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The latest quasar catalog, SDSS DR10, has been released - http://arxiv.org/abs/1311.4870! Yes, I know, you can hardly contain your excitement.
The first two stages of the SDSS discovered and spectroscopically confirmed more than 105,000 quasars (Schneider et al. 2010), mainly at low redshift (z ≤ 2).
This paper presents the SDSS-DR10 quasar catalog, denoted
DR10Q, which compiles all the spectroscopically-confirmed
quasars identified during the first three years of BOSS operations
and released as part of the SDSS tenth data release (Ahn et al.
2013). This catalog contains quasars targeted by the main quasar
target selection (Ross et al. 2012), the BOSS ancillary programs
(Dawson et al. 2013) and serendipitous discoveries in the galaxy
targets. It contains 166,583 unique quasars, including 117,668
with z > 2.15, over an area of 6,373 deg2
Chronos said:This sounds a little weird, but, I pasted one of the earlier DR releases onto an excel spreadsheet circa 2006, whereupon I discovered the [then] ~65500 row limit. What can I say? I needed a hobby. I thought it would be fascinating to calculate the approximate mass density of the universe over time this way. It was a spectacular success, I ended up spectacularly confused.
The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) is a project that has mapped and studied over 1/3 of the night sky, making it one of the most comprehensive and detailed astronomical surveys to date. It utilizes a powerful telescope and specialized software to collect data on millions of stars, galaxies, and other celestial objects.
The SDSS uses a 2.5-meter telescope located in New Mexico to capture images of the night sky. These images are then processed and analyzed by specialized software, which identifies and catalogs objects based on their color, brightness, and other characteristics. The data collected is then made available to the public for further research and analysis.
The SDSS contains a vast amount of information on various astronomical objects, including stars, galaxies, quasars, and more. This includes their positions, distances, sizes, and other physical properties. The survey also includes data on the composition of these objects, such as their chemical makeup and spectral characteristics.
The SDSS has made numerous significant discoveries in the field of astronomy, including the identification of millions of new galaxies, the mapping of dark matter, and the discovery of new types of astronomical objects, such as quasars. It has also provided valuable insights into the structure and evolution of the universe.
The data collected by the SDSS is publicly available and can be accessed through the project's website or through various databases and tools. Researchers and scientists can use this data for their own studies and analyses, and the project also encourages citizen scientists and amateur astronomers to explore and contribute to the data.