Kenneth J. Mighell (KPNO/NOAO)
Reference URL: http://www.noao.edu/staff/mighell/adass98
Basic algorithms for the production of stellar photometry from CCD observations are described and reviewed. Some simple algorithms for detecting stars, finding their positions, and estimating the nearby sky background will be presented along with references to the extensive literature devoted to these topics. A detailed comparison between aperture and Point Spread Function (PSF) fitting techniques will be given along with a critical discussion of the relative strengths and weaknesses of these methods. Many future space telescopes (e.g., SIRTF, AXAF, and NGST) will have complicated PSFs that are poorly described by simple combinations of symmetric analytical functions. Recent advances in PSF-fitting algorithms for CCD stellar photometry will be described which show how accurate V-band stellar photometry with the Next Generation Space Telescope could be accomplished with a segmented 8-m primary mirror that is diffraction limited at near-infrared wavelengths.