Galex Catalog And Atlas Of Our Local Group Of Galaxies
Abstract
The NASA Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) mission contains the most comprehensive collection of ultraviolet imaging of Local Group galaxies likely to exist for decades. Unfortunately, this impressive resource will be under-utilized because the standard GALEX pipeline and source catalogs are not designed to properly measure point sources in crowded fields. We propose to solve this problem and unlock this great wealth of data obtained by NASA by constructing the GALEX Catalog and Atlas of Our Local Group Galaxies which shall include 49 GALEX observed Local Group members within 1.5 Mpc including the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds in their entirety. The PSF- fitting photometry method has already been tested and increases the number of detected point sources by 300% over the standard GALEX pipeline. Our catalogs will provide approximately 5-6 million point source measurements. We have also developed a novel method for producing wide field background-balanced mosaics of GALEX data. This has already been implemented for the Magellanic Clouds and the method will be applied to the other largest Local Group Members (M31 and M33). The Atlas images we produce will combine imaging data from all GALEX surveys to achieve maximum depth. Quality assurance of the images and catalogs will be done by the proposers in the course of undertaking a number of science-driven projects that require cross-matching the ultraviolet point sources of the Magellanic Clouds to similar resolution optical (MCPS) and infrared (SAGE) source catalogs. The Catalogs and Atlas (including the Magellanic Clouds cross-matched catalogs) will be made available to the astronomical community by providing them to the Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (MAST, the official GALEX archive) as a High Level Science Product as well as assimilated on an object-by- object basis into the NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database (NED) and thereby made immediately accessible in VO-compatible format. This program will enhance the legacy of the GALEX mission and expedite many research projects that require ultraviolet point source measurements of stars and clusters outside of the Milky Way and serve as a legacy product for any future ultraviolet mission.
- Publication:
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NASA ADAP Proposal
- Pub Date:
- 2013
- Bibcode:
- 2013adap.prop..153M