2MASS Observations of the Large Magellanic Cloud

Abstract

The Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) has observed a portion of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) at J (1.25 μm), H (1.65 μm), and K_s (2.17 μm), as part of its routine nightly operations with an automated 1.3-m telescope at CTIO, Chile. The camera observes the sky in the three channels simultaneously, using 256 × 256 HgCdTe detector arrays. The survey samples the sky in 6° x 8.′3 scans. The 2MASS Production Processing System provides final atlas images and source extractions with precise photometric calibration and astrometric positions. The survey's 10σ sensitivity is 15.8 mag at J, 15.1 at H, and 14.3 at K_s. 2MASS will ultimately detect ~10⁷ point sources in the LMC and will support analyses of the ages, luminosity and mass functions, and metallicities of the red stellar populations and a census of AGB and carbon stars, as well as extinction maps, across the LMC. This work presents an initial analysis of ~20 square degrees.