Aiding the Science Return of Astronomical Time-Series Data: The HCV Explorer

The Hubble Catalogue of Variables is the first homogeneous catalogue of variable sources in our Galaxy and nearby galaxies. Prepared by the National Observatory of Athens, and funded by the European Space Agency, the catalogue unveils all the variables found within the Hubble Source Catalogue (HSC), which is based on the measurements of astronomical objects observed with the Hubble Space Telescope over more than 25 years of exploring the universe.

The ESAC Science Data Centre (ESDC) has developed an online tool to access and visualise the time-series data from the HCV, called the HCV Explorer. Released in September 2019, the HCV Explorer offers interactive and connected exploration of the catalogue with the aim of aiding the exploration of the catalogue, as well as enhancing data discovery and user experience through visual exploration.

The first version of the HCV Explorer allows users to search by target name or coordinates and discover the variable sources around the target in the sky. The results are connected to plots, showing the available light curves for each variable source, or representing the significance of the variability of the source and its associated neighbours, along with tabular results and data download functionalities.