Infrared archive publishes 2MASS and Herschel access update

NASA’s Infrared Science Archive has published an October 22, 2026 access update listing the 2MASS Extended Source images and Herschel HIFI Highly Processed Data Products in its Data Collection Explorer. The notice describes an integration intended to make the collections easier to access and discover.

Both collections were already accessible through older interfaces, according to the archive. The change concerns their access route; the notice does not announce new observations or a first public release of the underlying data.

The 2MASS collection provides small image cutouts around extended objects, including galaxies and nebulae. Its documentation links directly to the explorer. The Herschel collection contains spectral maps and scans from the observatory’s Heterodyne Instrument for the Far-Infrared, with additional processing beyond the standard pipeline products, its overview explains.

The access change serves a research archive used internationally. In a March 2026 recruitment notice, Caltech/IPAC describes its archive team as helping astronomers and data scientists worldwide access and explore the holdings. IRSA’s charter covers science products from NASA’s infrared and submillimetre missions, with query, analysis and visualisation tools alongside the data.

The October 22 notice identifies easier access and discovery as the purpose of the integration. It provides no measured improvement in search time or scientific output.