[ascl:1208.007]
Big MACS: Accurate photometric calibration
Kelly, P. L.;
von der Linden, A.;
Applegate, D.;
Allen, M.;
Allen, S. W.;
Burchat, P. R.;
Burke, D. L.;
Ebeling, H.;
Capak, P.;
Czoske, O.;
Donovan, D.;
Mantz, A.;
Morris, R. G.
Big MACS is a Python program that estimates an accurate photometric calibration from only an input catalog of stellar magnitudes and filter transmission functions. The user does not have to measure color terms which can be difficult to characterize. Supplied with filter transmission functions, Big MACS synthesizes an expected stellar locus for your data and then simultaneously solves for all unknown zeropoints when fitting to the instrumental locus. The code uses a spectroscopic model for the SDSS stellar locus in color-color space and filter functions to compute expected locus. The stellar locus model is corrected for Milky Way reddening. If SDSS or 2MASS photometry is available for stars in field, Big MACS can yield a highly accurate absolute calibration.