This page describes what is meant by each of the prompts and what formats your answers to these prompts should take. To avoid an overly-slow server, we will not be monitoring or saving information on users and past queries. Instead, it is possible for users to save the results of their search
If this page was not loaded into a new window and/or tab, then using your browser's "back" button should return you to the form with the information as you had entered it to this point. If that doesn't work, then I'm sorry. Given my choice, I'd force you to open this in a new window or tab, but the W3C frowns on that, and is actually trying to phase out use of the "target" aspect of the "a" tag.
Options Presented in Both Forms
Method of Search
You may either search for GPIPS fields that have already been surveyed and are in the database, or you may search for objects that have been selected from already observed fields, labeled, and had their polarization and magnitude information identified and stored. Searching for fields will
Coordinates/location/name to search by or for
There are four options for the short form and five options for the long form. The options are to search for items within a user-specified range of galactic coordinates, within a user-specified range of equatorial coordinates, for items that are identified as being present in or as a specific GPIPS-identified field (which are designated by integer values between 1 and 3200 something), or for items that are identified as either being the object with the GPIPS ID entered or fields in which the GPIPS ID'ed object has been identified. For both the short and long forms it is possible to enter a range of fields, rather than just one field. The long form gives the additional capabilites of requesting up to eight ranges of fields or singular fields, as well as searching by as many as eight object identifiers, which can be formatted as GPIPS identifications, 2MASS specifications, or GLIMPSE specifications. The fifth option included on the long form for modes of search is to ignore location, in which case it is the best idea to then searchy by other parameters, to avoid ending up with the entire catalog as the search result.
Acceptable formats:
- Everywhere: No inputs presented, since searching by location "everywhere" does not restrict the search results based on location
- Galactic coordinates, four text input fields:
- Galactic longitude "l": a decimal number between 0.0 and 360.0, in units of degrees, specifying a central longitude.
- Galactic latitude "b": a decimal number between -90.0 and +90.0, in units of degrees, specifying a central latitude.
- Galactic longitude range: a decimal number specifiying how far, both above and below, in galactic longitude from the center longitude value to include in the search. This can be left empty, and a default value will be assigned.
- Galactic latitude range: a decimal number specifying how far, above and below, in galactic latitude from the center latitude value to include in the search. This can be left empty, and a default value will be assigned.
- Equatorial coordinates, four text input fields:
- Right Ascension "ra": a decimal number between 0.0 and 360.0, in units of degrees, specifying a central right ascennsion.
- Declination "dec": a decimal number between -90.0 and 90.0, in units of degrees, specifying a central declination value to search around.
- Right Ascension Range: a decimal number specifying how far away in right ascension to either side of the central right ascension value to include in the search. This can be left empty, and a default value will be assigned.
- GPIPS Fields, either one or eight text input fields:
- When specifying a single field: an integer with no decimal point between 0 and 9999 will be accepted (though not all will return results).
- When searching within a range of fields: The proper format is to enter the first integer between 0 and 9999 followed by a hyphen and then the upper limit to the range. If the order is reversed then the software is designed to swap the order, and if both values entered before and after the hypen are the same the software is designed to search for just the one field. An example of the proper format is 33-38.
- In the long form it is possible to leave the text input fields blank, but the query operation will be terminated if all of them are left blank and the user has specified that they intend to search by GPIPS field identifiers.
- Object Identifier(s)
- Short Form: Only Possible to search by GPIPS Identifier, filled into the same field as the field value or range would go if searching for fields
- NOTE: In the Long form it is important to select the correct object identifier category.
- GPIPS Identifier
- Format: GPIPS GLLL.llll±BB.bbbb, where LLL.llll is the galactic longitude of the object, and ±BB.bbbb is the galactic latitude. This corresponds to some standardized naming process.
- Example: GPIPS G048.3523-00.3204 designates an object identified at Galactic coordinates (48.3523,-0.3204).
- GLIMPSE Identifier
- Formats:
- SSTGLMC GLLL.llll±BB.bbbb
- SSTGLMA GLLL.llll±BB.bbbb
- Examples:
- SSTGLMC G048.3523-00.3204: an object from the GLIMPSE Catalog located at Galactic coordinates (48.3523,-0.3204)
- SSTGLMA G048.3523-00.3204: an object from the GLIMPSE Archive located at Galactic coordinates (48.3523,-0.3204)
- For more information, please visit the GLIMPSE Website
- 2MASS Identifier
- Format: 2MASS Jhhmmssss+ddmmsss
- Example: 2MASS J18252102-1304123 would indicate an object identified by the 2MASS team at a J2000 Right Ascension of 18h25m21.02s, Declination of -13°04'12.3"
- For more information, please visit the 2MASS Website
Options Presented Only in the Long Form
Throughout the course of the survey it is likely that the software used to process the data into the deliverable form will go through changes and revisions. This option will only be taken into account when searching for objects, not fields.
The database stores quite a bit of information about each field. These options apply only when searching for fields, and allow users to choose how much information they get printed to the screen on the results page. Provided that any results are found, users are then given the option to receive an ASCII file of the search results, with either the specified attributes from the form, or everything in the database related to the search for the resulting fields. A description of each of the attributes follows:
- GPIPS Field #: The GPIPS designation for the field, which will appear as a link to the fits file for the field if the file is available. This is automatically selected, and there is no way to de-select it.
- Galactic Coordinates of Field Center: Both the Galacticcoordinates of the field center from the planning stage before observations were made and the actual coordinates of the center of the field, as identified after the field was co-added, are displayed when this option is selected.
- Equatorial Coordinates of Field Center: Both the Equatorial coordinates of the field center from the planning stage before observations were made and the actual coordinates of the center of the field, as identified after the field was co-added, are displayed when this option is selected.
- Date the Field was Observed: The date the field was observed, in the format YYYY-MM-DD, will be displayed if this option is selected.
- Version of Software for Coadding: The version of software used when processing the data into a deliverable format will be displayed as a decimal number if this option is selected.
- Date the Field was Co-added: The date that the fits file was done being processed to deliverable quality will be displayed in the format YYYY-MM-DD if this option is selected.
- Location of Object in Field if Searched by Object: If a field was searched for but the location searched by was an object identification, the object identification and the location of that object in the found field will be displayed in the results.
There are four text entry fields here. If the lower end of the range is included, the upper end must also be included. Both cells for either range can be left empty, though, if the choice is to search for all objects, regardless of their polarization data. The errors in the polarization measurements are not included, so a search for an object between 50% and 100% polarized would not include a result of an object 49.9% polarized with an error of .8%, for example.
Each field image is approximately 1200x1200 pixels in size. Estimates of the pixel location may be as precise as up to a tenth of a pixel. This option is included to allow users to look at a field image and then search for objects' identifiers and detailed polarization data based purely on the locations of the objects in the image in question.
It is possible to search for objects within magnitude ranges for several band measurements. There are the GPIPS-measured H-band measurements, as well as measurements taken from the 2MASS and GLIMPSE catalogs in J, H, K, L, M, 6µm, and 8µm bands for most/all objects in the catalog.
The database stores quite a bit of information about each object. These options apply only when searching for objects, and allow users to choose how much information they get printed to the screen on the results page. Provided that any results are found, users are then given the option to receive an ASCII file of the search results, with either the specified attributes from the form, or everything in the database related to the search for the resulting objects. A description of each of the attributes follows:
- GPIPS Identifier: This option is automatically selected, and impossible to not return using this form. The form of the GPIPS Identifier is GPIPS GLLL.llll±BB.bbbb, as described above.
- Object's Galactic Coordinates: The Galactic coordinates of objects found will be displayed, as will be the estimates of the errors in the provided galactic longitudes and latitudes.
- Object's Equatorial Coordinates: The Equatorial coordinates of objects found will be displayed, as will be the estimates of the errors in the provided equatorial right ascensions and declinations.
- Primary Field Information: The GPIPS identifier of the primary field, meaning the field that the polarization measurements were taken from, as well as the object's pixel-location in that field, will be displayed if this option is selected.
- Other Fields it is Present in: If the object appears in other fields, these fields will be listed if this attribute is selected.
- If Variability between Fields is Observed: If the object is seen in more fields than just the primary field and the polarization data differs between fields, this piece of information will be a "Y", otherwise it will be an "N". This will be displayed with the object results if selected.
- Polarization Information: The polarization angle and percentage, as well as erros in the measurement, will be displayed. This option is selected automatically, and cannot be de-selected.
- GPIPS H Magnitude: The measurment of the magnitude of the object in H-band, as measured by the GPIPS team, and the error of that measurement will be displayed if this option is selected.
- 2MASS Identifier: The 2MASS identifier of the object, if the object was identified in the 2MASS catalog, is displayed if this option is selected.
- 2MASS J,H,K magnitudes: The measurements of the magnitudes in the J, H, and K bands of the object as entered in the 2MASS catalog are displayed, if they are available, if this option is selected.
- GLIMPSE Identifier: The GLIMPSE identifier of the object, if the object was identified in the GLIMPSE catalog or archive, is displayed if this option is selected.
- GLIMPSE* L,M,6µm,8µm magnitudes: The measurements of the mangitudes in the L, M, 6µm, and 8µm bands of the object as entered in the GLIMPSE catalog or archive are displayed, if they are available, if this option is selected.
When receiving the printout of the results to the screen, it is not currently possible to re-sort the lists. (If the user requests an ASCII file of the results, however, it is then thoroughly possible to use a spreadsheet program to import the data and sort it whichever way the user chooses.) This option allows the user to specify if they would like their data sorted by a particular parameter, most of which are described above in the section about attributes. In order for the sorting to apply, the user must select ONE option to sort by, and if they would prefer the search to be done in an ascending or descending manner, with lower to higher numbers being ascending, and higher to lower numbers being descending.