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The KPNO Star Forming Regions Survey: A Database Project (1Mar94)
(from NOAO HIGHLIGHTS!, NOAO Newsletter No. 37, 1 March 1994)

We have used the multichannel IR camera SQIID during several observing
seasons to construct a database of JHK images in regions of star
formation.  This has been a novel approach to the scheduling and use of
telescope time relevant to the Gemini era.  The project is coming to
fruition and we wish to inform our user community about its purpose and
results.

It struck us forcefully during the commissioning of SQIID how well
suited it is to a systematic program of mapping star forming regions.
Operationally its parameter space is limited to celestial coordinates
and exposure time.  The information content of its output is very high,
thus extraction of all the potential science from the data torrent it
can produce may be beyond the interest or capability of any one small
group.  The first KPNO IR camera had been heavily used for studying
star-formation, demonstrating the demand for such data, while
considerations of uniformity and open access argued for a
nontraditional approach to obtaining them.

We therefore initiated a project to provide a database for infrared
studies of star formation.  It is composed of observationally uniform
and photometrically calibrated images of regions encompassing a variety
of observational characteristics.  In particular we have emphasized
extended areal coverage of target regions, typically a significant
fraction of a square degree.  We selected regions for which this
coverage seemed necessary and adequate.  Other constraints were a
distance from the Sun such that practical limits on sensitivity would
produce physically useful results, and a distribution over the sky
which is reasonably uniform over the Kitt Peak observing season.

Because of the novelty of this project, including the large amount of
telescope time requested, it was submitted both to the TAC and to an
independent panel of reviewers selected by the KPNO Associate
Director.  At their recommendation, we also formed an ad hoc advisory
group to critique the proposal and provide ongoing contact with the
community of star formation researchers.  This group, chaired by
Stephen Strom, provided valuable advice in determining the survey
protocols.  Probst has been responsible for defining and carrying out
the observational program, and Merrill for developing data reduction
strategies and processing the data flow.

We now have in hand data gathered with SQIID on the 1.3-m during three
observing seasons, and are making it available to the community at
large.  A quick summary of target regions is given here.  They
represent about a third of the project as originally envisioned,
exactly proportional to the amount of photometric weather we have had.
The limiting magnitude for point sources is typically K = 14.4, H =
15.4, J = 16.3 with SNR = 10.  Initially the regions will be available
as sets of sky-subtracted, flat-fielded 15 x 15 arcmin images
(corresponding to the observational protocol) accompanied by standard
star frames taken the same night.  They may be obtained via ftp
transfer from a dedicated data storage area to which images will be
added as they are processed.  To keep the workload tractable we will
not distribute images by other means, at least for now.  As of
mid-January we are busily processing data and working out the details
for community access.  This should be better defined by the release
date of this Newsletter.  For an update on the project and the
information needed to retrieve images, ftp to ftp.noao.edu, log in as
"anonymous" with your e-mail address as password, use command "cd
starform_project" to enter the project directory, and get the README
file.  Use command "quit" to break the ftp connection after transfer.

                         Completed regions

                          Field Center           Field size, arcmin
Identification               (1950)                  N-S x E-W

NGC 1333/H-H 7-11           0327+3103                 27 x 54
M42                         0532-0523                 75 x 60
L1641                       0534-0630                 60 x 60
Cyg OB2                     2031+4112                 45 x 45*
NGC 7023                    2101+6758                 30 x 30
Cep A                       2254+6145                 45 x 45
Cep B                       2254+6230                 45 x 45

*  Significantly brighter limiting magnitude in this region

Ron Probst, K. Michael Merrill

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