, we provide the largest spectroscopically confirmed catalog of extragalactic massive stars and candidates to date, beyond the Clouds, comprising 5273 sources (including ~330 other objects).

Keywords
  1. galaxies
  2. stellar-spectral-types
  3. early-type-stars
  4. late-type-stars
  5. supergiant-stars
Bibliographic source Bibcode
2026A&A...709A.218M
See also HTML
https://cdsarc.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/cat/J/A+A/709/A218
IVOA Identifier IVOID
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/709/A218

Access

Web browser access HTML
https://vizier.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/VizieR-2?-source=J/A+A/709/A218
https://vizier.iucaa.in/viz-bin/VizieR-2?-source=J/A+A/709/A218
http://vizieridia.saao.ac.za/viz-bin/VizieR-2?-source=J/A+A/709/A218
IVOA Table Access TAP
https://tapvizier.cds.unistra.fr/TAPVizieR/tap
Run SQL-like queries with TAP-enabled clients (e.g., TOPCAT).
IVOA Cone Search SCS
For use with a cone search client (e.g., TOPCAT).
https://vizier.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/conesearch/J/A+A/709/A218/tablea2?
https://vizier.iucaa.in/viz-bin/conesearch/J/A+A/709/A218/tablea2?
http://vizieridia.saao.ac.za/viz-bin/conesearch/J/A+A/709/A218/tablea2?
IVOA Cone Search SCS
For use with a cone search client (e.g., TOPCAT).
https://vizier.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/conesearch/J/A+A/709/A218/tablec1?
https://vizier.iucaa.in/viz-bin/conesearch/J/A+A/709/A218/tablec1?
http://vizieridia.saao.ac.za/viz-bin/conesearch/J/A+A/709/A218/tablec1?

History

2026-05-19T12:16:40Z
Resource record created
2026-05-19T11:20:27Z
Updated
2026-05-19T12:16:40Z
Created

Contact

Name
CDS support team
Postal Address
CDS, Observatoire de Strasbourg, 11 rue de l'Universite, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
E-Mail
cds-question@unistra.fr