The Pan-STARRS Image Processing Pipeline (IPP) processes observational data from raw pixels to calibrated measurements of astronomical objects stored in an internal database system. The IPP takes data through a series of stages, which includes basic detrending, photometry, and astrometry. Products generated at multiple stages of processing are ultimately ingested into the Published Science Products Subsystem (PSPS). 

Contents

IPP Stages

The IPP takes data through a series of stages: 

  1. CHIP stage: Performs initial processing for PS1 Exposure detrending and a single epoch photometry
  2. CAMERA stage: Astrometric and photometric calibrations for the entire exposure are matched against a reference catalog
  3. WARP stage: Images are transformed onto common sky oriented PS1 Warp Images with fixed sky projections 
  4. STACK stage: Multiple WARP images are combined to create deeper PS1 Stack Images
  5. DIFF stage: Generates differences on appropriately specified WARP and/or STACK images to identify transient sources
  6. STATICSKY and SKYCAL stages: Add extended source fitting to point source photometry of objects detected in STACK images
  7. FULLFORCE stage: Uses objects detected in the SKYCAL stage to perform PS1 Forced photometry of sources on individual WARP images 

For more detail on the IPP, please refer to Magnier et al. (2016).




A schematic of the stages of the IPP, from retrieving images from the summit buffer through single image analysis, image combination & analysis, and post-processing analysis.

Schematic of the images and analysis processing stages of the IPP, described in Magnier et al. (2016).

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