Making CMDs and color-color diagrams

To make a color-magnitude diagram (CMD) or a color-color diagram, you need to (1) convert any fluxes/flux densities you have to magnitudes; (2) compute colors by taking bluer color minus redder color (e.g., B-V or K-[24]); (3) if a CMD, plot magnitudes on the y-axis, with brighter objects (smaller numbers) on the top, so reversing the 'standard' y-axis; (4) if a CMD, colors should be on the x-axis and increase to the right; if a color-color diagram, colors should be on both axes, increasing to the top and right.

Most coherent, developed, tested materials

need tutorial on doing this in IRSA tools

Other important CoolWiki pages

• Filters
• Magnitudes
• Photometry (concept)
• Photometry (finding it)
• Color-color and color-magnitude diagrams
• Color selection

Somewhat less coherent (or less standalone) materials

See IRSA's YouTube channel for more updated versions of these videos if these links are broken.

• IRSA tutorial on making plots in IRSA Viewer
• IRSA tutorial on catalogs and plots in Finder Chart
• IRSA tutorial on making plots with error bars