The Wisconsin H-Alpha Mapper Sky Survey

L. M. Haffner, Ronald J. Reynolds, Brian L. Babler, Gregory J. Madsen, Alex S. Hill, Kathleen Barger, Kurt P. Jaehnig, Edwin J. Mierkiewicz, Jeffrey W. Percival, Nitish Chopra, Nickolas Pingel, Daniel T. Reese, Martin Gostischa, Jennifer Wunderlin, Lawrence Haffner

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

"We present the first all-sky, kinematic survey of Hα from the Milky Way, combining survey observations taken with the Wisconsin H-Alpha Mapper (WHAM) from Kitt Peak (1997-2007) and Cerro Tololo (2009-present). The WHAM Sky Survey (WHAM-SS) reaches sensitivity levels of about 0.1 R (EM ~ 0.2 pc cm^-6) with emission
detected toward every direction in the sky. Each pointing of the survey comprises a spatially integrated spectrum from a one-degree beam on the sky covering at least 200 km/s around the Local Standard of Rest with 12 km/s spectral resolution. WHAM was designed primarily to study the pervasive warm ionized medium (WIM) component of the interstellar medium (ISM) but also reveals many large-scale, locally-ionized regions throughout the Galaxy. The WIM is a diffuse but thick component of the ISM that extends several kiloparsecs into the Galactic halo with a kinematic signature that traces the gaseous spiral arms of the Galaxy. In addition to this fairly
smooth global emission, the Hα sky contains many individual H II regions and supernova remnants, a few revealed in the WHAM-SS for the first time. Some locations are dominated by complex filamentary network of diffuse ionized gas where the ISM has been shaped by past winds and supernovae and is now powered by a new
wave of star formation. At high latitudes, faint emission from intermediate-velocity clouds is also regularly present. The success of WHAM as a fully remote observing facility for nearly two decades is due in no small part to the excellent and responsive support staff at KPNO in Arizona and CTIO in Chile. WHAM has been designed,
built, and operated primarily through support of the National Science Foundation. The current research presented here is funded by award AST-1108911."--From publisher's website.
Original languageAmerican English
Journal227th American Astronomical Society Meeting (AAS)
StatePublished - Jan 2016

Keywords

  • H-Alpha mapper sky survey
  • Milky Way

Disciplines

  • Astrophysics and Astronomy

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