GLIMPSE360: Completing the Spitzer Galactic Plane Survey
Abstract
GLIMPSE360 will map the remaining 187 degrees of the Galactic Plane that have not been previously observed with the Spitzer Space Telescope. Thus the survey will cover longitude l=65-265.5 degrees excluding l 102-109 and l 76-82. The latitude range will be 3.1 degrees, wider than the previous GLIMPSE surveys (2 degrees) because the disk flares more in the Outer Galaxy. The latitude center will follow the CO/HI warp at a Galactocentric radius of 13 kpc. Three visits on each sky position with 0.6&12s HDR frames will provide a high dynamic range of sensitivity that exceeds GLIMPSE at both ends. This will allow us to determine the edge of the Galactic stellar disk, study low- and high-mass star formation in both the nearby Perseus arm and the Far Outer Galaxy, and study evolved stars throughout the Galaxy. Following the tradition of the previous GLIMPSE Legacy programs, we will deliver enhanced data products for the survey --- source lists and cleaned mosaics --- to the community. The science goals are as encompassing as the survey and include: determining the star formation rate of the Galaxy, the stellar disk scale heights and lengths across the Galaxy, how the dust extinction law varies with location in the disk; and cataloging stars, star clusters, PAH bubbles, supernova remnants, infrared dark clouds, outflows from massive protostars, planetary nebulae, external galaxies in the Zone of Avoidance, and many other types of objects.
This work is based on observations made with the Spitzer Space Telescope, which is operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology under a contract with NASA. Support for this work was provided by NASA through an award issued by JPL/Caltech- Publication:
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American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #214
- Pub Date:
- May 2009
- Bibcode:
- 2009AAS...21421001W