Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-grxwn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-02-01T03:53:51.489Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Wide-field Astronomy with Tech Pan Film - A Positive Outlook for Schmidt Photography

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 April 2016

Quentin A Parker ,
Steven Phillipps  and
David Morgan
Quentin A Parker
Affiliation:
Anglo-Australian Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW 2357, Australia
Steven Phillipps
Affiliation:
University of Wales, College of Cardiff, Wales, UK
David Morgan
Affiliation:
Royal Observatory, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

The introduction of film-based Kodak Technical Pan emulsion at the UKST has led to a new lease of life for deep, wide-field astrophotography. This is because the excellent imaging, resolution and low noise characteristics of Tech Pan typically yield a one magnitude depth gain over equivalent IIIa-F plates. Many new projects are underway to take advantage of the significant information gains. The cheap cost of film and ease of transportation gives direct economic benefits too. Tech Pan could also offer a medium term, competitive alternative to CCD mosaics for providing new, deep, wide-field surveys via stacking of several digitised exposures of the same field. A one magnitude gain could result from the stacking of just 6 Tech Pan films to yield an R ∼ 23.5–24. Even without digital co-addition the largest current CCDs cannot hope to match Tech Pan’s inherent ∼ 3 µm resolution and the 40 square degree area coverage of the UKST.

Type
IV. Other Technical Developments
Information
International Astronomical Union Colloquium , Volume 148: The Future Utilisation of Schmidt Telescopes , 1995 , pp. 96 - 103
Copyright
Copyright © Astronomical Society of the Pacific 1995

References

Bland-Hawthorn, J., Shopbell, P.L. & Malin, D.F., 1993, AJ, 106, 2154 Google Scholar
Cannon, R.D., 1984, In “Astronomical Photography”, pl19, Occasional reports of the Royal Observatory Edinburgh, eds Sim, M.E. & Ishida, K..Google Scholar
Drinkwater, M., 1993, AAO Newsletter 64 Google Scholar
Eccles, M.J., Sim, M.E., & Tritton, K.P., 1983, In Low level light detectors in Astronomy, chapters 2&3, Cambridge University press Google Scholar
Evans, D.W., 1993, In IAU Commission No.9, Newsletter No.3, p64 Google Scholar
Everhard, E., 1981, In Astronomical Photography, pll7., Occasional reports of the Royal Observatory Edinburgh, eds Heudier, J.L. & Sim, M.E. Google Scholar
Kemp, S.N., 1994, A&AS, 282, 425 Google Scholar
Kodak Publication Q-34, 1970, Dimensional stability of KODAK Estar base films for the Graphic artsGoogle Scholar
Kodak Publn.P-255, 1981, KODAK Technical Pan FilmGoogle Scholar
Kodak Publn.P-315, 1987, Scientific Imaging with KODAK filmsGoogle Scholar
MacGillivray, H.T. & Stobie, R.S., 1984, Vistas in Astronomy, 27, 433 Google Scholar
Malin, D.F., 1981, J. Photog. Sci. 21, 199 Google Scholar
Marston, A.P., 1988, MNRAS, 255, 295 Google Scholar
Miller, L., Cormack, W., Paterson, M.J., Beard, S.M. & Lawrence, L., 1992, In Digitised Optical Sky Surveys II, pl33, Kluwer academic publishers.Google Scholar
Parker, Q.A., 1992, Report on Kodak Tech Pan 4415 estar-based emulsion, AAO internal documentGoogle Scholar
Parker, Q.A., Morgan, D.H. & Phillipps, S., 1993, IAU Commission No.9, Newsletter No.3, p60 Google Scholar
Phillips, S. & Parker, Q.A., 1993, MNRAS, 265, 385 Google Scholar
Russell, K.S., Malin, D.F., Savage, A., Hartley, M. & Parker, Q.A., 1992, In ‘‘Digitised Optical Sky Surveys II, p23, Kluwer academic publishers Google Scholar
West, R.M., Kurtanidze, O.M., Geonijan, L.A. & Kimeridze, G.N., 1981, AAS Photo-BuEetin No 28, p3 Google Scholar