NED search results are retreived as a web service, and the results are either displayed directly, or the retrieved coordinates are used to display MAST mission observations that are within a specified search radius of the retrieved catalog entries.
VizieR/MAST Cross Correlation Search
The VizieR / MAST Cross Correlation Search permits users
to search for catalogs held by VizieR
and then either search them internally or to
use them as input for a MAST cross-mission search. There is a
help page for these searches, but below is an overview of the process.
First searching for a VizieR catalog. When search for a catalog name, you will often be more successful if you search using a wild card (e.g. *Abell*). The results of the search list the catalogs found at VizieR with two options to the left of each found catalog (S and CC).
Specview
is a Java application for 1-D spectral visualization and analysis of
astronomical spectrograms. It is capable of reading all the Hubble Space Telescope
spectral data formats, as well as data from a few other instruments
(such as IUE, FUSE, ISO, FORS and SDSS), preview spectra from the STScI archive,
and data from generic FITS and ASCII tables.
Once ingested, data can be plotted and graphically examined with a large selection
of custom settings. Specview supports instrument-specific data quality handling,
flexible spectral units conversions, custom plotting attributes, plot annotations,
hardcopy to a PostScript file or printer, etc.
A spectral feature quick measurement tool enables the user, with a few mouse actions,
to perform and record, in VOTable or FITS format, measurements on selected spectral features.
Specview can be used to overplot or combine data from the same astronomical source
taken with different instruments and/or spectral bands. It has a spectral model
fitting capability that enables the user to work with multi-component models
(including user-defined models) in a number of ways, and fit models to data.
Specview can overplot spectral line identifications taken from a variety of line lists,
including user-supplied lists.
To download SpecView or for more information see the SpecView page
MAST staff have written a
tutorial (in Powerpoint format)
that shows how to use the spectrum combination/filtering functions.
The MAST Spectral/Image Scrapbook is designed to allow users to take a quick look
at representative data in the MAST archive for a particular astronomical object of interest.
It is particularly useful if the user is not already familiar with the datasets involved.
Objects such as planets, comets and asteroids are NOT included in the Scrapbook.
The tool utilizes catalogs of "representative" spectra and images
compiled by the MAST staff. Each table lists unique datasets representing either an object
or unique pointing observed by MAST missions or instruments. Datasets are listed for
an assortment of bandpasses, depending upon on the instrument and
availability per target or pointing.
A description of the automated process used to select the
representative spectra and images is available.
Note that these are "representative" spectra or images, not necessarily the "best".
The scrapbook help page describes the scrapbook interface and
includes descriptions of the input parameters and output.
SpecView
MAST Coplotter
The MAST Spectral Data Coplot utility allows users to coplot multiple
spectra from MAST's holdings of spectral data.
For HST instruments, the plotted data are obtained from the preview files produced by CADC.
For the other MAST missions, the data is extracted from the ASCII preview files.
In both cases, differences may exist between these data and those found in the distributed FITS files.
The current list of data sets to choose from includes:
STIS, IUE, EUVE, HUT, BEFS, TUES, FOS, GHRS, and WUPPE. Other mission data sets will be ignored.
See the Spectral Data Coplotter Help page for more information
MAST Scrapbook