UNIVERSITY-OF-BRITISH-COLUMBIA NASA MULTI-NARROW-BAND SURVEY - I - DESCRIPTION AND PHOTOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF THE SURVEY

Observations, analysis techniques, and photometric properties of a mul ti-narrowband survey of a 20 deg(2) area of sky at +33 degrees declina tion are described. The survey is conducted with the 3 m liquid-mirror telescope of the NASA Orbital Debris Observatory using intermediate-b andwidth filters. These filters have central wavelengths ranging from 455 to 948 nm, at intervals of 0.01 in log lambda, and give a spectral resolving power of Delta lambda/lambda similar to 44. In two spring o bserving seasons, we have completed observations in 16 bands. Our prel iminary object catalog contains over 10(5) detections to a typical 50% completeness limit of m(AB) similar to 20.4. The survey is expected t o provide object classifications, spectral energy distributions, and m ulti-narrowband redshifts for similar to 10(4) galaxies and QSOs for u se in studies of galaxy and QSO distributions, evolution, and large-sc ale structure. It will also provide photometry and spectral classifica tions for over 10(4) stars.