The WIde-field Nearby Galaxy clusters Survey (WINGS) is a project whose primary goal is to study the galaxy populations in clusters in the local universe, and of the influence of environment on their stellar populations. This survey has provided the astronomical community with a high quality set of photometric and spectroscopic data for 77 and 48 nearby galaxy clusters, respectively. We present the catalog containing the properties of galaxies observed by the wings spectroscopic survey, which were derived using stellar populations synthesis modelling approach. We also check the consistency of our results with other data in the literature. Using a spectrophotometric model that reproduces the main features of observed spectra by summing the theoretical spectra of simple stellar populations of different ages, we derive the stellar masses, star formation histories, average age and dust attenuation of galaxies in our sample. ~5300 spectra were analyzed with spectrophotometric techniques, and this allowed to derive the star formation history, stellar masses and ages, and extinction for the wings spectroscopic sample that we present in this paper. The comparison with the total mass values of the same galaxies derived by other authors based on sdss data, confirms the reliability of the adopted methods and data.
The aim of this paper is to introduce the WIRCam Ultra Deep Survey (WUDS), a near-IR photometric survey carried out at the CFH Telescope in the field of the CFHTLS-D3 field (Groth Strip). WUDS includes four near-IR bands (Y, J, H and Ks) over a field of view of ~400arcmin^2^. The typical depth of WUDS data reaches between ~26.8 in Y and J, and ~26 in H and Ks (AB, 3{sigma} in 1.3" aperture), whereas the corresponding depth of the CFHTLS-D3 images in this region ranges between 28.6 and 29 in ugr, 28.2 in i and 27.1 in z (same S/N and aperture). The area and depth of this survey were specifically tailored to set strong constraints on the cosmic star formation rate and the luminosity function brighter or around L* in the z~6-10 redshift domain, although these data are also useful for a variety of extragalactic projects. This first paper is intended to present the properties of the public WUDS survey in details: catalog building, completeness and depth, number counts, photometric redshifts, and global properties of the galaxy population. We have also concentrated on the selection and characterization of galaxy samples at z~[4.5-7] in this field. For these purposes, we include an adjacent shallower area of ~1260arcmin^2^ in this region, extracted from the WIRCam Deep Survey (WIRDS), and observed in J, H and Ks bands. UV luminosity functions were derived at z~5 and z~6 taking advantage from the fact that WUDS covers a particularly interesting regime at intermediate luminosities, which allows a combined determination of M* and {PHI}* with increased accuracy. Our results on the luminosity function are consistent with a small evolution of both M* and {PHI}* between z=5 and z=6, irrespective of the method used to derive them, either photometric redshifts applied to blindly-selected dropout samples or the classical Lyman Break Galaxy color-preselected samples. Our results lend support to higher {PHI}* determinations at z=6 than usually reported. The selection and combined analysis of different galaxy samples at z>=7 will be presented in a forthcoming paper, as well as the evolution of the UV luminosity function between z~4.5 and 9. WUDS is intended to provide a robust database in the near-IR for the selection of targets for detailed spectroscopic studies, in particular for the EMIR/GTC GOYA Survey.
The catalog contains all-sky survey of the soft X-ray diffuse background and the count-rate data from which the maps were made for the ten flights included in the survey. It contains 40 files in the machine-readable version and includes documentation and utility subroutines. The data files contain different band maps (B, C, M, M1, M2, I, J, 2-6 keV) in a 0 degree-centered Aitoff projection, in a 180-degree-centered Aitoff projection, in a north polar projection, and in a south polar projection. Lookup tables in the form of FITS images are provided for conversion between pixel coordinates and Galactic coordinates for the various projections. The bands are: B = 130-188eV C = 160-284eV M1 = 440-930eV M2 = 600-1100eV I = 770-1500eV J = 1100-2200eV 2-6keV = 1800-6300eV
The Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polarimeter Experiment WUPPE was one of three ultraviolet telescopes on the ASTRO-1 mission flown on the space shuttle Columbia during 2-10 December, 1990. 98 observations of 75 targets were obtained. The same three instruments were later flown on the space shuttle Endeavour from 3-17 March, 1995, as part of the ASTRO-2 mission. During the longer ASTRO-2 mission, 369 observations of 254 targets were obtained.
The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE; see Wright et al. 2010AJ....140.1868W) is a NASA Medium Class Explorer mission that conducted a digital imaging survey of the entire sky in the 3.4, 4.6, 12 and 22um mid-infrared bandpasses (hereafter W1, W2, W3 and W4). WISE will produce and release to the world astronomical and educational communities and general public a digital Image Atlas covering the sky in the four survey bands, and a reliable Source Catalog containing accurate photometry and astrometry for over 300 million objects. The WISE Catalog and Atlas will enable a broad variety of research efforts ranging from the search for the closest stars and brown dwarfs to the most luminous galaxies in the Universe. WISE science data products will serve as an important reference data set for planning observations and interpreting data obtained with future ground and space-borne observatories, such as JWST. WISE was launched on 2009-12-14 from Vandenberg SLC2W.
Using a spectroscopically confirmed sample of M giants, M dwarfs, and quasars from the LAMOST survey, we assess how well Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) and Two Micron All Sky Survey color cuts can be used to select M giant stars. The WISE bands are very efficient at separating M giants from M dwarfs, and we present a simple classification that can produce a clean and relatively complete sample of M giants. We derive a new photometric relation to estimate the metallicity for M giants, calibrated using data from the APOGEE survey. We find a strong correlation between the (W1-W2) color and [M/H], where almost all of the scatter is due to photometric uncertainties. We show that previous photometric distance relations, which are mostly based on stellar models, may be biased and devise a new empirical distance relation, investigating trends with metallicity and star formation history. Given these relations, we investigate the properties of M giants in the Sagittarius stream. The offset in the orbital plane between the leading and trailing tails is reproduced, and by identifying distant M giants in the direction of the Galactic anticenter, we confirm that the previously detected debris in the outer halo is the apocenter of the trailing tail. We also find tentative evidence supporting an existing overdensity near the leading tail in the northern Galactic hemisphere, possibly an extension to the trailing tail (so-called Branch C). We have measured the metallicity distribution along the stream, finding a clear metallicity offset between the leading and trailing tails, in agreement with models for the stream formation. We include an online table of M giants to facilitate further studies.
We present results from a systematic study of star formation in local galaxy clusters using 22um data from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). The 69 systems in our sample are drawn from the Cluster Infall Regions Survey, and all have robust mass determinations. The all-sky WISE data enable us to quantify the amount of star formation, as traced by 22um, as a function of radius well beyond R_200_, and investigate the dependence of total star formation rate upon cluster mass. We find that the fraction of star-forming galaxies increases with cluster radius but remains below the field value even at 3R_200_. We also find that there is no strong correlation between the mass-normalized total specific star formation rate and cluster mass, indicating that the mass of the host cluster does not strongly influence the total star formation rate of cluster members.
We present a catalog of radio-loud candidate {gamma}-ray emitting blazars with WISE mid-infrared colors similar to the colors of confirmed {gamma}-ray blazars. The catalog is assembled from WISE sources detected in all four WISE filters, with colors compatible with the three-dimensional locus of the WISE {gamma}-ray emitting blazars, and which can be spatially cross-matched with radio sources from one of the three radio surveys: NVSS, FIRST, and/or SUMSS. Our initial WISE selection uses a slightly modified version of previously successful algorithms. We then select only the radio-loud sources using a measure of the radio-to-IR flux, the q_22_parameter, which is analogous to the q_24_ parameter known in the literature but which instead uses the WISE band-four flux at 22{mu}m. Our final catalog contains 7855 sources classified as BL Lacs, FSRQs, or mixed candidate blazars; 1295 of these sources can be spatially re-associated as confirmed blazars. We describe the properties of the final catalog of WISE blazar-like radio-loud sources and consider possible contaminants. Finally, we discuss why this large catalog of candidate {gamma}-ray emitting blazars represents a new and useful resource to address the problem of finding low-energy counterparts to currently unidentified high-energy sources.
We have compiled the first all-sky mid-infrared variable-star catalog based on Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer five-year survey data. Requiring more than 100 detections for a given object, 50282 carefully and robustly selected periodic variables are discovered, of which 34769 (69%) are new. Most are located in the Galactic plane and near the equatorial poles. A method to classify variables based on their mid-infrared light curves is established using known variable types in the General Catalog of Variable Stars. Careful classification of the new variables results in a tally of 21427 new EW-type eclipsing binaries, 5654 EA-type eclipsing binaries, 1312 Cepheids, and 1231 RR Lyrae. By comparison with known variables available in the literature, we estimate that the misclassification rate is 5% and 10% for short- and long- period variables, respectively. A detailed comparison of the types, periods, and amplitudes with variables in the Catalina catalog shows that the independently obtained classifications parameters are in excellent agreement. This enlarged sample of variable stars will not only be helpful to study Galactic structure and extinction properties, but can also be used to constrain stellar evolution theory and provide potential candidates for the James Webb Space Telescope.
With the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), we searched for young stellar objects (YSOs) in a 100deg^2^ region centered on the lightly studied Canis Major star-forming region. Applying stringent magnitude cuts to exclude the majority of extragalactic contaminants, we find 144 Class I candidates and 335 Class II candidates. The sensitivity to Class II candidates is limited by their faintness at the distance to Canis Major (assumed as 1000pc). More than half the candidates (53%) are found in 16 groups of more than four members, including four groups with more than 25 members each. The ratio of Class II to Class I objects, N_II_/N_I_, varies from 0.4 to 8.3 in just the largest four groups. We compare our results to those obtainable with combined Two Micron All Sky Survey and post-cryogenic Spitzer Space Telescope data; the latter approach recovers missing Class II sources. Via a comparison to protostars characterized with the Herschel Space Observatory, we propose new WISE color criteria for flat-spectrum and Class 0 protostars, finding 80 and 7 of these, respectively. The distribution of YSOs in CMa OB1 is consistent with supernova-induced star formation, although the diverse N_II_/N_I_ ratios are unexpected if this parameter traces age and the YSOs are due to the same supernova. Less massive clouds feature larger N_II_/N_I_ ratios, suggesting that initial conditions play a role in determining this quantity.
