| 2MASS
| The Two Micron All Sky Survey.
|
| A/D
| Analog-to-Digital.
|
| ACS
| The Advanced Camera for Surveys.
|
| ADC
| Analog-to-Digital Converter.
|
| ADS
| Astrophysics Data System.
|
| AM
| Amplitude Modulation.
|
| AOR
| Astronomical Observation Request - an individual observation.
|
| AORKEY
| Astronomical Observation Request Key - a unique numerical identification of an observation.
|
| AOT
| Astronomical Observation Template - the IRAC observing mode.
|
| APEX
| Astronomical Point source Extractor.
|
| BCD
| Basic Calibrated Data, the Level 1 data product from each DCE that has been pipeline-processed and is fully calibrated.
|
| BLISS
| BiLinearly Interpolated Subpixel Sensitivity.
|
| BPHF
| Boresight Pointing History File.
|
| C&DH
| Command and Data Handling.
|
| CA
| Cryogenic Assembly.
|
| CBCD
| Corrected Basic Calibrated Data. This should be the starting point for further scientific analysis in most cases.
|
| CMOS
| Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor.
|
| COBE
| Cosmic Background Explorer.
|
| CR
| Cosmic Ray.
|
| CTA
| Cryogenic Telescope Assembly.
|
| CTE
| Charge Transfer Efficiency.
|
| CVF
| Circular Variable Filter.
|
| CVZ
| Continuous Viewing Zone.
|
| DAOPHOT
| Dominion Astrophysical Observatory Photometry stellar photometry package.
|
| DC
| Direct Current.
|
| DCE
| Data Collection Event, for IRAC a single 256 pixel by 256 pixel image from a single detector.
|
| DIRBE
| Diffuse InfraRed Background Experiment.
|
| DN
| Data Number (similar to ADU, Analog to Digital Unit).
|
| FET
| Field Effect Transistor.
|
| FITS
| Flexible Image Transportation System.
|
| FLS
| First Look Survey.
|
| FM
| Frequency Modulation.
|
| FOS
| Flight Operations System.
|
| FOV
| Field Of View.
|
| FPA
| Focal Plane Assembly, housing one IRAC detector.
|
| FPG
| Final Product Generator.
|
| FWHM
| Full Width Half Maximum.
|
| GOODS
| The Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey.
|
| GP
| Gaussian Process.
|
| GSFC
| Goddard Space Flight Center.
|
| GTO
| Guaranteed Time Observer.
|
| HDR
| High Dynamic Range.
|
| HST
| The Hubble Space Telescope.
|
| I&T
| Integration and Test.
|
| IDL
| Interactive Data Language.
|
| IER
| Instrument Engineering Request - like an AOR, but for specific engineering tasks that cannot be accomplished with an AOR.
|
| InSb
| Indium Antimonide, the detector material used in the short wavelength channels of IRAC (1 and 2).
|
| IOC
| In-Orbit Checkout, the two-month long testing period of the telescope following its launch.
|
| IRAC
| InfraRed Array Camera.
|
| IRAF
| Image Reduction and Analysis Facility.
|
| IRAS
| InfraRed Astronomical Satellite.
|
| IRS
| InfraRed Spectrograph.
|
| IRSA
| InfraRed Science Archive.
|
| ISO
| Infrared Space Observatory.
|
| ISOCAM
| Infrared Space Observatory Camera.
|
| ISSA
| IRAS Sky Survey Atlas.
|
| IST
| Instrument Support Team
|
| IT
| Instrument Team.
|
| IWIC
| IRAC Warm Instrument Characterization, the two-month long testing period of the telescope at the beginning of the warm mission and immediately following the end of the cryogenic mission.
|
| JPL
| Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
|
| K2
| Kepler 2 Mission (“Second Light”).
|
| KR
| Kernel Regression.
|
| LSB
| Low Surface Brightness.
|
| MCMC
| Markov Chain Monte Carlo.
|
| MIC
| Multiple Instrument Chamber.
|
| MIPS
| Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer.
|
| MOPEX
| MOsaicker and Point source EXtractor
|
| NaN
| Not a Number.
|
| NASA
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
|
| NEP
| North Ecliptic Pole.
|
| NICMOS
| The Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer.
|
| NOAO
| National Optical Astronomy Observatory.
|
| P.I.
| Principal Investigator.
|
| PAH
| Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon.
|
| PAO
| Period of Autonomous Operation, the interval between ground contacts for uplinking commands and downlinking data, normally 12-24 hours.
|
| PBCD
| Post Basic Calibrated Data.
|
| PC
| Post Cryogenic.
|
| PCRS
| Pointing Calibration and Reference Sensor.
|
| PCS
| Pointing Control System.
|
| PID
| Program Identification (Number). This number uniquely identifies the program to which any given observations belong.
|
| PLD
| Pixel Level Decorrelation.
|
| PRF
| Point Response Function. The PRF is essentially the convolution of a box the size of the image pixel with the PSF.
|
| PSF
| Point-Spread Function.
|
| PSR
| Point Source Realization.
|
| QA
| Quality Analysis.
|
| QE
| Quantum Efficiency.
|
| RMS
| Root Mean Square.
|
| RPM
| Revolutions Per Minute.
|
| ROIC
| Read-Out Integrated Circuit. It is the chip that contains the multiplexer (column and row scanners and the buses), the unit cell amplifiers, and the output amplifiers. The chip containing the detector diodes is bonded to it. It is often called simply the “mux.”
|
| S/C
| SpaceCraft.
|
| SAO
| Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA.
|
| SSC
| Spitzer Science Center.
|
| SED
| Spectral Energy Distribution.
|
| SERVS
| The Spitzer Extragalactic Representative Volume Survey.
|
| SHA
| Spitzer Heritage Archive.
|
| Si:As
| Arsenic-doped Silicon, the detector material in the IRAC long-wavelength channels (3 & 4).
|
| SIP
| Simple Imaging Polynomial.
|
| SIRTF
| Space InfraRed Telescope Facility.
|
| SNR
| Signal-to-Noise Ratio.
|
| SOM
| Spitzer Observer’s Manual.
|
| SP
| Segmented Polynomial.
|
| SV
| Science Validation, a 35-day period after the IOC during which the science instruments and their observational modes were commissioned.
|
| SWIRE
| Spitzer Wide Area Infrared Survey.
|
| TDB
| Barycentric Dynamical Time.
|
| UCAC4
| USNO CCD Astrograph Catalog 4.
|
| UT
| Universal Time.
|
| UTC
| Coordinated Universal Time.
|
| WCS
| World Coordinate System.
|
| WEA
| Warm Electronics Assembly.
|
| WFC3
| The Wide Field Camera 3.
|
| WFPC2
| The Wide-Field and Planetary Camera 2.
|
