Astronomy From Wide-Field Imaging : Proceedings of the 161st Symposium of the International Astronomical Union, Held in Potsdam, Germany, August 23–27, 1993

H.T. MacGilLIVRAY Royal Observatory Blackford Hill Edinburgh EH9 3HJ Scotland U.K. lAU Symposium No. 161 on 'Astronomy from Wide-Field Imaging', held in Potsdam, Germany, during 23-27th August 1993, was the first conference organised by the recently-formed Working Group of lAU Commission 9 on 'Wide-Field Imaging'. This Working Group was instigated during the XXIst meeting of the General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union in Buenos Aires in 1991, and represented a merging of the former formal lAU Working Group on 'Astronomical Photography' and the informal 'Digitised Optical Sky Surveys' Working Group. Dr. Richard West was 'invited' to be Chairperson, and hence was given the daunting task of organising the Group from scratch. The very fact that the first conference after only two years was a major lAU Symposium says much about the determination and enthusiasm of Richard West to fulfilling the aims of the new Working Group. The siting of the conference in Potsdam in formerly East Germany provided an excellent opportunity to advantage from the political changes in Eastern Europe. Good access to the meeting was possible by scientists from Eastern European countries, allowing exchange of information on the very important Wide-Field facilities in both East and West, information on the rich archives of photographic plates that exist in both East and West, and allowing discussions between scientists facing very similar problems in both East and West. Front Matter....Pages i-xxxii Front Matter....Pages 1-1 The Importance of Wide-Field Imaging....Pages 3-11 Infrared Wide-Field Surveys....Pages 13-16 Wide Field Imaging and Photometry with 2k x 2k CCD....Pages 17-19 Beijing — Arizona Color (BAC) Sky Survey....Pages 20-21 Very Wide-Field Monitoring of the Sky....Pages 23-27 The Second Palomar Sky Survey....Pages 29-29 The Palomar Observatory-European Observatory Photographic Atlas of the Northern Sky....Pages 30-32 First Steps Toward a CCD-Based Sky Patrol....Pages 33-35 SNE from Surveys and Patrols....Pages 37-41 Sonneberg Observatory: Sky Patrol, Field Patrol, the World’s Largest Living WFPA....Pages 43-45 The Schmidt Telescope at Calar Alto Observatory....Pages 46-48 German Astrophysical Space Projects....Pages 49-51 Mouse: A Mini Observatory for UV Space Exploration of the Galactic Poles and Equator....Pages 52-54 Glazar-2: A Wide-Field Camera Aboard the Mir Space Station....Pages 55-56 Simultaneous Optical/Gamma-Ray Observations of Gamma-Ray Bursts....Pages 57-59 Wide-Field Photographic Versus Wide-Field CCD Techniques in the Activity Analysis of dM Stars....Pages 61-64 Front Matter....Pages 65-65 The CCD Array Camera for the Macho Project....Pages 67-71 LITE: The Large Imaging Telescope....Pages 73-76 The Hitchhiker Parallel Camera and Studies of Faint Galaxies....Pages 77-78 CCD Imaging with a 1° Field....Pages 79-81 Front Matter....Pages 65-65 Digital Image Processing and CCD Imaging at Gothard Astrophysical Observatory....Pages 82-83 A Flair for Multi-Object Spectroscopy....Pages 85-88 Near-Infrared Imaging with a Schmidt Telescope....Pages 89-90 The ESO Measuring Machines....Pages 91-92 Optical Systems for the ‘large Imaging Telescope’ (LITE)....Pages 93-99 Wide-Field-Imaging 3-Mirror-Systems with High Light Gathering Power and a Wide-Field Optical System for the ‘Large Imaging Telescope’ (LITE)....Pages 101-107 Newly Developed Diffraction Limited Optics Up to 180 Degrees Object Field....Pages 109-113 Front Matter....Pages 115-115 Photography in Wide-Field Astronomy....Pages 117-125 Kodak and the Future of Astronomical Photography....Pages 127-128 Use of Kodak Tech-Pan Film at the Ukstu....Pages 129-139 Photographic Wide-Field Imaging from Schmidt Plates — I....Pages 141-145 Photographic Wide-Field Imaging from Schmidt Plates — II....Pages 147-149 Microspots on IIIa- Emulsions: New Results....Pages 151-156 Hydrogen-Sensitized Fine-Grain Quasi-T Astronomical Plates....Pages 157-159 Front Matter....Pages 161-161 Digitization in Astronomy....Pages 163-166 Digitization Programs at STScI....Pages 167-171 Astrometric Programs with the New Hamburg Plate Measuring Machine....Pages 173-176 A Deep Wide-Field Survey from Digitally Stacked Schmidt Plates....Pages 177-181 Scanning the Sonneberg Plate Archive with DIA....Pages 183-184 A Universal Microphotometer with a Rotating Slit: Brief Description and Use in Astronomical Tasks....Pages 185-187 Front Matter....Pages 161-161 A Universal Microphotometer and Solar Corona Polarimetry....Pages 188-190 Front Matter....Pages 191-191 Image Detection, Characterization and Classification, and the Future Role of CCDS in Wide-Field Astrometry....Pages 193-203 Cataloging the Northern Sky Using a new Generation of Software Technology....Pages 205-212 Image Inventory Using the Wavelet Transform....Pages 213-217 Data Compression and Wavelet Transforms....Pages 219-223 Star Image Identification and Characterization on Astrographic Plates....Pages 225-226 Classification: Astronomical and Mathematical Overview....Pages 227-233 The Performance of Neural Networks in Astronomical Image Classification....Pages 235-241 Automatic Morphological Classification of Galaxies....Pages 243-247 Faint Object Classification Using Artificial Neural Networks....Pages 249-252 Recent Developments in the Work on Automated Spectral Classification by Means of Objective Prism Spectra....Pages 253-254 An Extended Scheme of Spectral Classification for Objective Prism Spectra....Pages 255-257 Front Matter....Pages 261-261 Reference Catalogues — Present Status and Future Prospects....Pages 261-270 The System and Quality of the AGK3U....Pages 271-275 GSC 1.2 — A Subplate Reduction of the GSC....Pages 277-279 Simulation of Stellar Images for Schmidt Plate Astrometry....Pages 280-282 Astrometry with Wide-Field Telescopes in the Abastumani Astrophysical Observatory....Pages 283-284 Some Results of CCD-Camera Based Astrometric Plate Measurements....Pages 285-287 Optimized Model-Functions for CCD-Camera Based Astrometric Plate Measurements....Pages 288-290 Astrometric Standard Fields for CCD Observations of Double Stars....Pages 291-293 Front Matter....Pages 261-261 Photometric Calibration and Large-Scale Clustering in the Universe....Pages 295-300 Photometric Calibrators for all-Sky Surveys: The GSPC-II Program....Pages 301-303 Stellar Photometry with Wide Field CCDs: NGC 6822....Pages 305-308 Peculiarities of the Internal Photometrical Calibration Method Using Density Stellar Profiles....Pages 309-310 Multi-Parametric Iris-Photometry....Pages 311-311 A Photometrical Investigation on the RC System of the 2M Ritchey-Chretien Coude Telescope of the Rozhen Observatory....Pages 312-313 Intensity Calibration in the Presence of a Disturbing Effect Dependent on Wavelength....Pages 314-316 Brightness Calibration of Digitized Objective-Prism Plates....Pages 317-319 Digital Processing on Comets....Pages 321-327 Front Matter....Pages 329-329 The Future of Memory: Archiving Astronomical Information....Pages 331-337 Data Storage Technology: Coping with the Evolution....Pages 339-346 Aladin: an Interactive Deep Sky Mapping Facility....Pages 347-351 Client/Server Access to the Simbad Database within the Aladin Project....Pages 353-355 Pickles: A Wide-Field Imaging Tool....Pages 356-358 The WG WFI Plate Database (WFPDB): Present Status....Pages 359-364 The Harvard College Observatory Plate Collection....Pages 365-366 The Plate Archive of the Tautenburg Schmidt Telescope....Pages 367-368 The Sonneberg Plate Collection: Handling the Archive....Pages 369-370 Direct-Photography Observations with the 2 M RCC Telescope at Nao-Rozhen: Catalogue of Plates and Archive-Data Analysis....Pages 371-375 Catalogue of the Rozhen Observatory Schmidt Telescope....Pages 377-379 Front Matter....Pages 329-329 Flare Stars Database....Pages 380-382 Front Matter....Pages 383-383 Asteroid and Comet Surveys....Pages 385-400 Front Matter....Pages 401-401 Star Counts and the Milky way Structure....Pages 403-410 The Luminosity and Mass Functions at the Bottom of the Main Sequence....Pages 411-415 The Galactic Disc Evolution From (V, B - V) Counts at the Galactic Pole....Pages 417-419 Vertical Metallicity Gradient of the Galaxy Based on UBV Starcount Data....Pages 420-422 Deep Multi-Colour Starcounts....Pages 423-424 Astrometry and Galactic Structure....Pages 425-434 The Vertical Structure and Kinematics of the Galaxy....Pages 435-439 Wide-Field Stellar Statistics from Tautenburg Schmidt Plates....Pages 441-443 Stellar Kinematics in the Galactic North Pole Region on the Basis of Tautenburg Schmidt Telescope Plates....Pages 444-446 A Complete, Multicolour Survey of Absolute Proper Motions in the Anticentre Direction at Intermediate Latitude: Kinematics of the Galaxy’S Stellar Populations....Pages 447-449 Milli-Arcsecond Proper Motions in the Pleiades....Pages 450-452 Orbits of Galactic Globular Clusters from Schmidt Plate Astrometry....Pages 453-459 Membership and Internal Motions of Faint Stars in the Globular Cluster M 3....Pages 461-463 Absolute Proper and Space Motion of the Globular Cluster M2....Pages 464-466 Objective-Prism Surveys of the Galaxy....Pages 467-469 Objective Prism Study of Star Forming Regions....Pages 470-472 Observations of OB Stellar Associations with the Space Telescope Glazar....Pages 473-474 Wide-Field Observations of Variable Stars in the Region of NGC 7129....Pages 475-477 Front Matter....Pages 401-401 The Binaries-in-Clusters Program in the Age of Imaging....Pages 478-480 First Observations with the Bonn Wide-Field Photometer and Polarimeter (WWFPP): Surface Polarimetry of the Crab Nebula....Pages 481-483 CCD Imaging of Nearby Aged Planetary Nebulae....Pages 484-486 Front Matter....Pages 487-487 New Results on the Magellanic Clouds....Pages 489-496 Extended Surveys of MC Star Clusters....Pages 497-501 Hα Survey of the Milky Way and Magellanic Clouds....Pages 503-507 Surveys for Field Carbon Stars in the Magellanic Clouds....Pages 509-512 Carbon Stars in the SMC....Pages 513-515 Wide Field Star Count Mapping of Large Scale Areas of Star Formation in the Large Magellanic Cloud....Pages 516-517 Qualitative Analysis of the Stellar Content in LMC Clusters and Fields Using Objective Prism Schmidt Plates....Pages 518-519 CCD and Schmidt-Plate Photometry and Astrometry in Region E of the LMC....Pages 520-522 Front Matter....Pages 523-523 DWARF Spheroidal Galaxies....Pages 525-533 Absolute Proper Motions of the DWARF Spheroidal Galaxies in Draco and Ursa Minor....Pages 535-539 Surveys of Low Surface Brightness Galaxies with 4415 Films....Pages 541-544 Recent Results from Low Surface Brightness Galaxy Surveys....Pages 545-547 Automatic Detection of Low-Surface Brightness Galaxies on Digital Images....Pages 549-552 Surface Photometry of Low-Surface-Brightness Galaxies in the Area of the NGC 972 Group of Galaxies....Pages 553-555 Front Matter....Pages 557-557 Global Properties of Nearby Galaxies....Pages 559-566 Interacting Galaxies in the Virgo Cluster....Pages 567-576 Luminosity Function and Spatial Distribution of Nearby Galaxies....Pages 577-581 Front Matter....Pages 557-557 Hunting for Globular Cluster Candidates in the Far Halo (d > 20 kpc) of M 31 with the Tautenburg Schmidt Telescope....Pages 583-586 An Efficient Method to Survey Typical Objects in Nearby Galaxies....Pages 587-588 Dust in Nearby DWARF Galaxies....Pages 589-591 UBV Photometry in the Group of Galaxies NGC 2805, NGC 2814, NGC 2820 and MKN 108....Pages 592-593 Photographic Surface Photometry of Bright Galaxies in the M 81 Group....Pages 594-595 A Burst of Star Formation in Galaxies of the M 81 Group....Pages 596-598 Wide-Field Imaging of Nearby Galaxies in Near-Infrared Bands....Pages 599-600 Front Matter....Pages 601-601 Surface Photometry of Galaxies in the Pisces-Perseus Region....Pages 603-609 An Automatic Approach for Selecting New Hα Emission-Line Galaxies....Pages 611-614 A Survey for Ultraviolet-Excess Galaxies with the Kiso Schmidt Telescope....Pages 615-617 Photometry of Hickson Compact Group N.90....Pages 619-622 Observational Properties of the Shakhbazian Groups SHKH 30 and SHKH 360....Pages 623-625 The Photometric and Geometric Parameters of Galaxies in Clusters A 1983, 2065....Pages 626-628 Luminosity Distribution in CD Clusters....Pages 629-631 Wide-Field Galaxy and Cluster Surveys Using Cosmos....Pages 632-634 Galaxy Clustering to B = 27 m ....Pages 635-643 Galaxy Number-Counts to B = 28 m ....Pages 645-648 The Evolution of Galaxies in the Last 10 GYR....Pages 649-651 Optical Identification of Rosat All-Sky Survey Galaxy Cluster Candidates....Pages 653-657 Rosat-Detected Galaxies in the Iras Faint Source Database (FSDB)....Pages 658-659 Front Matter....Pages 601-601 Rapid X-Ray Variability and the Fe II Problem in I ZW 1 objects....Pages 660-661 Extreme Starburst or Central Activity in X-Ray Luminous Iras Galaxies....Pages 662-663 Cluster Abundance as Test of the Primordial Perturbation Spectrum....Pages 664-666 Front Matter....Pages 667-667 Mapping the Large-Scale Structure....Pages 669-686 A Redshift Survey in the South Galactic Pole Region....Pages 687-691 Large-Scale Structure in the Durham/UKST Galaxy Redshift Survey....Pages 693-697 The Muenster Redshift Project (MRSP)....Pages 699-704 Search for Faint Galaxies Towards Nearby Voids....Pages 705-708 Slitless Spectroscopy with Photographic and CCD Detectors Across Large Fields....Pages 709-714 Unbiased Multi-Parametric Estimations of Distances and Peculiar Velocities of the Galaxies....Pages 715-717 Front Matter....Pages 719-719 Quasar Variability from Microlensing....Pages 721-722 The Hamburg/ESO Survey for Bright Qsos — Slitless Spectroscopy at High Resolution....Pages 723-727 The Hamburg Quasar Survey....Pages 729-730 The Second Byurakan Survey....Pages 731-736 A Study of the Optical Long-Term Behaviour of Quasars....Pages 737-739 Systematic Search for Quasar Candidates Using the Mama Microdensitometer....Pages 740-742 Front Matter....Pages 743-743 An Overview of Wide Field Imaging....Pages 745-751 Back Matter....Pages 753-760 "The importance of "Wide-Field Imaging" in astronomy has never been so evident. The major new deep photographic surveys of the sky are nearing completion. The advent of large-format solid state detectors will provide further deep digital sky survey data. Optical surveys of the sky are being complemented by surveys in other wavebands of the electromagnetic spectrum, principally in the x-ray and near-infrared. The mass of digital data being gathered is driving the need for mass-storage archival capability, and for rapid capabilities in data acquisitioning and processing. New techniques are being developed to optimise the extraction of the information content. The quality and quantity of data now available to astronomers are enabling major new breakthroughs in many fields, e.g. studies of the structure of our own Galaxy and properties of nearby galaxies, the large-scale distribution of galaxies and the nature of the mass-content of the Universe. All these facets of wide-field astronomy are brought together (for the very first time) in this book."--BOOK JACKET