scholarly journals Gaia Data Release 2

2018 ◽  
Vol 616 ◽  
pp. A17 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Arenou ◽  
X. Luri ◽  
C. Babusiaux ◽  
C. Fabricius ◽  
A. Helmi ◽  
...  

Context. The second Gaia data release (DR2) contains very precise astrometric and photometric properties for more than one billion sources, astrophysical parameters for dozens of millions, radial velocities for millions, variability information for half a million stars from selected variability classes, and orbits for thousands of solar system objects. Aims. Before the catalogue was published, these data have undergone dedicated validation processes. The goal of this paper is to describe the validation results in terms of completeness, accuracy, and precision of the various Gaia DR2 data. Methods. The validation processes include a systematic analysis of the catalogue content to detect anomalies, either individual errors or statistical properties, using statistical analysis and comparisons to external data or to models. Results. Although the astrometric, photometric, and spectroscopic data are of unprecedented quality and quantity, it is shown that the data cannot be used without dedicated attention to the limitations described here, in the catalogue documentation and in accompanying papers. We place special emphasis on the caveats for the statistical use of the data in scientific exploitation. In particular, we discuss the quality filters and the consideration of the properties, systematics, and uncertainties from astrometry to astrophysical parameters, together with the various selection functions.

2018 ◽  
Vol 616 ◽  
pp. A1 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
A. G. A. Brown ◽  
A. Vallenari ◽  
T. Prusti ◽  
J. H. J. de Bruijne ◽  
...  

Context. We present the second Gaia data release, Gaia DR2, consisting of astrometry, photometry, radial velocities, and information on astrophysical parameters and variability, for sources brighter than magnitude 21. In addition epoch astrometry and photometry are provided for a modest sample of minor planets in the solar system. Aims. A summary of the contents of Gaia DR2 is presented, accompanied by a discussion on the differences with respect to Gaia DR1 and an overview of the main limitations which are still present in the survey. Recommendations are made on the responsible use of Gaia DR2 results. Methods. The raw data collected with the Gaia instruments during the first 22 months of the mission have been processed by the Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium (DPAC) and turned into this second data release, which represents a major advance with respect to Gaia DR1 in terms of completeness, performance, and richness of the data products. Results. Gaia DR2 contains celestial positions and the apparent brightness in G for approximately 1.7 billion sources. For 1.3 billion of those sources, parallaxes and proper motions are in addition available. The sample of sources for which variability information is provided is expanded to 0.5 million stars. This data release contains four new elements: broad-band colour information in the form of the apparent brightness in the GBP (330–680 nm) and GRP (630–1050 nm) bands is available for 1.4 billion sources; median radial velocities for some 7 million sources are presented; for between 77 and 161 million sources estimates are provided of the stellar effective temperature, extinction, reddening, and radius and luminosity; and for a pre-selected list of 14 000 minor planets in the solar system epoch astrometry and photometry are presented. Finally, Gaia DR2 also represents a new materialisation of the celestial reference frame in the optical, the Gaia-CRF2, which is the first optical reference frame based solely on extragalactic sources. There are notable changes in the photometric system and the catalogue source list with respect to Gaia DR1, and we stress the need to consider the two data releases as independent. Conclusions. Gaia DR2 represents a major achievement for the Gaia mission, delivering on the long standing promise to provide parallaxes and proper motions for over 1 billion stars, and representing a first step in the availability of complementary radial velocity and source astrophysical information for a sample of stars in the Gaia survey which covers a very substantial fraction of the volume of our galaxy.


2020 ◽  
Vol 247 (1) ◽  
pp. 26 ◽  
Author(s):  
András Pál ◽  
Róbert Szakáts ◽  
Csaba Kiss ◽  
Attila Bódi ◽  
Zsófia Bognár ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 162 (6) ◽  
pp. 244
Author(s):  
Katie M. Fasbender ◽  
David L. Nidever

Abstract Despite extensive searches and the relative proximity of solar system objects (SSOs) to Earth, many remain undiscovered and there is still much to learn about their properties and interactions. This work is the first in a series dedicated to detecting and analyzing SSOs in the all-sky NOIRLab Source Catalog (NSC). We search the first data release of the NSC with CANFind, a Computationally Automated NSC tracklet Finder. NSC DR1 contains 34 billion measurements of 2.9 billion unique objects, which CANFind categorizes as belonging to “stationary” (distant stars, galaxies) or moving (SSOs) objects via an iterative clustering method. Detections of stationary bodies for proper-motion μ ≤ 2.″5 hr−1 (0.°017 day−1) are identified and analyzed separately. Remaining detections belonging to high-μ objects are clustered together over single nights to form “tracklets.” Each tracklet contains detections of an individual moving object, and is validated based on spatial linearity and motion through time. Proper motions are then calculated and used to connect tracklets and other unassociated measurements over multiple nights by predicting their locations at common times, forming “tracks.” This method extracted 527,055 tracklets from NSC DR1 in an area covering 29,971 square degrees of the sky. The data show distinct groups of objects with similar observed μ in ecliptic coordinates, namely Main Belt Asteroids, Jupiter Trojans, and Kuiper Belt Objects. Apparent magnitudes range from 10 to 25 mag in the ugrizY and VR bands. Color–color diagrams show a bimodality of tracklets between primarily carbonaceous and siliceous groups, supporting prior studies.


2018 ◽  
Vol 616 ◽  
pp. A6 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Sartoretti ◽  
D. Katz ◽  
M. Cropper ◽  
P. Panuzzo ◽  
G. M. Seabroke ◽  
...  

Context. The Gaia Data Release 2 (DR2) contains the first release of radial velocities complementing the kinematic data of a sample of about 7 million relatively bright, late-type stars. Aims. This paper provides a detailed description of the Gaia spectroscopic data processing pipeline, and of the approach adopted to derive the radial velocities presented in DR2. Methods. The pipeline must perform four main tasks: (i) clean and reduce the spectra observed with the Radial Velocity Spectrometer (RVS); (ii) calibrate the RVS instrument, including wavelength, straylight, line-spread function, bias non-uniformity, and photometric zeropoint; (iii) extract the radial velocities; and (iv) verify the accuracy and precision of the results. The radial velocity of a star is obtained through a fit of the RVS spectrum relative to an appropriate synthetic template spectrum. An additional task of the spectroscopic pipeline was to provide first-order estimates of the stellar atmospheric parameters required to select such template spectra. We describe the pipeline features and present the detailed calibration algorithms and software solutions we used to produce the radial velocities published in DR2. Results. The spectroscopic processing pipeline produced median radial velocities for Gaia stars with narrow-band near-IR magnitude GRVS ≤ 12 (i.e. brighter than V ~ 13). Stars identified as double-lined spectroscopic binaries were removed from the pipeline, while variable stars, single-lined, and non-detected double-lined spectroscopic binaries were treated as single stars. The scatter in radial velocity among different observations of a same star, also published in Gaia DR2, provides information about radial velocity variability. For the hottest (Teff ≥ 7000 K) and coolest (Teff ≤ 3500 K) stars, the accuracy and precision of the stellar parameter estimates are not sufficient to allow selection of appropriate templates. The radial velocities obtained for these stars were removed from DR2. The pipeline also provides a first-order estimate of the performance obtained. The overall accuracy of radial velocity measurements is around ~200–300 m s−1, and the overall precision is ~1 km s−1; it reaches ~200 m s−1 for the brightest stars.


2007 ◽  
Vol 3 (S248) ◽  
pp. 66-73
Author(s):  
J.-E. Arlot

AbstractThe main goal of the astrometry of solar system objects is to build dynamical models of their motions to understand their evolution, to determine physical parameters and to build accurate ephemerides for the preparation and the exploitation of space missions. For many objects, the ground-based observations are still very important because radar or observations from space probes are not available. More, the need of observations on a long period of time makes the ground-based observations necessary. The solar system objects have very different characteristics and the increase of the astrometric accuracy will depend on the objects and on their physical characteristics. The purpose of this communication is to show how to get the best astrometric accuracy.


Nematology ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 229-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wim Van Den Berg ◽  
Olaf Hartsema ◽  
Loes J.M.F. Den Nijs

A series of proficiency tests on potato cyst nematode (PCN; ) and free-living stages of Meloidogyne and Pratylenchus () were investigated to determine the accuracy and precision of the nematode counts and to gain insights into possible trends and potential improvements. In each test, each participating laboratory received ten samples of soil collected from naturally infested fields and well mixed before distribution. The variance between the counts from the ten samples, estimated per test and laboratory, was constant for PCN cysts and free-living stages of Meloidogyne spp. and Pratylenchus spp. during the period monitored. However, during the initial years, the variance between the samples showed a downward trend for PCN living juveniles. The variance between the laboratories, estimated per test, was constant for PCN cysts over the period 1994-2010. For PCN living juveniles the variance between laboratory means declined from 1994-2000 and from 2000 it was more or less constant, which coincided with the introduction of a well-described new methodology. For Meloidogyne spp. and Pratylenchus spp., from 1998-2005 the variance between laboratory means was more or less constant or increased. From 2006, all participating laboratories incubated the organic matter and the variance between the laboratories was stable and below the levels observed during 2003-2005. After discarding data from initial years with unstable variances of the nematode counts, a meta-analysis was carried out on the remaining data using HGLMs to model the mean and variance of the counts simultaneously. The within-laboratory variance for the ten samples and the interaction variance of test and laboratory were estimated and combined to percentage coefficient of variation (%CV) per laboratory. For PCN cysts, %CV per laboratory ranged from 12.6 to 41.6 and for PCN juveniles in sandy soil from 24.4 to 67.4 and in loamy soil from 37.9 to 102.0. For Meloidogyne spp., %CV ranged from 53.2 to 84.4 and for Pratylenchus spp. from 24.3 to 90.6. The quality of a proficiency test is largely defined by random distribution of the nematodes over the samples allocated, statistical analysis of the data and communication of the results to participating laboratories. This study provides insights into the accuracy and precision at laboratories in recent years and the effect of concerted actions during the period in which the proficiency tests were conducted.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dwaipayan Deb ◽  
Pavan Chakraborty

Abstract Surfaces of solid solar system objects are covered by layers of particulate materials called regolith originated from their surface bedrock. They preserve important information about surface geological processes. Often regolith is composed of more than one type of particle in terms of composition, maturity, size, etc. Experiments and theoretical works are being carried out to constrain the result of mixing and extract the abundance of compositional end-members from regolith spectra. In this work we have studied, photometric light scattering from simulated surfaces made of two different materials – one is highly bright quartz particles ≈ 80µm and the other moderately bright sandstone particles ≈ 250µm. The samples were mixed with varying proportions and investigated at normal illumination conditions to avoid the shadowing effect. Said combinations may resemble ice mixed regolith on various solar system objects and therefore important for in situ observations. We find that the combinations show a linear trend in the corresponding reflectance data in terms of their mixing proportion and some interesting facts come out when compared to previous studies.


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