Data release of the AST3-2 automatic survey from Dome A, Antarctica

AST3-2 is the second of the three Antarctic Survey Telescopes, aimed at wide-field time-domain optical astronomy. It is located at Dome A, Antarctica, which is by many measures the best optical astronomy site on the Earth's surface. Here we present the data from the AST3-2 automatic survey in 2016 and the photometry results. The median 5 sigma limiting magnitude in i-band is 17.8 mag and the light-curve precision is 4 mmag for bright stars. The data release includes photometry for over 7 million stars, from which over 3500 variable stars were detected, with 70 of them newly discovered. We classify these new variables into different types by combining their light-curve features with stellar properties from surveys such as StarHorse.

Automated summary

AST3-2 is the second telescope of the Antarctic Survey Telescopes designed for wide-field time-domain optical astronomy. Located at Dome A in Antarctica, it is considered the best optical astronomy site on Earth. This study presents the data and photometry results from the AST3-2 automatic survey in 2016, including 7 million stars and the detection of over 3500 variable stars, with 70 newly discovered. These new variables are classified into different types based on their light-curve features and stellar properties from surveys like StarHorse.