The Second Byurakan Survey. General Catalogue
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Revista Mexicana de Astronom´ıa y Astrof´ısica, 41, 155{368 (2005) THE SECOND BYURAKAN SURVEY. GENERAL CATALOGUE J. A. Stepanian 3D Astronomy Center, M´exico Received 2003 March 18; accepted 2005 January 21 RESUMEN Se presenta el Cat´alogo General de la Segunda Exploraci´on de Byurakan (SBS). La SBS, que es la continuaci´on de la exploraci´on de Markarian, llega a magnitudes l´ımite d´ebiles y es la primera exploraci´on que combina la busqueda´ de galaxias y de QSOs. Se ha cubierto un area´ total de 991 grados cuadrados en el cielo del norte mediante tres prismas objetivos en combinaci´on con filtros. La magnitud l´ımite en las mejores placas alcanza B ∼ 19:5. El Cat´alogo General consiste de 3563 objetos presentados en 2 partes: el cat´alogo de galaxias (1863 objetos) y el de objetos estelares (1700 objetos). Observaciones obtenidas durante 26 anos~ se encuentran disponibles para 3132 objetos. Se midieron los corrimientos al rojo de ∼ 2100 objetos extragal´acticos y ∼ 2970 objetos se clasificaron espectralmente. La mayor parte de los datos se presenta por primera vez. El cat´alogo contiene muestras representativas grandes y nuevas de QSOs, NAG luminosos y galaxias UVX d´ebiles. La muestra de SBS es completa en un 70% para galaxias y ∼ 85% para NAG/QSOs con B ≤ 17:5. ABSTRACT The Second Byurakan Survey (SBS) General Catalogue is presented. The SBS, a continuation of the Markarian survey reaching fainter limiting magnitudes, is the first survey which combines the search of galaxies and QSOs. A total area of 991 square degrees of the Northern sky was covered with the use of three objective prisms in combination with Schott filters. The limited magnitude on the best plates reached B ∼ 19:5. The General Catalogue consists of 3563 objects presented in two parts: a Catalogue of galaxies (1863 objects) and one of stellar objects (1700 objects). The Catalogue of SBS AGN consists of 761 objects (155 SyG, 596 QSOs, and 10 BLLac). Multi-wavelength data are presented for 1438 SBS objects identified with X-ray, IRAS and FIRST sources. Spectrophotometric observations obtained over 26 years are available for 3132 objects. Redshifts were measured for ∼ 2100 extragalactic © Copyright 2005: Instituto de Astronomía, Universidad Nacional Autónoma México objects. Spectral classification is presented for ∼ 2970 objects. The majority of the data is presented here for the first time. The Catalogue presents new large homogeneous deep representative complete samples of bright QSOs, AGNs, and faint UVX galaxies in the Northern sky. The SBS sample is found to be complete at 70% for galaxies and ∼ 85% for AGN/QSOs with B ≤ 17:5. Key Words: GALAXIES: ACTIVE | GALAXIES: FUNDAMENAL PA- RAMETERS | GALAXIES: MARKARIAN | GALAX- IES: SEYFERT 155 156 STEPANIAN 1. INTRODUCTION on both UV-excess and line emission in order to dis- cover active and star forming galaxies. These in- In astronomical research surveys occupy a spe- clude the SBS survey (Markarian & Stepanian 1983); cial place, because they produce the fundamental CASE survey (Pesch & Sanduleak 1983, 1986; Sand- samples of astrophysical objects from which all other uleak & Pesch 1984; 1987) and the Marseille Schmidt directions of investigation are derived. survey (Surace & Comte 1994). Since the pioneering studies of Haro (1956) and Markarian (1967), many projects have been un- The most extensive use of the UVX (UV excess) dertaken to discover large numbers of active and method came with the advent of large telescopes that star-forming galaxies at optical wavelength. Much use a grism and grens to search for quasars (Hoag of what we know about Seyfert galaxies, starburst & Schroeder 1970; Hoag 1976; Hoag & Smith 1977; galaxies, and even QSOs has been learned by study- Schmidt et al. 1986). ing objects originally discovered in wide-field sur- The observations of the First Byurakan Survey veys. Until recently with the advent of large-scale (FBS), also commonly known as the Markarian sur- digital sky surveys, almost all existing optical sur- vey, were carried out with the famous Byurakan 40{ veys for galaxies have been carried out using Schmidt 52 inch (1.0{1.3 m) Schmidt telescope at the Byu- telescopes and one of three detection methods. The rakan Observatory with the use of a low-dispersion ˚ method of selection based on the continuum radia- (1800 A/mm at Hγ) thin 1.5 degree objective prism. tion at UV wavelengths and/or enhanced blue color The primary selection criterion was the presence of and the method based on the existence of emis- UV excess in the continuum. The limiting magni- sion lines. The other technique of object selection, tude on the best plates reached ∼ 17:5 magnitude. based on their color, was first introduced by Haro The prohibitive amount of telescope time re- (1956) and requires multiple exposures of the same quired to obtain complete spectroscopic identifica- field through two or three different filters. This tions of large numbers of UVX (UV excess) se- method was also used in the KISO survey (Takase lected objects rendered the building of a Catalogue & Miyauchi-Isobe 1984) and the Montreal surveys of Markarian galaxies a very time-consuming pro- (MBG and MCT, Coziol et al. 1993). The well cess. Nearly 20 years were needed to complete the known PG survey (Green 1976), the first systematic Markarian survey using spectroscopic observations. survey for UV-bright stars and QSOs, also employed The largest instruments in the world were used to this technique. investigate Markarian galaxies and complete the sur- The technique of selecting objects according vey. to their excess UV emission on low-dispersion Emission-line galaxies of all degrees of activity objective-prism spectra was first introduced by discovered in FBS have become known collectively as Markarian (1967). The tremendous success of the Markarian galaxies. Markarian galaxies have played Markarian survey (Markarian 1967) initiated a num- a central role in the task of distinguishing between ber of other extragalactic thin-prism surveys, and the physically different types of phenomena that oc- pointed out a new direction in extragalactic astron- cur in AGNs. The Markarian survey resulted in a omy: a systematic search for peculiar objects using complete sample of AGNs down to a limiting mag- low-dispersion spectroscopy. Further on (10 years nitude of B = 15.2. In that survey over 200 Seyfert later) this method was intensively used around the galaxies, 13 QSOs, 3 BLLac objects and hundreds world. The selection of galaxies according to the of starburst, blue compact and H II galaxies were © Copyright 2005: Instituto de Astronomía, Universidad Nacional Autónoma México presence of emission lines in their low-dispersion, discovered. Markarian galaxies comprise 10% of all objective-prism spectra become popular in the mid- galaxies in the FBS sky area covered, and about 10% dle of the 1970s: CTIO survey (Cerro-Tololo Inter- of Markarian galaxies turned out to be Seyfert galax- american Observatory, Smith 1975; Smith, Aguirre, ies, thereby about 1% of field galaxies were found to & Zemelman 1976); UM survey (University of be Sy galaxies. Michigan, MacAlpine, Smith, & Lewis 1977a,b; A compilation of published data|(the Catalogue MacAlpine, Lewis, & Smith 1977c,); HQS survey of Markarian galaxies)|was presented by Maz- (Vogel et al. 1993); ELG survey (Emission-line galax- zarella & Balzano (1986). The complete Catalogue ies, Wasilewski 1983); UCM survey (Universidad of Markarian galaxies was published by Markarian Complutense de Madrid survey, Zamorano et al. et al. (1989). 1994). In parallel with the Markarian survey a new deep Finally, there are surveys that use a hybrid tech- survey was conducted in the mid 1970s with the nique that combines the selection of galaxies based same Byurakan Schmidt telescope. The investiga- SBS GENERAL CATALOGUE 157 tion of faint objects, in particular QSOs, required have previously been reported by Stepanian (1994). the extension of the survey to fainter magnitudes. The main parameters, the redshifts, luminosities, pa- The new deeper survey was named the Second Byu- rameters related to emission lines, spectral classifi- rakan survey. The objective prism observations with cation, as well as other data for the SBS objects the 1 m Byurakan Schmidt telescope were started were published in a series of papers (Markarian & in 1974 and finished in 1986. In contrast with FBS Stepanian 1983, 1984a,b; Markarian et al. 1984{ and other UVX surveys, in the SBS survey we do not 1988; Stepanian et al. 1988{2003; Stepanian 1984{ separate objects into extended and point-like and we 1994). The General Catalogue presented here sum- now use four selection criteria. The limiting magni- marizes these data, with a few hundreds of new red- tude on the best plates reaches B ∼ 19:5. The plate shifts and additional parameters. While compiling search and the selection of objects were completed in this catalogue, the author incorporated a few neces- 1991. That is, 17 years (1974{1991) were needed to sary corrections to in the data of the already pub- complete the original SBS survey. In total nearly one lished lists. thousand square degrees of the Northern sky were So far, the nature of 761 new AGNs; 596 QSOs, covered and nearly 3600 objects were selected. 155 Sy galaxies of which 38 are BLS1, 31 NLS1, 25 Spectroscopic observations of the selected objects Sy1.5, 8 Sy1.8, 9 Sy1.9, 44 Sy2s, and 10 BLLac, started in 1977 and continued for more than 25 years. as well as including 90 LINERs, 562 SBN+SB, 195 A series of instruments were used for spectroscopic BCDG, and 150 H II galaxies and other emission line and photometric observations. The bulk of the spec- galaxies discovered within the main 991 square de- troscopic observations, 1605 objects, were obtained grees area of the SBS survey are here established.