Specification of IRAS Confused Regions
Abstract
This document reports on the efforts to define the IRAS confused regions. The subset will be limited by the availability of survey data in the regions which are identified as point source confused by the current (Ver 2.0) IRAS point source catalog (PSC). Available coincident AO data will be an important validation source. The sensitivity and spatial resolution capabilities of the IRAS telescope failed to resolve individual sources in many regions of high source density. Approximately 10% of the sources catalogued in the PSC are tagged as 'confused' in some way; the location of a source, the number of sources at a location, the temporal occurrence and variation of a source, and/or the intensity of a source(s) was not discernible by the source identification/ discrimination methods used to compile the PSC. In these regions of infrared clutter, the PSC can underestimate the number of point sources by as much as a factor of 3 to 5 in the IRAS Bands 1 and 2 (12 and 25 microns respectively). Analysis for improved source counts is designed to enhance the description and spatial definition of the mid- and long wavelength infrared celestial background, and includes generation of high spatial resolution images of the confused regions. Analysis of these images will improve the accuracy of source counts, locations, and flux estimates in the PSC. More detailed knowledge of the high source density regions will improve our ability to understand star formation and galactic evolution. It will also greatly improve our knowledge of a type of celestial background which presents a serious clutter problem for space-born surveillance system sensors.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 19, 1990
- Accession Number
- ADA230568
Entities
People
- C. E. Woodward
- J. P. Kennealy
- R. M. Korte