A catalogue of ultraluminous X-ray sources in external galaxies

We present a catalogue of ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) in external galaxies. The aim of this catalogue is to provide easy access to the properties of ULXs, their possible counterparts at other wavelengths ( optical, IR, and radio), and their host galaxies. The catalogue contains 229 ULXs reported in the literature until April 2004. Most ULXs are stellar-mass-black hole X-ray binaries, but it is not excluded that some ULXs could be intermediate-mass black holes. A small fraction of the candidate ULXs may be background Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) and Supernova Remnants (SNRs). ULXs with luminosity above 10(40) ergs s(-1) are found in both starburst galaxies and in the halos of early-type galaxies.