The Pan-STARRS 1 Photometric Reference Ladder, Release 12.0

TL;DR

The paper presents the first public release of the Pan-STARRS 1 Photometric Ladder, providing calibrated photometry data across a large sky area, with systematic uncertainties around 8-13 millimags, as part of ongoing survey data releases.

Contribution

This work introduces the initial public release of the PS1 Photometric Ladder, a comprehensive calibrated photometric dataset covering a significant portion of the sky from the Pan-STARRS 1 survey.

Findings

Photometry for approximately 1000 objects per square degree.

Saturation limits around magnitude 13-13.5 depending on filter.

Systematic uncertainties of 7-13 millimags in calibration.

Abstract

As of 2012 Jan 21, the Pan-STARRS 1 3\pi Survey has observed the 3/4 of the sky visible from Hawaii with a minimum of 2 and mean of 7.6 observations in 5 filters, g_p1, r_p1, i_p1, z_p1, y_p1. Now at the end of the second year of the mission, we are in a position to make an initial public release of a portion of this unprecedented dataset. This article describes the PS1 Photometric Ladder, Release 12.01 This is the first of a series of data releases to be generated as the survey coverage increases and the data analysis improves. The Photometric Ladder has rungs every hour in RA and at 4 intervals in declination. We will release updates with increased area coverage (more rungs) from the latest dataset until the PS1 survey and the final re-reduction are completed. The currently released catalog presents photometry of \approx 1000 objects per square degree in the rungs of the ladder. Saturation occurs at g_p1, r_p1, i_p1 \approx 13.5; z_p1 \approx 13.0; and y_p1 \approx 12.0. Photometry is provided for stars down to g_p1, r_p1, i_p1 \approx 19.1 in the AB system. This data release depends on the rigid `Ubercal' photometric calibration using only the photometric nights, with systematic uncertainties of (8.0, 7.0, 9.0, 10.7, 12.4) millimags in (g_p1, r_p1, i_p1, z_p1, y_p1). Areas covered only with lower quality nights are also included, and have been tied to the Ubercal solution via relative photometry; photometric accuracy of the non-photometric regions is lower and should be used with caution.