We present a two-dimensional multi-component photometric decomposition of 404 galaxies from the Calar Alto Legacy Integral Field Area Data Release 3 (CALIFA-DR3). They represent all possible galaxies with no clear signs of interaction and not strongly inclined in the final CALIFA data release. Galaxies are modelled in the g, r, and i Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) images including, when appropriate, a nuclear point source, bulge, bar, and an exponential or broken disc component. We use a human-supervised approach to determine the optimal number of structures to be included in the fit. The dataset, including the photometric parameters of the CALIFA sample, is released together with statistical errors and a visual analysis of the quality of each fit. The analysis of the photometric components reveals a clear segregation of the structural composition of galaxies with stellar mass. At high masses (log(M*/M_{sun}_)>11), the galaxy population is dominated by galaxies modelled with a single Sersic or a bulge+disc with a bulge-to-total (B/T) luminosity ratio B/T>0.2. At intermediate masses (9.5<log(M*/M_{sun}_)<11), galaxies described with bulge+disc but B/T<0.2 are preponderant, whereas, at the low mass end (log(M*/M_{\sun}_)<9.5), the prevailing population is constituted by galaxies modelled with either pure discs or nuclear point sources+discs (i.e., no discernible bulge). The analyses of the extended multi-component radial profile result in a volume-corrected distribution of 62%, 28%, and 10% for the so-called Type I (pure exponential), Type II (down-bending), and Type III (up-bending) disc profiles, respectively. These fractions are in discordance with previous findings. We argue that the different methodologies used to detect the breaks are the main cause for these differences.
The observation of blank fields, defined as regions of the sky that are devoid of stars down to a given threshold magnitude, constitutes one of the most relevant calibration procedures required for the proper reduction of astronomical data obtained following typical observing strategies. In this work, we have used the Delaunay triangulation to search for deep blank fields throughout the whole sky, with a minimum size of 10-arcmin in diameter and an increasing threshold magnitude from 15 to 18 in the R band of the USNO-B Catalog of the United States Naval Observatory. The result is a catalogue with the deepest blank fields known so far. A short sample of these regions has been tested with the 10.4m Gran Telescopio Canarias, and it has been shown to be extremely useful for medium and large size telescopes. Because some of the regions found could also be suitable for new extragalactic studies, we have estimated the galactic extinction in the direction of each deep blank field. This catalogue is accessible through the Virtual Observatory tool TESELA, and the user can retrieve - and visualise using Aladin - the deep blank fields available near a given position in the sky.