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1. Astronomical Photographic Data Archive J.D. Cline, M.W. Castelaz, Lee Rottler, T.H. Barker Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute Workshop on Astronomical Data Preservation, AIP, Greenbelt, MD, April 18-19 2012 Not-for-profit foundation www.pari.edu • Astronomical Photographic Data Archive (APDA) • Dedicated to collection, restoration, preservation and storage of astronomical photographic data. • Tasked with digitizing and establishing a digital database of images Internet accessible. • APDA is essential both for the health of astronomical science and for credibility of the current generation of astronomers as guardians of its unique heritage. APDA’s Resource Value APDA activily contributes to educational, outreach and research programs APDA’s collections are used in primary, secondary and home-school and summer educational programs; by college students and PARI interns; for citizen science programs; and, by professional astronomers. A partial list of APDA inquiries and collaborations follows: The 200 acre Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute(PARI), looking from the 26-m East radio telescope towards the West 26-m radio telescope. APDA is located on the lower floor of the PARI Research Building adjacent to the West 26-m radio telescope. Diffuse Interstellar Bands – Digitized Survey & Identification • Rene Hudec – Astronomical Institute / Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. Comprehensive survey of Warner and Swasey thin prism inventory to assess the applicability to low-resolution spectroscopy processing aboard the ESA Gaia Satellite (schedule to launch in late 2011). APDA staff provided scans and plate analysis via the internet. Rene Hudec has made several APDA site visits. • Nesci – University of Roma – APDA scanned, calibrated and identified possible progenitor of Nova 2002. Case plate 15872 4-degree prism plate. • MacConnell – Space Telescope Science Institute – Carbon star recovery project. APDA scanned original Warner & Swasey discovery plate including hi-res scans of suspected carbon star region. Missing carbon stars had incorrect coordinates. MacConnell and Osborn (Central Michigan Univ.) identified coordinates of missing carbon stars using the new scans. Skiff determined actual coordinates and reported corrections to: SIMBAD, Alksnis (Univ. of Latvia, Latvia), Siebert & Woelfel (Univ. of Strasbourg, France), Morel (Harvard, CfA), Friel (Lowell Obs.), Smith (STScI), Thomas(Software Bisque), Osborn (Central Michigan Univ.). • Pietch - Max Planck Institut für extraterrestrische Physik – request for progenitor of Nova LMC 2009 #1. APDA searched for CTIO plates 9307-9310. • Skiff- Lowell Observatory - HD 6268 metal-poor star – reclassification project – APDA scanned CTIO plate 39565 (10-degree objective prism plate). Spectrum sent to Gray (Appalachian State University) and Corbally (University of Arizona). • Skiff – Lowell Observatory – CGCS problem stars inquiry. APDA is continuing to inspect APDA plates to identify carbon star and refine their coordinates and classifications. Results will be communicated to Fuenmayor (Universidad de los Andes, Venezuela) and SIMBAD at University of Strasbourg, France. • Skiff – Lowell Observatory – V391 Sct Dwarf Nova classification. APDA scanned Case plate #16944. Plate scan evaluated by Skiff and MacConnell at STScI. • Skiff – Lowell Observatory – HD 92755 reclassification. APDA scanned; evaluation of spectrum performed by Corbally (U. of Ariz.) and Gray (Appalachian State Univ.) • MacConnell & Lennon –STScI. Request for spectra of VES 723. VES 723 may be one of only two stars in our galaxy based on a unique set of spectral lines. • Thom Gandet AAVSO – request for spectra of 18 Tau (conjecture that 18 Tau is a B8V emission star) • Rene Hudec – Astronomical Institute – Czech Republic: Request for IRAS objects, Carbon stars and AGN spectra for presentation at the May, 2010, ESA Gaia Satellite mission meeting in Naples, Italy. • MacConnell – STScI – provided confirmation that 2MASS J2333509+5949012 is carbon and must be the star intended by Poulakos. What SIMBAD has now is correct, with the inclusion of an additional annotation by MacConnell. • Skiff – Lowell Observatory – HD1560034 Composite Binary? Brian noticed a mismatch betweeen B-V color and the published spectral types. After scanning CTIO plate, I see no evidence for a spectrum binary, at least not of widely different temps in it. • Ongoing Projects: IRAS Source Objects (Henize plates), plate scans for SCOPE, offsite backup for Harvard’s DASCH digitized scans. • Araya – Comet C/1972 X1 – possible discovery on CTIO plate 10770 4 Apr 1972 vs. 4 Apr 1974 or 2 Oct 1972 CTIO plate 11623. • The APDA main archive area is shown to the right. • Over 180,000 images are in the APDA inventory. PARI Research Building • 20,000 square foot, two story building with labs and offices. • Houses the Radio Frequency Laboratory, APDA, the Aeronomy Program Center, and lab space for short-term projects conducted by PARI Research Faculty Affiliates. • HVAC for zoned temperature and humidity control, electrical generation equipment and roof renovation completed (NSF ARI-R2 Award AST-0963300). • EMC Corporation donated a storage system now installed in the Research Building and networked through multiple GigaByte connectivity to the Internet. Image dates range from 1898 through 1994 beginning with the Harvard College Observatory - Full-Sky Survey and ending with the Warner & Swasey Kitt Peak Station - QSO survey. Partial list of image sources: Collections > 1,000 images: U of Michigan (37.5” spectra), Case Western Reserve University, Dyer Observatory, U.S. Naval Observatory (D.C.), Palomar Observatory, CTIO (including Nancy Houk southern survey), Harvard/Smithsonian (Meteor Photographic Survey & Meteorite Recovery Program), University of Toronto, McDonald Observatory, and Maria Mitchell Observatory. Collections < 1,000 images: Central Michigan University, Mount Stromlo, Canada-France-Hawaii 3.6m, David Dunlap Observatory, Tonantzintla (Observatoria Astrofisico Nacional), Las Campañas Observatory, Bloemfontaine (Karl Henize H-alpha Survey), HCO All-Sky Survey, Sky Lab (UV-spectra), Grober Schmidtspiegel, KPNO, MCT (Montreal-Cambridge-Tololo) survey, & Others. Barry Lasker Scanning Lab APDA acquired two specially built scanners, PDS 2020 substrate, from STScI: GAMMA I & II. These scanners were used to produce the Guide Star Catalog for the Hubble Space Telescope. GAMMA II’s Sun-4000 workstation has been replaced with a modern PC and new software to control the X,Y stepper motors; read X,Y position of the plate-stage from a HP-5507B Laser Position instrument (accurate to 1μm); and, record the PMT intensity levels.