We explore the characteristics of carbon stars within our Galaxy through a comprehensive analysis of observational data spanning visual and infrared (IR) bands. Leveraging data sets from IRAS, the Infrared Space Observatory, Akari, the Midcourse Space Experiment, the Two Micron All Sky Survey, the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), Gaia DR3, AAVSO, and the SIMBAD object database, we conduct a detailed comparison between the observational data and theoretical models. To facilitate this comparison, we introduce various IR two-color diagrams (2CDs), IR color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs), and spectral energy distributions (SEDs). We find that the CMDs, which utilize the latest distance and extinction data from Gaia DR3 for a substantial number of carbon stars, are very useful for distinguishing carbon-rich asymptotic giant branch (CAGB) stars from extrinsic carbon stars that are not in the AGB phase. To enhance the accuracy of our analysis, we employ theoretical radiative transfer models for dust shells around CAGB stars. These theoretical dust shell models demonstrate a commendable ability to approximate the observations of CAGB stars across various SEDs, 2CDs, and CMDs. We present the infrared properties of known pulsating variables and explore the infrared variability of the sample stars by analyzing WISE photometric data spanning the last 14 years. Additionally, we present a novel catalog of CAGB stars, offering enhanced reliability and a wealth of additional information.

Cone search capability for table J/ApJS/272/16/table5 (Carbon stars with IRAS counterparts (carbon-rich asymptotic giant branch; CAGB_IC, see Table 1) objects)

Cone search capability for table J/ApJS/272/16/table6 (Carbon stars without IRAS counterparts (AllWISE or Gaia DR3 Sources; CAGB_NI, see Table 2) objects)