A Faint Galaxy Counting System

William L. Sebok

doi:10.1117/12.959807

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21 November 1980 A Faint Galaxy Counting System

William L. Sebok

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Proceedings Volume 0264, Applications of Digital Image Processing to Astronomy; (1980) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.959807
Event: 1981 Los Angeles Technical Symposium, 1980, Los Angeles, United States

Abstract

A system for detecting and classifying faint objects on astronomical digital Pictures is described. Algorithm and implementation considerations are given, and its performance is evaluated. The optimal "phi" classifier (briefly described) is used to separate stars from galaxies. The major emphasis is on speed. A 512 by 1536 pixel picture can be scanned and fully processed in about 5 minutes total time on a PDP 11/34 minicomputer. On plates taken with the Palomar 1.2 m Schmidt telescope, stars can be reliably separated from galaxies down to a limiting red magnitude of 19.6. Objects down to about 21st magnitude in red light can be detected. This system is part of a larger system which includes a highly modified David W. Mann two-dimensional scanning microdensitometer for image acquisition, and an extensive image processing system, all operating under compatible formats and conventions.

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William L. Sebok "A Faint Galaxy Counting System", Proc. SPIE 0264, Applications of Digital Image Processing to Astronomy, (21 November 1980); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.959807

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