HUBBLE DEEP FIELD - OBSERVATIONS, DATA REDUCTION, AND GALAXY PHOTOMETRY

The Hubble Deep Field (HDF) is a Director's Discretionary program on H ST in Cycle 5 to image an undistinguished field at high Galactic latit ude in four passbands as deeply as reasonably possible. These images p rovide the most detailed view to date of distant field galaxies and ar e likely to be important for a wide range of studies in galaxy evoluti on and cosmology. In order to optimize observing in the time available , a field in the northern continuous viewing zone was selected and ima ges were taken for ten consecutive days, or approximately 150 orbits. Shorter 1-2 orbit images were obtained of the fields immediately adjac ent to the primary HDF in order to facilitate spectroscopic follow-up by ground-based telescopes. The observations were made from 1995 Decem ber 18-30, and both raw and reduced data have been put in the public d omain as a community service. We present a summary of the criteria for selecting the field, the rationale behind the filter selection and ob serving times in each band, and the strategies for planning the observ ations to maximize the exposure time while avoiding Earth-scattered li ght. Data reduction procedures are outlined, and images of the combine d frames in each band are presented. Objects detected in these images are listed in a catalog with their basic photometric parameters. (C) 1 996 American Astronomical Society.