Fitting procedure for estimating interstellar extinction at high galactic latitudes

Abstract

We determine the interstellar extinction in the selected high-latitude areas of the sky based on Gaia EDR3 astrometry and photometry and spectroscopic data from RAVE survey. We approximate the results with the cosecant law in each area thus deriving the parameters of the barometric formula for different lines of sight. The distribution of the parameters over the entire sky is described using spherical harmonics. As a result, we get a mathematical description of the interstellar visual extinction for different lines of sight and distances from the Sun which can be used for estimating interstellar extinction.

Keywords

• interstellar extinction
• surveys