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A Large and Precise All-Sky Photometric Standard Star Dataset Across More Than 200 Passbands
Kai Xiao1,2, Yang Huang3,4, Haibo Yuan5,6
1School of Astronomy and Space Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China. xiaokai@ucas.ac.cn.
Scientific Data
|January 26, 2026
Summary
Astronomers created the largest and most precise all-sky catalog of standard stars, overcoming limitations of previous datasets. This new resource, the BEst STars Database (BEST), enables milli-magnitude photometric precision for large astronomical surveys.
Area of Science:
- Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Photometry
- Stellar Astrophysics
Background:
- Accurate photometric calibration is crucial for astronomical research.
- Existing photometric standard stars have limitations including insufficient numbers, systematic errors, and limited coverage.
- These limitations hinder achieving high-precision measurements in astronomical surveys.
Purpose of the Study:
- To construct a comprehensive, high-precision all-sky catalog of standard stars.
- To overcome the limitations of existing standard star datasets.
- To enable milli-magnitude (mmag) photometric precision in large-scale astronomical surveys.
Main Methods:
- Compilation of over 200 million stars for the all-sky catalog.
- Achieving photometric precision better than 10 milli-magnitude (mmag).
- Incorporating over 200 photometric bands for comprehensive coverage.
Main Results:
- Development of the BEst STars Database (BEST), the largest and most precise all-sky standard star catalog.
- Calibration of multiple survey datasets to mmag precision using the BEST database.
- Creation of a complete sky distribution of stars for the Pan-STARRS system.
Conclusions:
- The BEST database significantly advances the potential for achieving mmag-level photometric precision.
- This resource is expected to be central to a high-precision astronomical measurement framework.
- Facilitates more accurate and detailed astronomical observations and analyses.
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