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A SPECTROPHOTOMETRIC ATLAS OF GALAXIES

Contents

Table name:     kennicutt
Records:        56
Spectral Band:  OPTICAL
Kind of Object: Galaxies
Mode:
PreView:
Coordinates:    J2000

References

Robert C. Kennicutt, Jr.                                                   
Steward Observatory                                                        
University of Arizona                                                      

This data set contains machine-readable spectra for 55 galaxies that appeared in the paper "A Spectrophotometric Atlas of Galaxies" (Kennicutt 1992, ApJS, xxx, xxx). The user should consult this paper for details of the observations and a discussion of the limitations of the spectrophotometry. This information sheet contains a summary description of the spectra and information on the formatting of the data file.

The spectra are integrated measurements of 55 nearby galaxies, made with apertures comparable to the diameters of the galaxies. The original spectra have been combined, rebinned to a common wavelength scale, and normalized in flux to unity at a reference wavelength of 550 nm. An atmospheric extinction correction has been applied to the data, but otherwise they are not corrected for reddening, redshift, etc. Tests show that the spectrophotometry is accurate to the few percent level over small wavelength regions, and at the 10% level over the entire wavelength range. Although the data are useful for a variety of applications, the user should be forewarned that they may not be suitable for applications requiring precision colors over a long wavelength baseline (e.g., computation of K-corrections, some spectral synthesis applications). Kennicutt (1992) provides the information that is needed to assess the reliability of the data set for a particular application.

The entire file contains 56 spectra. The first 55 are galaxy spectra, listed in the order that they are given in Table 1 of Kennicutt (1992). The last spectrum is a night sky spectrum. It is included for users wishing to check for low-level spurious features in the galaxy spectra.

I would be interested in hearing from individuals who make use of the data. No permission is required to make use of the data in published papers, but I do request that authors cite the relevant Kennicutt (1992) paper, and that they acknowledge the use of the Astronomical Data Center.

Robert C. Kennicutt, Jr. September 26, 1991

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