Michael Strauss talks with
ScienceWatch.com and answers a few questions about
this month's Fast Breaking Paper Paper in the field of Space
Science.
Article Title: The Seventh Data Release of the Sloan
Digital Sky Survey
Authors: Abazajian, KN, et al.
Journal: ASTROPHYS J SUPPL SER, Volume: 182, Issue: 2, Page:
543-558, Year: JUN 2009
* Univ Maryland, Dept Phys, College Pk, MD 20742 USA.
* Univ Maryland, Dept Phys, College Pk, MD 20742 USA.
* Fermilab Natl Accelerator Lab, Batavia, IL 60510 USA.
* Columbia Univ, Columbia Astrophys Lab, New York, NY 10027
USA.
* Univ Wyoming, Dept Phys & Astron, Laramie, WY 82071
USA. (addresses have been
truncated.)
Why do you think your paper is highly
cited?
It describes a very useful, and indeed, widely used dataset; basically,
everyone using these data will cite this paper. As the paper describing the
7th public data release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), it is a useful
reference for all papers using these data.
This is the 8th such data release paper (we had an "Early Data
Release" before we started counting); the other seven papers, which came
out between 2002 and 2008, had between 300 and 1,100 citations—totals
which are accessible from the
Astrophysics Data System (ADS).
Does it describe a new discovery, methodology, or
synthesis of knowledge?
It describes a substantial, 25% increment on an existing dataset,
completing this phase of the survey. It also describes improvements to the
software used to process the data.
Would you summarize the significance of your paper
in layman's terms?
"I have been involved in the SDSS for almost 20 years,
and as Deputy Project Scientist, I was one of the
organizers of the regular data releases (and I was the guy
who actually did the writing of this paper)."
The SDSS has produced a map of the Universe, a census of the heavens, which
can be used in every area of astronomical research, from studies of
asteroids in the Solar System to the most distant quasars.
It is a fully public dataset, which has been used by thousands of
researchers all over the world. This paper describes the completion of this
survey in its current incarnation, making measurements of the properties of
357 million objects.
How did you become involved in this research, and
were there any problems along the way?
I have been involved in the SDSS for almost 20 years, and as Deputy Project
Scientist, I was one of the organizers of the regular data releases (I was
the guy who actually did the writing of this paper). There are a lot of
problems indeed in managing a $130 million project with roughly 200
actively involved scientists, but in fact, this data release, and the
writing of the paper describing it, went smoother than many of the earlier
data releases.
Where do you see your research leading in the
future?
With the completion of the 7th data release, the SDSS finished
its core goals of mapping in detail 10,000 square degrees of sky. The
project is now in its third phase (SDSS-III) with expanded goals of
surveying more distant galaxies to study their large-scale distribution.
SDSS-III also is carrying out a comprehensive survey for planets, and is
studying the chemical composition and motions of stars in our Milky Way in
order to understand its structure and formation.
Do you foresee any social or political
implications for your research?
The SDSS has definitely set a standard for large collaborations in
astronomy and, by making its data public, we have demonstrated that large,
complex projects like this are both doable, and scientifically very
worthwhile. The project is thereby influencing the next generation of sky
surveys with more capable facilities, such as the
Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), which will
emulate the SDSS in various aspects of its collaboration structure, data
management, and distribution of the data to the world.
Michael Strauss, Ph.D.
Professor of Astrophysical Sciences
Associate Chair, Department of Astrophysical Sciences
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ, USA Web |
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