Total color indices (V-R)tot, (V-I)tot and effective color indices (V-R)eff, (V-I)eff in the Cousins VRI photometric system are presented for 501 mostly normal galaxies. The colors are computed using a procedure outlined in the Third Reference Catalogue of Bright Galaxies (RC3) whereby standard color curves approximated by Laplace-Gauss integrals are fitted to observed photoelectric multiaperture photometry. 11 sources of such photometry were used for our analysis, each source being assigned an appropriate weight according to a rigorous analysis of residuals of the data from the best-fitting standard color curves. Together with the integrated B-V and U-B colors provided in RC3, our analysis widens the range of wavelength of homogeneously defined colors of normal galaxies of all Hubble types. We present color-color and color-type relations that can be modeled to understand the star formation history of galaxies.
This article describes the assembly of an optical (RGB) all-sky mosaic image with an image scale of 36"/pix, a limiting magnitude of approximately 14mag, and an 18 bit dynamic range. Using a portable low-cost CCD camera system, 70 fields (each covering 40{deg}x27{deg}) were imaged over a time span of 22 months from dark-sky locations in South Africa, Texas, and Michigan. The fields were photometrically calibrated against standard catalog stars. Using sky background data from the Pioneer 10 and 11 space probes, gradients resulting from artificial light pollution, airglow, and zodiacal light were eliminated, while the large-scale galactic and extragalactic background resulting from unresolved sources was preserved. The 648 megapixel image is a valuable educational tool, being able to fully utilize the resolution and dynamic range of modern full-dome planetarium projection systems.
Rotation periods are increasingly being used to derive ages for cool single field stars. Such ages are based on an empirical understanding of how cool stars spin down, acquired by constructing color-period diagrams (CPDs) for a series of open clusters. Our main aims here are to construct a CPD for M48, to compare this with other clusters of similar age to check for consistency, and to derive a rotational age for M48 using gyrochronology. We monitored M48 photometrically for over 2months with AIP's STELLA.I 1.2m telescope and the WiFSIP 4K imager in Tenerife. Light curves with 3mmag precision for bright (V~14mag) stars were produced and then analysed to provide rotation periods. A cluster CPD has then been constructed. We report 62 rotation periods for cool stars in M48. The CPD displays a clear slow/I-sequence of rotating stars, similar to those seen in the 625Myr-old Hyades and 590Myr-old Praesepe clusters, and below both, confirming that M48 is younger. A similar comparison with the 250Myr-old M34 cluster shows that M48 is older and does not possess any fast/C-sequence G or early K stars like those in M34, although relatively fast rotators do seem to be present among the late-K and M stars. A more detailed comparison of the CPD with rotational evolution models shows that the cluster stars have a mean age of 450Myr, and its (rotating) stars can be individually dated to +/-117Myr (26%). Much of this uncertainty stems from intrinsic astrophysical spread in initial periods, and almost all stars are consistent with a single age of 450Myr. The gyro-age of M48 as a whole is 450+/-50Myr, in agreement with the previously determined isochrone age of 400+/-100Myr.
The catalogue contains observations of essentially all stars brighter than fifth visual magnitude north of declination -20 degrees and brighter than fourth visual magnitude south of declination -20 degrees, in the 13-color medium-narrow-band photometric system.
We present the results of a study of the dust properties in M31. We analyzed Spitzer Space Telescope, GALEX, and SDSS images constraining some basic properties of the dust in M31: (i) the mass of the dust; (ii) the mean intensity of the radiation field heating the dust; (iii) the abundance of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) particles. We also studied which stellar populations are most likely responsible for the dust heating in M31 analyzing optical and infrared colors and comparing our observations with models which account for the age-dependent dust heating. We found that in most of the regions analyzed stars at least a few Gyr old are the major dust heaters. We then derived the extinction map across the disk of M31.
We present a sample of 484 L dwarfs, 210 of which are newly discovered from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 7 spectroscopic database. We combine this sample with known L dwarfs to investigate their izJHKS colors. We present photometric distance relations based on i-z and i-J colors and derive distances to our L dwarf sample. We combine the distances with SDSS/2MASS proper motions in order to examine the tangential velocities.
Synthetic spectra have been computed for F and G dwarf stars, using a number of values of chemical abundances, Doppler broadening velocity and damping constants. Filter transmission function have been convolved with thee spectra to yield color indices in 3 photometric systems.
Photometric colours of Minor Bodies in the Outer Solar System (MBOSS). This compilation is based on over 2000 measurement epoch extracted from over 100 articles, and is fairly complete as of Dec. 2011. The average colours and additional information are available in the first file. The second file lists the code of the references used for each object. The third file lists the actual references in bibTex format. The methods used to select the data and compute the averages are described in the accompanying paper. The updated lists are available online at http://www.eso.org/~ohainaut/MBOSS Average photometric colours of Minor Bodies in the Outer Solar System. The table also lists their physico-dynamical class, the number of measurement epochs included in the average, the absolute R-band magnitude R(1,1,{alpha}), and the slope of the spectroscopic gradient (in %/100nm). are presented in table2.dat. For each MBOSS from table2.dat, table3.dat list of the references from which photometric measurements were used. The table also lists the number of measurement epochs included in the average.
We present a compilation of all available colors for 104 Minor Bodies in the Outer Solar System (MBOSSes); for each object, the original references are listed. The measurements were combined in a way that does not introduce rotational color artifacts. We then derive the slope, or reddening gradient, of the low resolution reflectance spectra obtained from the broad-band color for each object. A set of color-color diagrams, histograms and cumulative probability functions are presented as a reference for further studies, and are discussed.
The Colours of the Outer Solar System Origins Survey is acquiring near-simultaneous g, r, and J photometry of unprecedented precision with the Gemini North Telescope, targeting nearly 100 trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) brighter than m_r_=23.6mag discovered in the Outer Solar System Origins Survey. Combining the optical and near-infrared photometry with the well-characterized detection efficiency of the Colours of the Outer Solar System Origins Survey target sample will provide the first flux-limited compositional dynamical map of the outer solar system. In this paper, we describe our observing strategy and detail the data reduction processes we employ, including techniques to mitigate the impact of rotational variability. We present optical and near-infrared colors for 35 TNOs. We find two taxonomic groups for the dynamically excited TNOs, the neutral and red classes, which divide at g-r~0.75. Based on simple albedo and orbital distribution assumptions, we find that the neutral class outnumbers the red class, with a ratio of 4:1 and potentially as high as 11:1. Including in our analysis constraints from the cold classical objects, which are known to exhibit unique albedos and r-z colors, we find that within our measurement uncertainty our observations are consistent with the primordial solar system protoplanetesimal disk being neutral class dominated, with two major compositional divisions in grJ color space.