SkyMapper and the Southern Sky Survey: a valuable resource for stellar astrophysics

TL;DR

SkyMapper is a new wide-field survey telescope that will create a detailed, multi-epoch, six-color digital map of the southern sky, significantly advancing stellar astrophysics research.

Contribution

This paper introduces the SkyMapper telescope, its survey design, data products, and potential applications in stellar astrophysics, highlighting its innovative capabilities.

Findings

High-precision photometry for 8th-23rd magnitude objects

Astrometric accuracy of 50 milliarcseconds

Comprehensive six-color, six-epoch sky survey

Abstract

The Australian National University's SkyMapper telescope is amongst the first of a new generation of dedicated wide-field survey telescopes. Featuring a 5.7 square deg field-of-view Cassegrain imager and 268 Mega-pixel CCD array, its primary goal will be to undertake the Southern Sky Survey: a six color (uvgriz), six-epoch digital record of the entire southern sky. The survey will provide photometry for objects between 8th and 23rd magnitude with a global photometric accuracy of 0.03 magnitudes and astrometry to 50 mas. In this contribution we introduce the SkyMapper facility, the survey data products and outline a variety of case-studies in stellar astrophysics for which SkyMapper will have high impact.