SDSS

Survey overview: image roughly 1/4 celestial sphere using drift scanning in 5 colors (ugriz). Follow-up spectroscopy of roughly 1 million galaxies. Drift scanning produces stripes across sky, obtained in two strips; there is some overlap. Imaging camera has 6x5 CCDs, each 2Kx2K.

Data reduction by pipeline. Objects identified by run, rerun, camcol, field, object. A run is a single drift-scan across the sky.

Data products:

• SDSS database: includes position, flux, shape information on all objects, redshift, classification, and line strengths of those with spectra. Note data flags.
• Spectra
• Atlas images
• Corrected images

Data interfaces:

• Sky server
• MAST
• sdssQT
• FNAL image retrieval

Observing proposals

Proposal planning and writing:

scientific justification for non-specialists.

appropriate choice of observing time.

justification of time. Weather considerations.

Observing techniques

planning. Science planning. Instruction manuals. Contingency for weather.

Calibration data. More open shutter time often better, even during day!

Efficiency. Observing files and scripts.

Data quality checks: real-time reduction vs later reduction. Focus checks.