Title:
 Calibration of HST wide field camera for quantitative analysis of faint galaxy images
Authors:
 Ratnatunga, K. U., Griffiths, R. E. Casertano, S., Neuschaefer, L. W., & Wyckoff, E. W.
Institution:
 Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
Proceedings:
 Calibrating Hubble Space Telescope
Workshop:
 Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA
Date:
 1993 November 15-17
Editors:
 J. Chris Blades and Samantha J. Osmer
Publisher:
 Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, 1993.
LC #:
 QB500.XXX .CXX 1993.
Pages:
 59-67

Abstract

Accurate V and I flat fields for the Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera have been obtained using the sky background in images taken for the Medium-Deep Survey, a Key Project. These `super-sky' flat fields have pixel-to-pixel rms variations of about 2.2% in V and 2.4% in I and are uniform to better than 3% peak-to-peak over almost all the exposed area. Super-sky flat fields can increase the photometric accuracy of WFC images by about a factor of 3 with respect to the Earth flats and, because of the low level of illumination, are better suited for the quantitative study of faint images in deep exposures.

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