WFC3 Instrument Handbook
Version 16.0 – January 2024
PDF version
Wide Field Camera 3 Instrument Handbook for Cycle 32
User Support
Please contact the HST Help Desk for assistance. We encourage users to access the new web portal where you can submit your questions directly to the appropriate team of experts.
- Web: http://hsthelp.stsci.edu
- E-mail: [email protected]
Additional Resources
Information and other resources are available from the STScI website:
Revision History
Version | Date | Editors |
---|---|---|
16.0 | January 2024 | Mariarosa Marinelli and Linda Dressel |
15.0 | February 2023 | Linda Dressel and Mariarosa Marinelli |
14.0 | January 2022 | Linda Dressel |
13.0 | January 2021 | Linda Dressel |
12.0 | December 2019 | Linda Dressel |
11.0 | January 2019 | Linda Dressel |
10.0 | May 2018 | Linda Dressel |
9.0 | January 2017 | Linda Dressel |
8.0 | January 2016 | Linda Dressel |
7.0 | January 2015 | Linda Dressel |
6.0 | January 2014 | Linda Dressel |
5.0 | December 2012 | Linda Dressel |
4.0 | December 2011 | Linda Dressel |
3.0 | December 2010 | Linda Dressel |
2.1 | June 25, 2010 | Linda Dressel, Michael H. Wong, Cheryl Pavlovsky, Knox S. Long |
2.0 | January 2010 | Michael H. Wong, Cheryl Pavlovsky, Knox S. Long |
1.0 | December 2007 | Howard E. Bond and Jessica Kim Quijano |
Citation
In publications, refer to this document as:
- Marinelli, M. & Dressel, L. 2024. “Wide Field Camera 3 Instrument Handbook, Version 16.0” (Baltimore: STScI)
-
WFC3 Instrument Handbook
- • Acknowledgments
- Chapter 1: Introduction to WFC3
- Chapter 2: WFC3 Instrument Description
- Chapter 3: Choosing the Optimum HST Instrument
- Chapter 4: Designing a Phase I WFC3 Proposal
- Chapter 5: WFC3 Detector Characteristics and Performance
-
Chapter 6: UVIS Imaging with WFC3
- • 6.1 WFC3 UVIS Imaging
- • 6.2 Specifying a UVIS Observation
- • 6.3 UVIS Channel Characteristics
- • 6.4 UVIS Field Geometry
- • 6.5 UVIS Spectral Elements
- • 6.6 UVIS Optical Performance
- • 6.7 UVIS Exposure and Readout
- • 6.8 UVIS Sensitivity
- • 6.9 Charge Transfer Efficiency
- • 6.10 Other Considerations for UVIS Imaging
- • 6.11 UVIS Observing Strategies
- Chapter 7: IR Imaging with WFC3
- Chapter 8: Slitless Spectroscopy with WFC3
-
Chapter 9: WFC3 Exposure-Time Calculation
- • 9.1 Overview
- • 9.2 The WFC3 Exposure Time Calculator - ETC
- • 9.3 Calculating Sensitivities from Tabulated Data
- • 9.4 Count Rates: Imaging
- • 9.5 Count Rates: Slitless Spectroscopy
- • 9.6 Estimating Exposure Times
- • 9.7 Sky Background
- • 9.8 Interstellar Extinction
- • 9.9 Exposure-Time Calculation Examples
- Chapter 10: Overheads and Orbit Time Determinations
-
Appendix A: WFC3 Filter Throughputs
- • A.1 Introduction
-
A.2 Throughputs and Signal-to-Noise Ratio Data
- • UVIS F200LP
- • UVIS F218W
- • UVIS F225W
- • UVIS F275W
- • UVIS F280N
- • UVIS F300X
- • UVIS F336W
- • UVIS F343N
- • UVIS F350LP
- • UVIS F373N
- • UVIS F390M
- • UVIS F390W
- • UVIS F395N
- • UVIS F410M
- • UVIS F438W
- • UVIS F467M
- • UVIS F469N
- • UVIS F475W
- • UVIS F475X
- • UVIS F487N
- • UVIS F502N
- • UVIS F547M
- • UVIS F555W
- • UVIS F600LP
- • UVIS F606W
- • UVIS F621M
- • UVIS F625W
- • UVIS F631N
- • UVIS F645N
- • UVIS F656N
- • UVIS F657N
- • UVIS F658N
- • UVIS F665N
- • UVIS F673N
- • UVIS F680N
- • UVIS F689M
- • UVIS F763M
- • UVIS F775W
- • UVIS F814W
- • UVIS F845M
- • UVIS F850LP
- • UVIS F953N
- • UVIS FQ232N
- • UVIS FQ243N
- • UVIS FQ378N
- • UVIS FQ387N
- • UVIS FQ422M
- • UVIS FQ436N
- • UVIS FQ437N
- • UVIS FQ492N
- • UVIS FQ508N
- • UVIS FQ575N
- • UVIS FQ619N
- • UVIS FQ634N
- • UVIS FQ672N
- • UVIS FQ674N
- • UVIS FQ727N
- • UVIS FQ750N
- • UVIS FQ889N
- • UVIS FQ906N
- • UVIS FQ924N
- • UVIS FQ937N
- • IR F098M
- • IR F105W
- • IR F110W
- • IR F125W
- • IR F126N
- • IR F127M
- • IR F128N
- • IR F130N
- • IR F132N
- • IR F139M
- • IR F140W
- • IR F153M
- • IR F160W
- • IR F164N
- • IR F167N
- Appendix B: Geometric Distortion
- Appendix C: Dithering and Mosaicking
- Appendix D: Bright-Object Constraints and Image Persistence
-
Appendix E: Reduction and Calibration of WFC3 Data
- • E.1 Overview
- • E.2 The STScI Reduction and Calibration Pipeline
- • E.3 The SMOV Calibration Plan
- • E.4 The Cycle 17 Calibration Plan
- • E.5 The Cycle 18 Calibration Plan
- • E.6 The Cycle 19 Calibration Plan
- • E.7 The Cycle 20 Calibration Plan
- • E.8 The Cycle 21 Calibration Plan
- • E.9 The Cycle 22 Calibration Plan
- • E.10 The Cycle 23 Calibration Plan
- • E.11 The Cycle 24 Calibration Plan
- • E.12 The Cycle 25 Calibration Plan
- • E.13 The Cycle 26 Calibration Plan
- • E.14 The Cycle 27 Calibration Plan
- • E.15 The Cycle 28 Calibration Plan
- • E.16 The Cycle 29 Calibration Plan
- • E.17 The Cycle 30 Calibration Plan
- • E.18 The Cycle 31 Calibration Plan
- • Glossary