HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to collect World Class
Science
DAILY REPORT #4675
PERIOD COVERED: 5am August 14 - 5am August 15, 2008 (DOY
227/0900z-228/0900z)
OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED
ACS/SBC 11158
HST Imaging of UV Emission in Quiescent Early-type
Galaxies
We have constructed a sample of early type galaxies at
z~0.1 that have
blue UV-optical colors, yet also show no signs of optical
emission, or
extended blue light. We have cross-correlated the SDSS
catalog and the
Galaxy Evolution Explorer Medium Imaging Survey to select
a sample of
galaxies where this UV emission is strongest. The origin
of the UV
rising flux in these galaxies continues to be debated, and
the
possibility that some fraction of these galaxies may be
experiencing low
levels of star formation cannot be excluded. There is also
a possibility
that low level AGN activity {as evidenced by a point
source} is
responsible We propose to image the UV emission using the
HST/SBC and to
explore the morphology of the UV emission relative to the
optical light.
ACS/SBC 11220
Mapping the FUV Evolution of Type IIn Supernovae
We will use the PR110L prism on the SBC of ACS to map the
FUV evolution
of Type IIn supernovae {SNe}. The main goal of this
proposal is to
measure the FUV continuum, Ly-a emission line flux, and
their evolution
to {1} quantify and interpret Type IIn SN transient event
detections at
high redshift and {2} dramatically improve current high
redshift Type
IIn selection criteria. We show that the inherent
properties of Type IIn
SNe facilitate high redshift detection. We will observe
the rest-frame
FUV of a sample of eight 0.02 < z < 0.33 Type IIn
SNe to directly
measure the survival of Ly-alpha photons in low to intermediate
redshift
Type IIn SNe environments and extrapolate the results to
high redshift.
We will calibrate relationships such as FUV luminosity vs.
emission line
flux and measure emission line evolution vs. FUV light
evolution. The
intent is to categorize and improve the utility of Type
IIn SNe.
NIC1/NIC2/NIC3 11330
NICMOS Cycle 16 Extended Dark
This takes a series of Darks in parallel to other
instruments.
NIC1/NIC2/NIC3 8795
NICMOS Post-SAA Calibration - CR Persistence Part 6
A new procedure proposed to alleviate the CR-persistence
problem of
NICMOS. Dark frames will be obtained immediately upon
exiting the SAA
contour 23, and every time a NICMOS exposure is scheduled
within 50
minutes of coming out of the SAA. The darks will be
obtained in parallel
in all three NICMOS Cameras. The POST-SAA darks will be
non-standard
reference files available to users with a USEAFTER
date/time mark. The
keyword 'USEAFTER=date/time' will also be added to the
header of each
POST-SAA DARK frame. The keyword must be populated with
the time, in
addition to the date, because HST crosses the SAA ~8 times
per day so
each POST-SAA DARK will need to have the appropriate time
specified, for
users to identify the ones they need. Both the raw and
processed images
will be archived as POST-SAA DARKSs. Generally we expect
that all NICMOS
science/calibration observations started within 50 minutes
of leaving an
SAA will need such maps to remove the CR persistence from
the science i
mages. Each observation will need its own CRMAP, as
different SAA
passages leave different imprints on the NICMOS detectors.
NIC2 11208
The Co-evolution of Spheroids and Black Holes in the Last
Six Billion
Years
The masses of giant black holes are correlated with the
luminosities,
masses, and velocity dispersions of the bulges of their
host galaxies.
This empirical correlation of phenomena on widely
different scales {from
pcs to kpcs} suggests that the formation and evolution of
galaxies and
central black holes are closely linked. In Cycle 13, we
have started a
campaign to map directly the co-evolution of spheroids and
black-holes
by measuring in observationally favorable redshift windows
the empirical
correlations connecting their properties. By focusing on
Seyfert 1s,
where the nucleus and the stars contribute comparable
fractions of total
light, black hole mass and bulge dispersion are obtained
from Keck
spectroscopy. HST is required for accurate measurement of
the non
stellar AGN continuum, the morphology of the galaxy, and
the structural
parameters of the bulge. The results at z=0.36 indicate a
surprisingly
fast evolution of bulges in the past 4 Gyrs {significant
at the 95%CL},
in the sense that bulges were significantly smaller for a
given black
hole mass. Also, the large fraction of mergers and
disturbed galaxies
{4+2 out of 20} identifies gas-rich mergers as the
mechanisms
responsible for bulge-growth. Going to higher redshift --
where
evolutionary trends should be stronger -- is needed to
confirm these
tantalizing results. We propose therefore to push our
investigation to
the next suitable redshift window z=0.57 {lookback-time 6
Gyrs}. Fifteen
objects are the minimum number required to map the
evolution of the
empirical correlations between bulge properties and
black-hole mass, and
to achieve a conclusive detection of evolution
{>99%CL}.
NIC2 11341
Lower Luminosity AGNs at Cosmologically Interesting
Redshifts: SEDs and
Accretion Rates of z~0.36 Seyferts
We propose a multiwavelength campaign to constrain the
SEDs of Seyferts
at z~0.36. This epoch, corresponding to a look back time
of 4 Gyrs, is
cosmologically interesting for studies of the coeval
development of
black holes and their host galaxy bulges. Our sample,
comprising 24
Seyferts, has unprecedented high quality Keck spectroscopy
and HST
imaging already invested to extract host galaxy bulge
properties,
estimate black hole masses, and separate nuclear and host
optical
luminosities. To supplement and extend this successful
program, we
request 93 ks of Chandra time (to measure the shape and
power of the
AGN-only X-ray continuum), 11 hrs each of Spitzer and
Gemini (to
constrain the dust temperature), and 7 orbits of HST (to
determine the
nuclear luminosity for the final 7 objects).
NIC3 11545
A NICMOS Survey of Newly-Discovered Young Massive Clusters
We are on the cusp of a revolution in massive star
research triggered by
2MASS and Spitzer/GLIMPSE, and now is the ideal time to
capitalize on
these projects by performing the first survey of massive
stars in young
stellar clusters throughout the Galactic plane. A search
of the 2MASS
and GLIMPSE surveys has produced over 450 newly-identified
massive
stellar cluster candidates in the Galactic plane which are
hidden from
our view at optical wavelengths due to extinction. Here we
propose a
program of 29 orbits to image the most promising candidate
clusters in
broad and narrow band filters using HST/NICMOS. We will be
complementing
these observations with approved Spitzer and Chandra
programs,
numerous approved and planned ground-based spectroscopic
observations,
and state-of-the-art modeling. We expect to substantially
increase the
numbers of massive stars known in the Galaxy, including
main sequence
stars and post-main sequence stars in the Red Supergiant,
Luminous Blue
Variable and Wolf-Rayet stages. Ultimately, this program
will address
many of the fundamental topics in astrophysics: the slope
to the initial
mass function (IMF), an upper-limit to the masses of
stars, the
formation and evolution of the most massive stars,
gamma-ray burst (GRB)
progenitors, the chemical enrichment of the interstellar
medium, and
nature of the first stars in the Universe.
WFPC2 11177
The Nature of z=3 Lyman-Alpha Emitters
The advent of large mosaic CCD cameras on 4 -- 8 m class
telescopes has
recently led to a revolution in our ability to detect
primordial
galaxies. Today, large numbers of strong Ly-alpha emitters
(LAEs) are
being discovered between 2.4 < z < 6. These are
important objects: not
only do they sample a part of the galaxy luminosity
function that is
inaccessible to the Lyman-break technique, but they also
tend to be
younger and less chemically evolved. In fact, the LAEs now
being found
are currently our best candidates for galaxies in the act
of formation.
To investigate the properties of this class of objects, we
have
conducted an extremely deep narrow-band (5000 Angstrom;
FWHM = 50
Angstrom) and broad-band (UBVRIzJK) survey of the Extended
Chandra Deep
Field South, and have identified a homogeneous sample of
strong Ly-
alpha emitters at z = 3.11. Twenty-seven of these objects
are located
within the region surveyed by Great Observatories Origins
Deep Survey
(GOODS) and have detailed morphological information
available from the
rest-frame ultraviolet. We propose 0.2" resolution
narrow-band imaging
of 11 of our LAEs using the F502N filter of WFPC2. By
comparing the
Ly-alpha and rest-frame UV continuum morphologies of these
galaxies, we
will be able to look for the presence of outflows,
constrain their dust
content, and test whether these objects are truly
primordial galaxies.
FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:
Significant Spacecraft Anomalies: (The following are
preliminary reports
of potential non-nominal performance that will be
investigated.)
HSTARS:
11437 - GSACQ(1,2,1) failed, Search Radius Limit exceeded
on FGS 1
Upon acquisition of signal at 228/00:51:00 a 486 ESB message "A07"
("FGS
Coarse Track failed - Time out waiting for Data Valid") was observed
along with QF1SRLEX, QF1STOPF, QSRCHEXC and QSTOP flags. GSACQ(1,2,1) at
228/00:21:39 failed while vehicle was LOS. #44 commands did not update
from previous values before loss of signal. Three NSSCI status buffer
messages ACS 779 ("Fold Mechanism Move was Blocked") were received at
00:32:32, 00:37:46 and 00:46:01 due to take data flag being down when
the fold mechanism move was commanded. Flight Software Error Count
(JERRCNT) incremented to 105. OPS Note 1645-22 was executed to change
JERRCNT limit to 105.
Observations affected: ACS 9, proposal 11151.
COMPLETED OPS REQUEST: None
COMPLETED OPS NOTES:
1645-22 - Change JERRCNT Limit @ 228/01:51z
SCHEDULED
SUCCESSFUL
FGS
GSacq
08
07
FGS REacq
07
07
OBAD with Maneuver
30
30
SIGNIFICANT EVENTS: (None)