Abstract
We present bright galaxy number counts in five broad bands (u′, g′, r′, i′, z′) from imaging data taken during the commissioning phase of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). The counts are derived from two independent stripes of imaging scans along the celestial equator, one each toward the northern and the southern Galactic cap, covering about 230 and 210 deg2, respectively. A careful study is made to verify the reliability of the photometric catalog. For galaxies brighter than r* = 16, the catalog produced by automated software is examined against eye inspection of all objects. Statistically meaningful results on the galaxy counts are obtained in the magnitude range 12 ≤ r* ≤ 21, using a sample of 900,000 galaxies. The counts from the two stripes differ by about 30% at magnitudes brighter than r* = 15.5, consistent with a local 2 σ fluctuation due to large-scale structure in the galaxy distribution. The shape of the number counts-magnitude relation brighter than r* = 16 is well characterized by N ∝ 100.6m, the relation expected for a homogeneous galaxy distribution in a "Euclidean" universe. In the magnitude range 16 < r* < 21, the galaxy counts from both stripes agree very well and follow the prediction of the no-evolution model, although the data do not exclude a small amount of evolution. We use empirically determined color transformations to derive the galaxy number counts in the B and I814 bands. We compute the luminosity density of the universe at zero redshift in the five SDSS bands and in the B band. We find ℒB = 2.4 ± 0.4 × 108 L⊙ h Mpc-3, for a reasonably wide range of parameters of the Schechter luminosity function in the B band.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1104-1124 |
Number of pages | 21 |
Journal | Astronomical Journal |
Volume | 122 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Sep 2001 |
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Keywords
- Cosmology: observations
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Space and Planetary Science
- Astronomy and Astrophysics
Cite this
Galaxy number counts from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey commissioning data. / Yasuda, Naoki; Fukugita, Masataka; Narayanan, Vijay K.; Lupton, Robert H.; Strateva, Iskra; Strauss, Michael A.; Ivezić, Željko; Kim, Rita S J; Hoog, David W.; Weinberg, David H.; Shimasaku, Kazuhiro; Loveday, Jon; Annis, James; Bahcall, Neta A.; Blanton, Michael; Brinkmann, Jon; Brunner, Robert J.; Connolly, Andrew J.; Csabai, István; Doi, Mamoru; Hamabe, Masaru; Ichikawa, Shin Ichi; Ichikawa, Takashi; Johnston, David E.; Knapp, G. R.; Kunszt, Peter Z.; Lamb, D. Q.; Mckay, Timothy A.; Munn, Jeffrey A.; Nichol, Robert C.; Okamura, Sadanori; Schneider, Donald P.; Szokoly, Gyula P.; Vogeley, Michael S.; Watanabe, Masaru; York, Donald G.
In: Astronomical Journal, Vol. 122, No. 3, 09.2001, p. 1104-1124.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Galaxy number counts from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey commissioning data
AU - Yasuda, Naoki
AU - Fukugita, Masataka
AU - Narayanan, Vijay K.
AU - Lupton, Robert H.
AU - Strateva, Iskra
AU - Strauss, Michael A.
AU - Ivezić, Željko
AU - Kim, Rita S J
AU - Hoog, David W.
AU - Weinberg, David H.
AU - Shimasaku, Kazuhiro
AU - Loveday, Jon
AU - Annis, James
AU - Bahcall, Neta A.
AU - Blanton, Michael
AU - Brinkmann, Jon
AU - Brunner, Robert J.
AU - Connolly, Andrew J.
AU - Csabai, István
AU - Doi, Mamoru
AU - Hamabe, Masaru
AU - Ichikawa, Shin Ichi
AU - Ichikawa, Takashi
AU - Johnston, David E.
AU - Knapp, G. R.
AU - Kunszt, Peter Z.
AU - Lamb, D. Q.
AU - Mckay, Timothy A.
AU - Munn, Jeffrey A.
AU - Nichol, Robert C.
AU - Okamura, Sadanori
AU - Schneider, Donald P.
AU - Szokoly, Gyula P.
AU - Vogeley, Michael S.
AU - Watanabe, Masaru
AU - York, Donald G.
PY - 2001/9
Y1 - 2001/9
N2 - We present bright galaxy number counts in five broad bands (u′, g′, r′, i′, z′) from imaging data taken during the commissioning phase of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). The counts are derived from two independent stripes of imaging scans along the celestial equator, one each toward the northern and the southern Galactic cap, covering about 230 and 210 deg2, respectively. A careful study is made to verify the reliability of the photometric catalog. For galaxies brighter than r* = 16, the catalog produced by automated software is examined against eye inspection of all objects. Statistically meaningful results on the galaxy counts are obtained in the magnitude range 12 ≤ r* ≤ 21, using a sample of 900,000 galaxies. The counts from the two stripes differ by about 30% at magnitudes brighter than r* = 15.5, consistent with a local 2 σ fluctuation due to large-scale structure in the galaxy distribution. The shape of the number counts-magnitude relation brighter than r* = 16 is well characterized by N ∝ 100.6m, the relation expected for a homogeneous galaxy distribution in a "Euclidean" universe. In the magnitude range 16 < r* < 21, the galaxy counts from both stripes agree very well and follow the prediction of the no-evolution model, although the data do not exclude a small amount of evolution. We use empirically determined color transformations to derive the galaxy number counts in the B and I814 bands. We compute the luminosity density of the universe at zero redshift in the five SDSS bands and in the B band. We find ℒB = 2.4 ± 0.4 × 108 L⊙ h Mpc-3, for a reasonably wide range of parameters of the Schechter luminosity function in the B band.
AB - We present bright galaxy number counts in five broad bands (u′, g′, r′, i′, z′) from imaging data taken during the commissioning phase of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). The counts are derived from two independent stripes of imaging scans along the celestial equator, one each toward the northern and the southern Galactic cap, covering about 230 and 210 deg2, respectively. A careful study is made to verify the reliability of the photometric catalog. For galaxies brighter than r* = 16, the catalog produced by automated software is examined against eye inspection of all objects. Statistically meaningful results on the galaxy counts are obtained in the magnitude range 12 ≤ r* ≤ 21, using a sample of 900,000 galaxies. The counts from the two stripes differ by about 30% at magnitudes brighter than r* = 15.5, consistent with a local 2 σ fluctuation due to large-scale structure in the galaxy distribution. The shape of the number counts-magnitude relation brighter than r* = 16 is well characterized by N ∝ 100.6m, the relation expected for a homogeneous galaxy distribution in a "Euclidean" universe. In the magnitude range 16 < r* < 21, the galaxy counts from both stripes agree very well and follow the prediction of the no-evolution model, although the data do not exclude a small amount of evolution. We use empirically determined color transformations to derive the galaxy number counts in the B and I814 bands. We compute the luminosity density of the universe at zero redshift in the five SDSS bands and in the B band. We find ℒB = 2.4 ± 0.4 × 108 L⊙ h Mpc-3, for a reasonably wide range of parameters of the Schechter luminosity function in the B band.
KW - Cosmology: observations
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=18044371293&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=18044371293&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1086/322093
DO - 10.1086/322093
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:18044371293
VL - 122
SP - 1104
EP - 1124
JO - Astronomical Journal
JF - Astronomical Journal
SN - 0004-6256
IS - 3
ER -