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From: starrfie@hydro.la.asu.edu (Sumner Starrfield)
Subject: Palomar Sky Survey available on net
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 93 11:12:29 MST
Automated Plate Scanner Catalog
of the Palomar Sky Survey now
available to the community
The APS Catalog of the POSS I (first epoch) will be available to the
astronomical community via NASA's Astrophysical Data System (ADS) with the
January 11, 1994 release of ADS, and will be demonstrated at the
Washington, DC AAS meeting January 11-15.
The APS Catalog is the result of APS scans of the blue and red glass
duplicates of the original Palomar Sky Survey. All plates with galactic
latitude greater than |20| have been scanned (664) plate pairs). All
matched images are cataloged. The data for each matched image includes
B1950.0 positions, magnitudes (O = blue, E = red), colors, image class,
plus other image parameters.
More detailed information about the operation of the APS, the scanning
parameters, and the characteristics of the APS Catalog are given in PASP 105,
521, 1993. The description of our star/galaxy separation with a neural
network is given in A.J. 103, 318, 1992, and PASP 105, 1354, 1993.
The initial release will include a special group of nine POSS I fields
centered at the North Galactic Pole. For demonstration purposes, this set
of fields was processed only down to a brightness of about 20th magnitude,
significantly above the plate limit. Several additional POSS fields fully
processed to the plate limit (about 22nd mag in "O," 21st in "E") will also
be available at the release. Additional fields will be added as we process
them.
We have also prepared a searchable list, APS_PLATELIST, which is an index
of the POSS plate fields with the characteristics of their databases for
access by ADS users. The APS_PLATELIST will include all of the POSS fields,
allowing users to determine which fields are currently available and which
correspond to their region of interest in the sky. This list will also
include the field center, RA and DEC ranges, the characteristics of the
astrometric and photometric calibrations, numbers of images classified as
stars and as galaxies, plus other relevant information.
Currently, each POSS field and plate exists on ADS as a separate catalog,
and the user must request each of theses sub-databases separately. We are
currently preparing software to eliminate the need for the individual
listings and to enable efficient multiple field positional searches.
For further information on the APS Catalog of the POSS I, please
email aps@aps1.spa.umn.edu, and for access to the ADS check the FAQ.
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