Here is an updated list of instructions for how to use the GalexView "virtual telescope" interface to explore the ultraviolet sky imaged by the GALEX satellite.
I hasten to add that, judged from the very modest crop of "rather average" papers that have resulted from GALEX observations of the short-wavelength ultraviolet sky, professional astronomers have not really come to grips with the many strange things that can be seen in these images! Furthermore, there are a lot less people looking at these FUV and NUV images than the masses who are looking at the SDSS images.....
How to access GALEX images:
Just go to:
http://galex.stsci.edu/GalexView
Firstly, remember that the FUV band is coded as blue in these images.....that is where all the
really weird stuff is! Yellow in these images codes for detected
near-ultraviolet light, which is mainly from ordinary stellar photospheres.
(1) Tick the "full resolution" tick box at the top right.
(2) Untick the "Display Objects" tick box at top right....this removes a lot of confusing overlays.
(3) Tick the "display graphics" tick box, if you want a red ring to be shown around the target object.
(4) Tick the fourth icon from the left in the row of icons at top right. This has a small galaxy on it and it is called "Image Layout". This increases the size of the Virtual Sky display.
Lastly,
one more very important step:
Often, when you use the "search for object" box to enter the co-ordinates or name of the desired target object, what comes up is only a
noisy and short-exposure image of the field.
In many cases, a
much better image is available of the same field; to get it, you go to the third icon from the left in the row of icons at top right. This icon has a sort of "grid" on it, and clicking this icon brings up a list of various available exposures......it is common enough to find a longer exposure of the same field, which is usually of much higher image quality.
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