Imaging the Southern Sky in [SII]

Swarthmore College, Swarthmore PA

Investigators

Abstract

AST 0205872 Gaustad Dr. John Gaustad, at Swarthmore College, recently completed a Southern H-Alpha Sky Survey Atlas (SHASSA). The images in this atlas have a resolution of 0.8 arcminutes and sensitivity of 2 rayleighs per pixel. Dr. Gaustad will now use the same robotic camera system to obtain comparable images of the brighter H-alpha regions in an emission line of ionized sulfur (SII). The SII/H-alpha ratio is a useful discriminator between regions that are heated by the ultraviolet light of embedded stars and regions that are heated by supersonic shock waves produced by supernova remnants and stellar winds. These measurements will contribute to understanding the astrophysical nature of ionized regions in the interstellar medium of the Galaxy. ***