Article

The SkyMapper Telescope and The Southern Sky Survey

S. KellerResearch School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University, Cotter Rd, Weston ACT 2611, AustraliaB. SchmidtResearch School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University, Cotter Rd, Weston ACT 2611, AustraliaM. S. BessellResearch School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University, Cotter Rd, Weston ACT 2611, AustraliaP. ConroyResearch School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University, Cotter Rd, Weston ACT 2611, AustraliaPaul FrancisResearch School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University, Cotter Rd, Weston ACT 2611, AustraliaAlexander GranlundResearch School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University, Cotter Rd, Weston ACT 2611, AustraliaE. KowaldResearch School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University, Cotter Rd, Weston ACT 2611, AustraliaA. P. OatesResearch School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University, Cotter Rd, Weston ACT 2611, AustraliaTony Martin-JonesResearch School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University, Cotter Rd, Weston ACT 2611, AustraliaT. PrestonResearch School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University, Cotter Rd, Weston ACT 2611, AustraliaP. TisserandResearch School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University, Cotter Rd, Weston ACT 2611, AustraliaAnnino VaccarellaResearch School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University, Cotter Rd, Weston ACT 2611, AustraliaM. WatersonResearch School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University, Cotter Rd, Weston ACT 2611, Australia

2007en

ABI

Abstract

Abstract This paper presents the design and science goals for the SkyMapper telescope. SkyMapper is a 1.3-m telescope featuring a 5.7-square-degree field-of-view Cassegrain imager commissioned for the Australian National University's Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics. It is located at Siding Spring Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia and will see first light in late 2007. The imager possesses 16 384 × 16 384 0.5-arcsec pixels. The primary scientific goal of the facility is to perform the Southern Sky Survey, a six-colour and multi-epoch (four-hour, one-day, one-week, one-month and one-year sampling) photometric survey of the southerly 2π sr to g ∼23 mag. The survey will provide photometry to better than 3% global accuracy and astrometry to better than 50 milliarcsec. Data will be supplied to the community as part of the Virtual Observatory effort. The survey will take five years to complete.

Identifiers

DOI: 10.1071/as07001

Citations and references

Cited by 30 references

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