Related papers: The StarScan plate measuring machine: overview and…
In the field of planet and proto-planetary disk detection, achieving high angular resolution and high dynamic range is a necessity. Coronography coupled with adaptive optics on Hubble Space Telescope is a way to get both good spatial…
Fast astronomical transients were observed by the VASCO Project (Villarroel et al 2020) in photographic sky surveys conducted in the 1950s. Those searches analyzed the Palomar Observatory Sky Survey (POSS-I and POSS-II) digitized plates. In…
The ACS Survey of Globular Clusters has used HST's Wide-Field Channel to obtain uniform imaging of 65 of the nearest globular clusters to provide an extensive homogeneous dataset for a broad range of scientific investigations. The survey…
The Tycho-2 Catalogue, released in February 2000, is based on the ESA Hipparcos space mission data and various ground-based catalogs for proper motions. An external comparison of the Tycho-2 astrometry is presented here using the first U.S.…
We present a recalibration of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) photometry with new flat fields and zero points derived from Pan-STARRS1 (PS1). Using PSF photometry of 60 million stars with $16 < r < 20$, we derive a model of amplifier…
The advent of next-generation imaging telescopes such as LSST and Pan-STARRS has revitalized the need for deep and precise reference frames. The proposed weak-lensing observations with these facilities put the highest demands on image…
We have derived a new photographic photometry and proper motions for 20000 stars with completeness to V = 18 in the direction of galactic center at the intermediate latitude (l = 3 deg,b = 47 deg; alpha(1950)=15h 18m, delta(1950) = +02deg…
URAT1 is an observational, astrometric catalog covering most of the Dec >= -15 deg area and a magnitude range of about R = 3 to 18.5. Accurate positions (typically 10 to 30 mas standard error) are given for over 228 million objects at a…
Absolute proper motions for $\sim$ 7.7 million objects were derived based on data from the South Galactic Cap u-band Sky Survey (SCUSS) and astrometric data derived from uncompressed Digitized Sky Surveys that the Space Telescope Science…
We demonstrate ground-based submillimagnitude (<10^-3) photometry of widely separated bright stars using snapshot CCD imaging. We routinely achieved this photometric precision by (1) choosing nearby comparison stars of a similar magnitude…
Commercial flatbed scanners have the potential to deliver a quick and efficient means of capturing the scientific content of spectra recorded on photographic plates. We discuss the digitization of selected spectra in the Dominion…
We overview the current status of photometric analyses of images collected with Multi Conjugate Adaptive Optics (MCAO) at 8-10m class telescopes that operated, or are operating, on sky. Particular attention will be payed to resolved stellar…
We present imaging data and photometry for the COSMOS survey in 15 photometric bands between 0.3um and 2.4um. These include data taken on the Subaru 8.3m telescope, the KPNO and CTIO 4m telescopes, and the CFHT 3.6m telescope. Special…
We present a solution to determine the actual or physical relative positions between CCD chips. Due to the limited depth of the Gaia catalogue, there may be few stars identified from the Gaia catalogue for astrometric calibration on the…
The Cluster Lensing And Supernovae survey with Hubble (CLASH) is an Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Multi-Cycle Treasury program observing 25 massive galaxy clusters. CLASH observations are carried out in 16 bands from UV to NIR to derive…
The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) will carry out a digital photometric and spectroscopic survey over pi steradians in the northern Galactic cap. An array of CCD detectors used in drift-scan mode will image the sky in five passbands to a…
We review the systematic uncertainties that have plagued attempts to obtain high precision and high accuracy from ground-based photometric measurements using CCDs. We identify two main challenges in breaking through the 1% precision…
PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars (PLATO) is a medium-class mission belonging to the European Space Agency (ESA) Cosmic Vision programme. The mission payload is composed of 26 telescopes and cameras which will observe…
Astrometry provides the foundation for astrophysics. Accurate positions are required for the association of sources detected at different times or wavelengths, and distances are essential to estimate the size, luminosity, mass, and ages of…
We present a test for spin-orbit alignment for the host stars of 25 candidate planetary systems detected by the {\it Kepler} spacecraft. The inclination angle of each star's rotation axis was estimated from its rotation period, rotational…