Third International School in Astronomy: Astroinformatics Virtual Observatory 29 June - 1 July 2010, Belgrade Catalogue of Wide-Field Plate Archives Katya Tsvetkova Institute of Mathematics and Informatics, Institute of Astronomy, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
Definition of Plate Archive A collection of plates obtained with a definite telescope at a definite observational site and stored at a definite place. One telescope may have more than one archive, if the telescope was moved or if its plates are stored at different observatories or institutions.
Astronomical Photographical Plates: Examples ROZ050 000345 M42/43 region
Astronomical Photographical Plates: Examples ROZ050 000291 Gamma Cyg region
Astronomical Photographical Plates: Examples From Digital Plate Archive for Supernova Search at Konkoly Observatory
Astronomical Photographical Plates: Examples BEL016A480007 plate (part of the plate), obtained by Milorad Protic on 1948 Jan 10 with image of 1948a comet (Mrkos) First comet image: 1947 Dec 20 Mrkos Confirmation: 1948 Jan 18
Astronomical Photographical Plates Today What are the astronomical photographical plates today? Scientific heritage representing the previous stage of the present astronomical knowledge. Unique source of information for the past of the different astronomical objects.
Used Programmes for Plate Observations Observations of the major planets and their satellites; Small solar system bodies observations (search for new asteroids, astrometric observations of known asteroids and search for satellites of asteroids, photometric determination of the shape and the rotation of asteroids, discovery and past transits of comets); Photographic sky surveys; Selection of reference stars; Artificial satellites observations; Observations of stellar occultations; Discovery and patrol of variable stars (in the Milky Way and in external galaxies);
Used Programmes for Plate Observations Determination of parallaxes of stars, Determination of proper motions; Astrometric observations for the determination of orbits and parallaxes for binaries, Study of the Galaxy structure and kinematics from observations in selected areas (investigations of the emission nebulae and connected stars, spectral classification of the stars and determination of the stellar absorption in the direction of the emission nebulae); Search and monitoring of some interesting astronomical objects (AGNs, QSOs, novae and supernovae).
Used Programmes for Plate Observations: WFPDB ROZ050 Archive
Present Exploitation of the Archival Plates: Compiled List of Astronomical Tasks and Results Composed light curves of different variable stars for as long as is possible time period; Search for long-term brightness variations; Search for past eruptions of a pre-main sequence star; Observations of small solar system bodies; Search for optical analogues of Gamma Ray Bursts; Search for photometric variability of quasars; Supernovae search in digitized archives; Present use of Carte du Ciel plates
Plate Libraries: Rozhen Observatory
Plate Libraries: Sonneberg Observatory
First Lists of Observatories/Institutes Possessing Plate Archives No restriction on the Telescope Field: B. Hauck B. (1982) Automated Data Retrieval in Astronomy 217. B. Hauck B. (1982) Automated Data Retrieval in Astronomy 227. C. Jaschek (1989) Bull. Inform. CDS 36 123. C. Jaschek (1989) Bull. Inform. CDS 36 151. Only Wide-Field (>1 ) Plates: M. Tsvetkov (1991) IAU WGWFI Newsletter 1, Ed. H. T. MacGillivray 17.
Catalogue of Wide-Field Plate Archives : Content 1. WFPDB instrument identifier; 2. Information for inclusion of the archive into the WFPDB; 3. Original name of the telescope; 4. Location of the plate archive (Site, Country); 5. Observatory (Name, Site, Country); 6. Marsden's number of the observatory; 7. Time zone; 8. Observatory Coordinates: (East Longitude, Latitude, Altitude);
Wide-Field Plate Archives Catalogue: Content 9. Clear aperture of the telescope; 10. Diameter of telescope mirror; 11. Focal length; 12. Plate scale; 13. Instrument type; 14. Field; 15. Years of telescope operation; 16. Symbol "F" for "film", blank for "plate ; 17. Number of direct plates;
Catalogue of Wide-Field Plate Archives: Content 18. Orig.Plate Number from.. to.. 19. Number of direct plates; 20. Form of the archive data for the direct plates (T, C, CT); 21. Number of objective prism plates; 22. Form of the archive data for the objective prism plates (T, C, CT); 23. Quality of the plate archive: A - very good, B - good, D distributed; 24. Astronomer in charge.
Information for Given Plate Archive in the WFPDB: ROZ050 Archive
Catalogue of Wide-Field Plate Archives: Summary Plate Observations: in 160 observatories; Storage of Plates: in 114 observatories/institutions; Number of Archives (2010): 473; Direct Plates: 2 396 555; Spectral Plates: 79 081; Total: 2 475 636.
Observatories Where the Wide-Field Plate Archives Were Made Observatories: 160. Location: Northern hemisphere: 119 Southern hemisphere: 41 Altitude: from 10 m (Cape of Good Hope Obs., Cape Town, South Africa) up to 3610 m (Llano del Hato, Merida,Venezuela).
Telescopes Produced Wide-Field Plate Archives: Years of Operation Beginning: End: Period from 1872 (for COR029) up to 1988 for EAO020 Elgelhardt Obs. Kazan, Russia. Period from 1873 (for COR029) up to 2005 (for GUA040E Main Astr. Obs. Kyiv, Ukraine, and BUC038, Ast. Institute, Bucharest, Romania).
Numbe r of Archives 25 20 15 10 5 0 Establishment of Plate Archives in Different Observatories Total Number of Archives = 473 1884 1888 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1872 1876 1880 Establishment Year
Comparison: Establishment Year of the Observatories/Plate Archives 25 20 Total Number of Archives = 473 15 10 5 0 Time Distribution of 364 Astronomical Observatories 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 Number of Observatories Number of Archives 1872 1876 1880 1884 1888 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 Establishment Year 10 0 1600 1620 1640 1660 1680 1700 1720 1740 1760 1780 1800 1820 1840 1860 1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2020 Establishment Year
Telescopes Produced Wide-Field Plate Archives: Type 120 100 Number of Telescopes 80 60 40 20 0 Rfr Ast Cam Sch Rfl RC Men FEC Unknown Telescope Type
Telescopes Produced Wide-Field Plate Archives: Lens or Mirror Diameter Diameter size: Meteor patrol cameras 0.01m in Harvard or in Ondrejov FEC 3.9m in Coonabarabran, Anglo Australian Obs. 4.0m in Kitt Peak Obs. 4.0m in Inter-American Observatory in Cerro Tololo.
<4.0 <4.1 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Telescopes Produced Wide-Field Plate Archives: Lens or Mirror Diameter Distribution <0.5 <0.6 <0.7<0.8 <0.9<1.0<1.1 <1.2 <1.3 <1.4<1.5 <1.6<1.7<1.8 <1.9 <2.0 <2.1<2.2 <2.3<2.4<2.5 <2.6 <2.7 <2.8<2.9 <3.0 Telescope Diameter <0.1 <0.2<0.3<0.4 Number of Archives
Telescopes Produced Wide-Field Plate Archives: Field Field size: from 1 0 up to 180 0 (FEC OND001A) Exceptions less than 1 0 : too many plates obtained: 1. PUL065, Pulkovo, Russia, 0. 9 0, 18 600 plates. 2. SPR061, Sproul Swarthmore, USA PA, 0.8 0, 100 000 plates. No exact information: for 44 archives
Telescopes Produced Wide-Field Plate Archives: Scale Scale: from 11"/mm up to 6876 "/mm (FEC OND001A) No exact information: for 26 archives
70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Telescopes Produced Wide-Field Plate Archives: Scale Telescopes Scale Versus Number of the Wide-Field Plate Archives <1460 <1520 <1580 <20 <80 <140 <200 <260 <320 <380 <440 <500 <560 <620 <680 <740 <800 <860 <920 <980 <1040 <1100 <1160 <1220 <1280 <1340 <1400 Scale ("/mm) Number of Archives
Plate Archives: Countries Possessing Archives 140 Number of Archives 120 100 80 60 40 Wide-Field Plate Archives Number versus Country Possesing Archives Total Number of Wide-Field Plate Archives = 473 Total Number of Countries Possesing Wide-Field Plate Archives = 42 20 0 US DEUA RU UKNL FR ITBE CZ PLRO BG FIGE HU SEAU AT CLCN JP RSUZ VA ARAM CA MXSK ES TKDZ DK EEIN ID LVNZ ZA CHVE
Plate Archives: Countries Possessing Objective Prism Plates 25000 Objective Prism Plates Number versus Country Possesing Plates Number of Spectral Plates 20000 15000 10000 5000 Total Number of Objective Prism Plates = 79081 Total Number of Countries Possesing Objective Prism Plates = 17 0 US CZ UK SE VA AM IT DE RU PO GE LV JP HU DK UA BG Country
42 Countries possessing wide-field plate archives ordered according to the plate number USA Netherlands Mexico Germany France Japan Estonia Russia Australia Slovakia Canada Ukraine Belgium Bulgaria South Africa Tajikistan Sweden Argentina India Georgia Latvia China Venezuela Italy Hungary Algeria Austria UK Romania Uzbekistan Switzerland Chile Serbia Indonesia Denmark Czech Republic Poland Spain New Zealand Armenia Finland Vatican
120 100 80 60 40 20 0 Plate Archives Volume: Direct Plates Number of Archives Versus Number of Containing Direct Plates (Without 5 Archives Each One Containing More Than 50 000 Plates) Number of Archives with Known Content = 447 (No Information for 26 Archives) 5000 6500 8000 9500 11000 12500 14000 15500 17000 18500 20000 21500 23000 24500 26000 27500 29000 30500 32000 33500 35000 36500 Number of Plates Num ber of Archives 500 2000 3500
Plate Archives Volume: Objective Prism Plates 14 12 Number of Archives 10 8 6 4 Number of Archives versus Number of Containing Objective Prism Plates 2 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500 5000 6500 7000 7500 13400 Number of Plates
Development of the CWFPAs: Number of Included Archives 500 450 Known Archives 414 442 473 Number of Known Archives 400 350 300 250 200 150 100 68 174 281 315 343 345 375 375 50 0 1989 1992 1996 1997 1999 2000 2003 2004 2005 2009 2010 Year
Development of the CWFPAs: Number of Included Direct Plates 3000000 Direct Plates Number of Included Direct Plates 2500000 2000000 1500000 1000000 500000 1500000 1500000 1830435 1909404 1990814 2036149 2063938 2069824 2128330 2176009 2396555 0 1989 1992 1996 1997 1999 2000 2003 2004 2005 2009 2010 Year
Development of the CWFPAs: Number of Included Objective Prism Plates 90000 Number of Included Objective Prism Plates 80000 70000 60000 50000 40000 30000 20000 10000 51816 59216 59997 59997 Objective Prism Plates 64088 64088 64095 71531 79081 0 1989 1992 1996 1997 1999 2000 2003 2004 2005 2009 2010 Year
This work is supported by the Bulgarian National Science Fund (grants BG NSF DO-02-273, DO-02-275).