Kiss: A New Digital Survey for Emission-Line Objects

We have initiated a major new survey for emission-line galaxies (ELGs) which we call the KPNO International Spectroscopic Survey (KISS). Survey observations began in March 1994 with the 0.61-m Burrell Schmidt telescope1. The technique we employ combines the benefits of a traditional photographic objective-prism survey with the advantages of using a CCD detector. The field of view of our CCD is 1.1° square, and the prism employed provides a dispersion of 19 A/pixel at 5000 A. The spectral range covered (4800–5500 A) is restricted by a specially designed filter that transmits from rest-frame Hβ to just shortward of the strong night-sky line at 5577 A; this greatly reduces the sky background. We expect KISS to be sensitive to galaxies with magnitudes as faint as B = 20 m –21 m , much deeper than existing photographic surveys. Our initial pilot project covers 100 square degrees (Salzer et al. 1994) and overlaps the CfA/Dartmouth Century Redshift Survey (α = 8 h 30 m –16 h 45 m and δ = 29°–30°) in the North Galactic cap.