Exploration of the Time Domain with the Catalina Real-Time Transient Survey (CRTS)
Abstract
Catalina Real-Time Transient Survey (CRTS; http://crts.caltech.edu) is systematically exploring and characterizing the faint, variable sky. It covers the total area of ~ 33,000 deg2, down to ~ 19 - 21 mag per exposure, with time baselines from 10 min to 7 years, and growing; there are now typically ~ 300 - 400 exposures per pointing, and coadded images reach deeper than ~ 23 mag. The survey has detected ~ 6,500 unique, high-amplitude transients to date, including at least 1,500 supernovae, at least a 1,000 CVs (the majority of them previously uncatalogued), over 1,500 of blazars / OVV AGN, hundreds of flare stars, etc. We have a complete open data policy: all transients are published immediately electronically, with no proprietary period at all. We have also released 200 million light curves, including several tens of thousands of variable stars, with another 300 million light curves to follow shortly. This open data philosophy is benefiting the entire astronomical community. Numerous scientific projects have been enabled by this data stream, including: discoveries of ultraluminous and otherwise peculiar SNe; unusual CVs and dwarf novae; variability-based IDs of previously unassociated Fermi gamma-ray sources; mapping of the structure in the Galactic halo using RR Lyrae; and so on. We also have a major effort on the automated classification of transient and variable sources, which is of a critical importance for the effective follow-up of the present and future synoptic sky surveys. We will describe the current status of the survey, including some of the scientific results to date.
- Publication:
-
American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #221
- Pub Date:
- January 2013
- Bibcode:
- 2013AAS...22135224D