The AST3-1 Point Source Catalogue contains stellar photometry data from the Antarctic Survey Telescope AST3-1 at Kunlun Station, Dome A. AST3-1, the largest optical telescope in Antarctica at deployment, operated from March to May 2012, surveying nearly 2,000 square degrees and capturing thousands of exposures. The data were processed by the Antarctic Astronomy Group at NAOC and released in a 2018 peer-reviewed paper.
Use Cases
- Search for supernovae candidates based on repeated surveys of nearly 2,000 square degrees.
- Monitor stellar variability in the Large Magellanic Cloud based on more than 4,700 frames.
- Detect exoplanet transits in the Galactic disk based on more than 3,000 frames.
- Analyze photometric behavior of Wolf-Rayet stars based on more than 1,000 frames of HD 143414.
Strengths
- Data originates from the largest optical telescope in Antarctica at the time, AST3-1.
- Survey covered nearly 2,000 square degrees with more than 3,000 60-second exposures.
- Specific monitoring campaigns include over 4,700 frames of the Large Magellanic Cloud center.
Limitations
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- Last updated 2012-12-31 23:59:59.999000; freshness should be verified.
- Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
Provenance
- Source
- Antarctic Astronomy Group at NAOC, supported by UNSW's PLATO infrastructure.
- Collection Method
- Observations from the AST3-1 telescope deployed by the 28th Chinese Antarctic Research Expedition.
- Time Range
- March to May 2012.
- Geography
- Dome A, Kunlun Station, Antarctica.