University of British Columbia–NASA Multi‐Narrowband Survey. I. Description and Photometric Properties of the Survey

Observations, analysis techniques, and photometric properties of a multi-narrowband survey of a 20 deg2 area of sky at +33° declination are described. The survey is conducted with the 3 m liquid-mirror telescope of the NASA Orbital Debris Observatory using intermediate-bandwidth filters. These filters have central wavelengths ranging from 455 to 948 nm, at intervals of 0.01 in log λ, and give a spectral resolving power of Δλ/λ ~ 44. In two spring observing seasons, we have completed observations in 16 bands. Our preliminary object catalog contains over 105 detections to a typical 50% completeness limit of mAB ~ 20.4. The survey is expected to provide object classifications, spectral energy distributions, and multi-narrowband redshifts for ~104 galaxies and QSOs for use in studies of galaxy and QSO distributions, evolution, and large-scale structure. It will also provide photometry and spectral classifications for over 104 stars.