SDSS
The Sloan Digital Sky Survey
at the Max Planck Institute for
Astronomy
What is the Sloan Digital Sky Survey ?
SDSS is a large international survey project to map one quarter of the sky
and to search and classify all celestial objects down to a certain limiting
brightness within this immense area.
The SDSS will measure accurate positions and luminosities of more than 100
million stars and galaxies in five different wavelength ranges.
It will also determine the distances (redshifts) of more than a million
galaxies and quasars, providing a three-dimensional map of the Universe.
Various universities and research institutes in the US, Japan, Germany,
and Korea
are participating in this effort.
The Max Planck
Institute for Astronomy (MPIA) in Heidelberg is one of three
German astronomical institutes involved in the
Sloan Digital Sky
Survey (SDSS). MPIA joined the SDSS
collaboration in early 1999 as an associate partner.
MPIA contributed observing time for
SDSS follow-up studies through a dedicated
key project at its facilities at
Calar Alto Observatory
and other telescopes. The SDSS group at MPIA
uses SDSS data to pursue research ranging from the most distant quasars
to the structure of our own Milky Way.
The official survey web
site gives a comprehensive overview over the project.
A brief technical summary of the SDSS can be found at
this
page.
Public outreach information in English and in German
about the SDSS in particular and astronomy in general can be found at the
Sky Server.
After a commissioning phase,
the SDSS began its regular 5-year operations in 2000.
The survey progress can be followed
here.
Reduced SDSS data (images, spectra, and tables containing photometry,
astrometry, and structure parameters) are being released in intervals
of one to 1.5 years to the general public. Data can be accessed via
the SDSS website or
the Sky Server.
Press releases highlighting SDSS discoveries are available
from this page.
Links to SDSS publications can be found
here.
Highlights of SDSS research at MPIA
and publications of the SDSS group at MPIA
are available from our local pages.
Responsible: Eric Bell
Last updated: October 2nd, 2004
SDSS is a large international survey project to map one quarter of the sky
and to search and classify all celestial objects down to a certain limiting
brightness within this immense area.
The SDSS will measure accurate positions and luminosities of more than 100
million stars and galaxies in five different wavelength ranges.
It will also determine the distances (redshifts) of more than a million
galaxies and quasars, providing a three-dimensional map of the Universe.
Various universities and research institutes in the US, Japan, Germany,
and Korea
are participating in this effort.
The Max Planck
Institute for Astronomy (MPIA) in Heidelberg is one of three
German astronomical institutes involved in the
Sloan Digital Sky
Survey (SDSS). MPIA joined the SDSS
collaboration in early 1999 as an associate partner.
MPIA contributed observing time for
SDSS follow-up studies through a dedicated
key project at its facilities at
Calar Alto Observatory
and other telescopes. The SDSS group at MPIA
uses SDSS data to pursue research ranging from the most distant quasars
to the structure of our own Milky Way.
The official survey web
site gives a comprehensive overview over the project.
A brief technical summary of the SDSS can be found at
this
page.
Public outreach information in English and in German
about the SDSS in particular and astronomy in general can be found at the
Sky Server.
After a commissioning phase,
the SDSS began its regular 5-year operations in 2000.
The survey progress can be followed
here.
Reduced SDSS data (images, spectra, and tables containing photometry,
astrometry, and structure parameters) are being released in intervals
of one to 1.5 years to the general public. Data can be accessed via
the SDSS website or
the Sky Server.
Press releases highlighting SDSS discoveries are available
from this page.
Links to SDSS publications can be found
here.
Highlights of SDSS research at MPIA
and publications of the SDSS group at MPIA
are available from our local pages.
Responsible: Eric Bell
Last updated: October 2nd, 2004