Data Access for SDSS DR13 Overview
This page explains how to access DR13 data, and provides links to various data access tools.
What is in DR13?
- Optical spectra of galaxies reprocessed by the SDSS component Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS)
- New optical spectra observed by the Sloan Extended Quasar, ELG, and LRG Survey (SEQUELS) program, a transition program between BOSS and eBOSS.
- Newly-reduced stellar infrared spectra from the SDSS component Apache Point Observatory Galaxy Evolution Experiment (APOGEE)
- Updated stellar abundance estimates for additional elements from the SDSS component Apache Point Observatory Galaxy Evolution Experiment (APOGEE)
- Data cubes from integral field unit (IFU) spectroscopic observations of nearby galaxies from the new component survey Mapping Nearby Galaxies at APO (MaNGA)
- Reprocessed imaging from the SDSS legacy survey
The SDSS web sites offer several different online data access tools, each suited to a particular need. These access tools are described in the table below.
These site are described in more detail in the Available Tools page.
Data Access Sites
- Website
- Purpose
- www.sdss4.org/dr13
- DR13 Documentation (this site)
- dr13.sdss.org
- Science Archive Webapp: interactive search-view-download tool for infrared and optical spectra, imaging fields, and image mosaic creation.
- data.sdss.org/sas/dr13
- Direct download access to DR13 data files for experts
- data.sdss.org/datamodel
- Details of the SAS directory structure, file formats, and the contents of each file
- skyserver.sdss.org/dr13
- SkyServer: Browser-based access to the Catalog Archive Server (CAS) database, with resources for learning SQL and projects to teach science
- skyserver.sdss.org/casjobs
- Flexible advanced SQL-based interface to the CAS, for all data releases
How to find…
The sections below are organized by type of data. Each section includes a table that describes a common task you might perform with that type of data, along with a link to the best tool for that task.
If your question isn’t addressed here, please look at the Frequently Asked Questions and/or Tutorials help pages.
If you are having difficulty connecting to any data server, please check the status page for announcements about planned outages.
Images
The SDSS has taken deep images of more than one-third of the entire night sky. You can view SDSS images online for any object or sky position in the survey area, and download images of SDSS fields as FITS files.
- I need to…
- Tool to use
- browse through sky images
- Navigate
- create a telescope finding chart
- Finding chart
- search-view-download SDSS imaging fields
- Imaging Field Search
- generate SDSS imaging mosaics
- Imaging Mosaics
- get a list of thumbnails
- Image List
Since some stars were targeted for APOGEE infrared spectroscopy using 2MASS survey data, we also offer access to 2MASS images through the Navigate tool (click on the 2MASS button).
Data from the SDSS-II Supernova Survey is not available in DR8-13, but is available in its entirety at the SDSS-II Supernova Survey website.
Optical Spectra
DR13 includes all optical spectra from the original SDSS-I/-II, SEGUE, and BOSS, as well as additional optical spectra measured as part of the Sloan Extended Quasar, ELG, and LRG Survey (SEQUELS) program.
- I need to…
- Tool to use
- know whether SDSS has measured an optical spectrum for my object
- Navigate
- explore the optical spectra platelist
- Optical Plate Search
- search-download FITS files with the optical spectrum for my object(s):
- Optical Spectrum Search
- view the optical spectrum for my object(s):
- Optical Spectrum View
- get 50,000 spectra
- Bulk download documentation
- know which optical spectroscopic data files are available
- Spectroscopic pipeline description
- understand the format of a specific data file
- Data Model
APOGEE Spectra
DR13 includes all APOGEE infrared spectra measured so far, reprocessed with additional element abundances. The new element abundances brings the total number of species to 23: C, CI, N, O, Na, Mg, Al, Si, P, S, K, Ca, Ti, TiII, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Ge, and Rb.
- I need to…
- Tool to use
- know whether the SDSS has measured an infrared spectrum for my object
- Navigate
- explore the infrared spectra platelist
- Infrared Plate Search
- search-download FITS files with the infrared spectrum for my object(s)
- Infrared Spectrum Search
- view the infrared visits for my object(s)
- Infrared Spectrum View Visits
- view the infrared stars (combined or ASPCAP spectra) for my object(s)
- Infrared Spectrum View Stars
- get 50,000 infrared spectra
- Bulk download documentation
- know which APOGEE spectra data files are available
- Spectroscopic pipeline description
- get all measured parameters for all APOGEE stars at once
- allStar and allVisit files
MaNGA Spectra
Data Release 13 marks the first release of the SDSS’s Mapping Nearby Galaxies at APO (MaNGA) survey. DR13 includes summary data on MaNGA targets and raw data consisting of data cubes. Further processed data products will be released as part of future data releases.
- I need to…
- Tool to use
- see summary data from SDSS IFU observations for my object
- Explore: MaNGA
- learn how to download data cubes
- MaNGA data access
- download MaNGA data by plate
- SAS data browser for MaNGA
- learn other ways to access MaNGA data
- MaNGA tutorials
MARVELS Spectra
DR13 includes all MARVELS Interferometry spectra.
- I need to…
- Tool to use
- view and retrieve MARVELS data
- MARVELS data
Catalog Data
Catalog data summarize quantities measured from the images and spectra such as magnitudes, redshifts, and object classifications. These are available either from the Catalog Archive Server (CAS) database, or as binary tables in FITS file format.
- I need to…
- Tool to use
- find all objects which match some simple selection criteria
- SkyServer SQL Search
- learn how to write SQL queries
- SQL Tutorial or SQL in SkyServer or Sample Queries
- perform a complicated, CPU-intensive query of SDSS catalog data
- CasJobs
- generate my own database with custom tables of a subset of SDSS data
- CasJobs
- understand the CAS database schema:
- Schema Browser
- download fits files with the catalog data
- See the bulk download documentation
- understand the format of a specific catalog data file
- Data Model
