spectro-aras.com

I am pleased to announce the launch of the BAA Spectroscopy Database. This is a project that I have been working on for the BAA over the past year. It enables 1D FITS format spectra which are compliant with the BeSS standard to be uploaded by users. Anyone may then view or download the spectra.

I would emphasize that we are not intending to replace BeSS or the ARAS Spectral Database, rather to complement them. When users upload spectra they are reminded of these other databases which should receive their spectra.

The database may be accessed from the below link:
https://britastro.org/specdb/

The announcement on the BAA homepage:
https://britastro.org/node/8273

Andrew Wilson, BAA Spectroscopy Database Manager

This is great news for the amateur community. I hope it is widely supported. The BAA already has well over a hundred years of history in its variable star database. Duplicating spectra submitted to ARAS in the new BAA database would give long term security of our observations for future generations.

Cheers
Robin

Beaucoup en ont révé, Andy l'a fait !

Congratulations for this great tool, very useful for the developement of amateur spectroscopy

François

Very good news.
I can now drop all my spectra that can't be in bess or ARAS like WR stars, PN, galaxy, quasar, comet, Rs CVn, Beta Cep and so on...

Well done Andy, I am sure this will prove to be a valuable resource. It will be good to see observing section of the BAA adding spectra to their observing campaigns.

May I ask if the data base accepts multiple 1D spectra from an echelle of a single object as a group? I think I would need to be a member of the BAA to post on their discussion forum.

Regards Andrew

Thanks Andrew, Olivier, François and Robin.

Andrew,

Yes, the database accepts multiple FITS files for the different orders of an Echelle spectrograph as a single group. When uploading spectra there is a checkbox you can tick to indicate they are Echelle spectra. Then all the FITS files uploaded at the moment will be grouped together as a single observation in the database. When subsequently accessed they will be plotted together on a single plot and downloaded as a zip containing the individual FITS files.

You will need to be a member of the BAA to post on the forum.

You do not need to be a member of the BAA to receive a login to the spectroscopy database in order to upload spectra. Though membership is encouraged we welcome spectra from all observers who are able to provide compliant 1D FITS format spectra.

I might as well mention that the BAA will be introducing an electronic international membership rate where publications are available online rather than via post. This will be for a reduced fee and will become available sometime around the middle of 2017. Please excuse the semi-advertising but this seemed appropriate to mention.

Best wishes,
Andy