IRSKY

Software Tool • Past

The Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC) continues to support IRSKY as a software tool for viewing the infrared sky. IRSKY is available for use on IPAC computers from any host on the INTERNET equipped with X/Windows. IRSKY offers convenient and efficient access to the major released science products from the IRAS (Infrared Astronomical Satellite) mission. It is designed as an environment for astronomers to plan observations in the context of the known infrared sky, with special emphasis on observations using Spitzer.

IRSKY users can use the NED (NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database) to enter the position of the object of interest, by entering a Target Name and searching for the named object.

IRSKY users need only specify a position on the sky, and the interface will display:

  • Images from the all-sky IRAS Survey Atlas, with a resolution of 4' in each of the IRAS wavelength bands at 12, 25, 60, and 100 um, with a model of the zodiacal emission subtracted (the interface allows user control of image display parameters);
  • Markers overlaid on the images showing the location of entries in the IRAS Point Source and Faint Source Catalogs, as well as the Hubble Space Telescope Guide Star Catalog, and the ISO Observations;
  • Estimates of the total sky brightness at any wavelength between 5 and 200 um, and estimates of confusion noise due to source crowding and emission structure.
  • Estimates of background using the COBE DIRBE data.
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