Preparing and Releasing the La Silla QUEST Variability Survey Data

数据挖掘是进行科学研究的一种非常有效的方法。为探测超新星和柯伊伯带天体而进行的La Silla Quest Survey(LSQ)可以被重新利用，以提供南半球多变天空的非常有用的历史。在六年的运行中，大约一半的天空平均被拍摄了200次(1000-2000次，数百平方度)，这使得它适合于从几个小时到几年的变化时间尺度研究，甚至到微弱的能见度级别。这些数据将通过延长其时间基线，在当前和未来变异性调查重叠的地区特别有用。瞬变和持久可变光源的可用光曲线将放入一个可通过因特网访问的数据库中，该数据库带有预先计算的“关于变化性和位置的签名信息”。管道重新处理的成像数据也将可用。这些数据将提供给公民科学家，如美国可变星观测者协会(AAVSO)、Zooniverse和世界望远镜，方法是为AAVSO提供一个插件，使他们的软件能够访问LSQ光曲线。这笔赠款将保存来自La Silla Quest Variable Survey(LSQ)的宝贵数据，用于未来对恒星现象的时变研究。LSQ收集的数据将经过充分校准、清理和再处理，以纠正由CCD性能、明亮恒星的电荷效应和PSF造成的影响而导致的光度和天体测量误差。它将提供一套全球参考星，以改进差示光度测量，并提供具有准确误差条的持久来源的光曲线。光曲线数据将在南半球天空上任何位置的数据可供搜索，并可在邮戳“电影”中访问原始文件，并向天文社区和公众开放。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Data mining is a very effective method for doing scientific studies. The La Silla QUEST Survey (LSQ ) made for the detection of Supernovae and Kuiper belt objects, can be repurposed to give a very useful history of the variable sky in the southern hemisphere. In its six years operation, roughly half the sky was imaged an average of 200 times (several hundred square degrees over 1000-2000 times), making it suitable for variability timescales studies from hours to years down to faint visibility magnitudes. The data will be particularly useful in the areas overlapped by current and future variability surveys by extending their time baseline. The available light curves for both transient and persistent variable sources will be placed in a database accessible via the Internet with precomputed "signatures information on the variability and position". The pipeline reprocessed imaged data will also be made available. This data will be available to the citizen scientists like the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO), the Zooniverse, and the WorldWide Telescope by providing them with a plug-in to the AAVSO that lets their software access to LSQ light curves.This grant will preserve the valuable data from the La Silla Quest Variable Survey (LSQ) for future time variable studies of stellar phenomena. The data collected by the LSQ will be fully calibrated, cleaned, and reprocessed to correct for errors in photometry and astrometry caused by the CCD performance, charge effects for bright stars, and effects caused by the PSF. It will provide a global set of reference stars to improve differential photometry and provide light curves for persistent sources with accurate error bars. The light curve data will be made data searchable as well as in postage stamp "movies" for any location on the Southern Hemisphere sky with access to raw files and made accessible to the astronomical community and the public.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.