Q.A.Parker, S.Phillipps, PASA, 14 (1), 117.
Next Section: The advantages of Tech Title/Abstract Page: A UKST H survey Previous Section: A UKST H survey | Contents Page: Volume 14, Number 1 |
The need for the survey
Considering the importance of star formation and its variation within and between galaxies it is surprising how little survey work has been done. Gunn made a systematic H survey in the 1950's using coarse grained emulsion and a 6inch telescope, but other work has concentrated on relatively small areas for specific study. The only existing UK Schmidt Telescope (UKST) wide area H survey work dates to the late 1970's (Davis, Elliot & Meaburn, 1976) using mainly coarse grained (though fast) 098 emulsion and a far from optimum filter. Many parts of the plane are unsurveyed, particularly the outer extensions beyond a few degrees from the Galactic equator, whilst the Northern Milky-Way above Dec has not been covered at all. Progress in other wavebands highlights the paucity of the optical counterpart for the study of Galactic gas. There is a clear need for a high resolution optical survey to complement studies at other wavebands.
© Copyright Astronomical Society of Australia 1997