The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) will produce a 3D map of the universe of galaxies over a volume 4 x 107 Mpc3, and is aimed at probing the large-scale structure of the Universe to unprecedented precision. Covering pi sr centered on the north galactic cap, the SDSS will comprise a photometric (CCD) imaging survey of 108 objects in 5 wavebands, a magnitude-limited spectroscopic (redshift) survey of 106 galaxies and 105 quasars, and a nearly volume-limited redshift survey of 105 bright red galaxies. The commissioning period of the telescope and instruments, which is now finishing, has produced a wealth of scientific returns, including: discovery of the most distant quasars yet known, discovery of the first isolated brown dwarf stars, new insights into the structure of the Milky Way, evidence that galaxy dark matter halos extend to large distances, and new views of the large-scale clustering of galaxies.
ANL Physics Division Colloquium Schedule