The INT Photometric H-Alpha Survey

The INT Photometric H-Alpha Survey (IPHAS) is an astronomical survey of the northern plane of our Galaxy, the Milky Way, as visible from the Isaac Newton Telescope (INT) in the Canary Islands, Spain.

[1] The survey uses two broad-band filters and a narrow H-alpha filter to obtain deep images of nebulae in our Galaxy and for identifying rare types of stars.

[2] Once these two surveys are completed the data are expected to provide a significant leap in our knowledge of the extreme phases of stellar evolution.

The goals of the survey include: Because of the selection for young stars and nebulae, the survey will also increase the number of known OB associations, and other clusters.

The survey has already discovered a large number of previously unknown planetary nebulae, such as the Necklace Nebula in this image.