Spitzer Space Telescope - Directors Discretionary Time Proposal #464


Matching the Absolute Calibrations of WISE and Spitzer

Principal Investigator: Martin Cohen
           Institution: MIRA

     Technical Contact: Martin Cohen, MIRA

Co-Investigators:
The WISE Science Team

Science Category: stellar populations
Observing Modes: IracMap, MipsScan, MipsPhot, IrsStare
  Hours Approved: 12.5

Abstract:
The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), a Medium Explorer currently
in Phase C/D, will survey the entire sky to 0.12/0.16/ 0.65/2.6 mJy (5 sigma)
at 3.3/4.7/12/23 microns. WISE will observe the north and south ecliptic poles
(NEP and SEP) on nearly every orbit, making these ideal calibration fields.
The WISE science team requests Spitzer Director's Discretionary Time to survey
the NEP with MIPS, the SEP with MIPS and IRAC, and to obtain IRS and MIPS
observations of Spitzer calibration stars that are candidate WISE standards.
The purposes of these observations are to: - develop new calibrators very close
to the SEP; - confirm the photospheric character of potential NEP/SEP WISE
calibrators with IRS spectroscopy; - assess the long-term stability for WISE of
non-primary IRAC standards; - identify objects that will saturate the WISE
arrays in the most frequently observed polar regions. These Spitzer observations
should be completed as soon as possible to allow followup ground-based optical
classification spectroscopy and photometry, prior to the WISE launch in
November 2009.