Halpha Continuum-Subtracted Images ---------------------------------- Aligned R and Halpha continuum-subtracted images are provided for each galaxy. The R image is the longest exposure image. In most cases, it was necessary to convolve the images to the same seeing before the continuum subtraction. This was done using the psfmatch routine in IRAF, based on 1-2 well-exposed star(s) as close to the galaxy as possible. Cosmic rays were removed before the convolution using the IRAF task cosmicrays. The unconvolved image(s) with the best seeing is (are) provided for reference. Halpha continuum-subtraction scale factors are initially derived from a comparison of foreground stars in the R and Halpha image and adjusted as necessary to reduce diffuse emission and minimize central continuum subtraction problems. The headers contain the subtracted background sky values, standard deviations, the seeing, and the best-fit Halpha continuum subtraction factors. Sky background values should be rechecked before photometry. For some galaxies, the center was saturated for the long R exposure. For those galaxies with available short R images, the image provided has been corrected for saturation by replacing saturated central galaxy pixels with scaled intensities from the short R exposure. The region of substitution for central saturated pixels is given in the header. The aligned short R exposure is provided for these galaxies. There are two Halpha continuum subtracted images provided for these galaxies: (i) the Halpha image with continuum measured from the corrected long R exposure and (ii) the Halpha image with continuum measured from the short R exposure (please note that the scale factor for these images has not been optimized). These images should be used with caution, and the error analysis of the central regions should be done carefully. Stellar (R) and stellar residual (Halpha) mask images will be added as completed. Stellar residual masks are needed for the Halpha images because of imperfect subtraction due to differing psf's and because of saturated stars in the R image. Mask images are given in the IRAF pixel list format and have the same root name as the corresponding image. Bad pixels are marked with a value of 1 and good pixels with a value of 0. The IRAF imcopy command can be used to produce a fits image from the pixel list (imcopy name.pl maskname.fits). The IRAF/STSDAS task ellipse accepts masks in the pixel list format (but the image name must have a '.fit' suffix. A list of cosmic rays (corrected before convolution) is provided in pixel list format for each image. NAMING CONVENTIONS: ------------------ ROOT NAMES: nXXXXr600: long R (XXXX = NGC number) nXXXXryy: short R (yy = short R exposure time) nXXXXha: Halpha nXXXXhacs: Halpha continuum-subtracted ENDINGS ON R AND HALPHA ROOT NAMES: r: background-subtracted, cosmic-ray corrected, unconvolved rc: same as r, but convolved to same psf f: image had a saturated central region, but was 'fixed'. applies to the 'fixed' R image and the Halpha continuum-subtracted image obtained using the fixed R image cos.pl: pixel list of cosmic rays found in IRAF cosmicrays task .pl: stellar or stellar residual mask corresponding to the root name image ENDINGS ON HALPHA CONTINUUM-SUBTRACTED ROOT NAMES ONLY: lr: continuum-subtracted using long R image sr: continuum-subtracted using short R image HEADER PARAMETERS ----------------- SKY: sky background value subtracted SKYSIGMA: standard deviation in background SEEING: FWHM HASF: Scale factor applied to long R image in continuum subtraction REPLACEB: Rectangular box region containing replaced (saturated) pixels in long R image SRSF: Scale factor applied to short R image in replacement of saturated pixels REPLACEC: Additive correction applied to the REPLACEB region in case of poor automatic correction