CFHTLenS: the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope Lensing Survey

We present the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope Lensing Survey (CFHTLenS) that accurately determines a weak gravitational lensing signal from the full 154 deg^2 of deep multicolour data obtained by the CFHT Legacy Survey. Weak gravitational lensing by large-scale structure is widely recognized as one of the most powerful but technically challenging probes of cosmology. We outline the CFHTLenS analysis pipeline, describing how and why every step of the chain from the raw pixel data to the lensing shear and photometric redshift measurement has been revised and improved compared to previous analyses of a subset of the same data. We present a novel method to identify data which contributes a non-negligible contamination to our sample and quantify the required level of calibration for the survey. Through a series of cosmology-insensitive tests we demonstrate the robustness of the resulting cosmic shear signal, presenting a science-ready shear and photometric redshift catalogue for future exploitation

Variable stars in Cen A

VizieR online Data Catalogue associated with article published in journal Astronomy & Astrophysics with title 'Ground-based variability surveys towards Centaurus A: worthwhile or not?' (bibcode: 2008A&A...478..755D

HDF-South K photometric redshift catalog

VizieR online Data Catalogue associated with article published in journal Astronomical Journal (AAS) with title 'A K-band-selected photometric redshift catalog in the Hubble Deep Field South: sampling the rest-frame V band to z=3.' (bibcode: 2001AJ....122.2205R

Catalog of planetary nebulae in NGC 3379

VizieR online Data Catalogue associated with article published in journal Astronomical Journal (AAS) with title 'The PN.S elliptical galaxy survey: data reduction, planetary nebula catalog, and basic dynamics for NGC 3379.' (bibcode: 2007ApJ...664..257D

OmegaCAM:wide-field imaging with fine spatial resolution

OmegaCAM is the wide-field camera for the VLT Survey Telescope being completed for ESO's Paranal observatory. The instrument, as well as the telescope, have been designed for very good, natural seeing-limited image quality over a 1 degree field. At the heart of the project are a square-foot photometric shutter, a 12-filter storage/exchange mechanism, a 16k x 16k CCD detector mosaic, and plenty of software for instrument control and data handling, analysis and archiving

4MOST: Project overview and information for the First Call for Proposals

We introduce the 4-metre Multi-Object Spectroscopic Telescope (4MOST), a new high-multiplex, wide-field spectroscopic survey facility under development for the four-metre-class Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA) at Paranal. Its key specifications are: a large field of view (FoV) of 4.2 square degrees and a high multiplex capability, with 1624 fibres feeding two low-resolution spectrographs ($R = \lambda/\Delta\lambda \sim 6500$), and 812 fibres transferring light to the high-resolution spectrograph ($R \sim 20\,000$). After a description of the instrument and its expected performance, a short overview is given of its operational scheme and planned 4MOST Consortium science; these aspects are covered in more detail in other articles in this edition of The Messenger. Finally, the processes, schedules, and policies concerning the selection of ESO Community Surveys are presented, commencing with a singular opportunity to submit Letters of Intent for Public Surveys during the first five years of 4MOST operations