Survey Astronomy
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Survey Astronomy: Overview
Surveys for astronomical objects over large areas of the sky are the foundation on which much research in observational astrophysics is based. They make possible statistical studies of large numbers of objects and allow interesting or rare examples of phenomena to be found, which can then be studied in greater detail. Surveys have relevance in a very broad range of astronomical fields, including the Solar System, stars, the interstellar medium, the structure of our own Galaxy, galaxies in general, and cosmology.
The Survey Astronomy Group has a number of active research programmes using wide-field techniques at optical and infrared wavelengths. These involve imaging surveys: two-dimensional pictures are made of large areas of the sky, usually at more than one wavelength. Our work also includes spectroscopic surveys in which spectra are recorded of large numbers of individual objects, such as stars and galaxies, spread over a broad area.