Alternative names | Two Micron All-Sky Survey |
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Survey type | astronomical catalog, astronomical survey |
Target | galaxy, brown dwarf |
Organization | University of Massachusetts Amherst, Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
Published | 2003 |
Observations | Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory, Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory |
Wavelength | 1.235 micrometre, 1.662 micrometre, 2.159 micrometre |
Data products | image, astronomical catalog |
Website | www |
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The Two Micron All-Sky Survey, or 2MASS, was an astronomical survey of the whole sky in the infrared spectrum and one of the most ambitious such projects.
It took place between 1997 and 2001, in two different locations: at the U.S. Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory on Mount Hopkins, Arizona (G91), and at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile (I02), each using a 1.3-meter telescope for the Northern and Southern Hemisphere, respectively. It was conducted in the short-wavelength infrared at distinct frequency bands near 2 micrometres (or microns), from which the photometric survey with its HgCdTe detectors derives its name.
2MASS produced an astronomical catalog with over 300 million observed objects, including minor planets of the Solar System, brown dwarfs, low-mass stars, nebulae, star clusters and galaxies. In addition, 1 million objects were cataloged in the 2MASS Extended Source Catalog. The cataloged objects are designated with a "2MASS"-prefix.
The final data release for 2MASS occurred in 2003, and is served by the Infrared Science Archive. The goals of this survey included: