Solving Problems with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

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Solving Problems with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

• Presented by Mike Specian
• February 7, 2006

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Overview

• Telescope Logistics
• Sloans Web Interface, SkyServer
• Introduction to Database Querying with SQL
• A Great and Relevant Example

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SDSS Observing Site, Apache Point Observatory
(APO) in New Mexico
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The Sloan Telescopes
½ Meter Photometric Telescope
2.5 Meter Main Telescope
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DR1 and DR4 Data Coverage
Photometric Coverage Spectroscopic Coverage
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SDSS Data Acquisition
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SDSS Statistics

• Photometry for 100 Million Objects
• Spectroscopy for 1 Million Galaxies
• Prior to SDSS, largest survey had 10,000
  redshifts, there were about 100,000 total in the
  literature
• Mapped ¼ of the Entire Sky
• Four data releases, with a possible fifth coming
  soon
• Currently in SDSS II taking additional
  photometry and spectroscopy, also the Sloan
  Legacy Survey, SEGUE, and the Sloan Supernova
  Survey

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SDSS 3D Map
Main Galaxy Sample (MGS)
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SDSS 3D Map
Luminous Red Galaxies (LRG)
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SDSS 3D Map
QSO Sample