This handbook was created to help users process and analyze data from the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) which was installed on-board the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) during the 2002 servicing mission (SM3B). It is presented as an independent and self-contained document, designed for users familiar with HST data but new to ACS. Users who wish to find more general data analysis information, including instructions for retrieving data from the HST archive, a description of
HST file formats, and a discussion of IRAF/STSDAS software for displaying and processing these data, are referred to a companion volume, the
Introduction to HST Data Handbooks at::
The chapter on geometric distortion and MultiDrizzle, that appeared in previous versions of this Data Handbook, has been omitted from this edition due to changes that are currently underway in the MultiDrizzle software. The most current information is available at the
Multidrizzle Web site, the
Multidrizzle Handbook, and the
ACS Web page.
Since many of the instrument characteristics may be revised over a short time frame, readers are advised to consult the ACS Web Site (
http://www.stsci.edu/hst/acs/) for the latest information regarding ACS performance and calibration.
