WISE Photometry of Major Merger Galaxy Pairs

A full understanding of the Spectral Energy Distribution(SED) of galaxies benefits from the inclusion of near- infrared(IR) to mid-IR data such as Wide Field Infrared Survey Explorer(WISE) data. Exploring the SED of galaxy pairs and corresponding control samples provides insight in to the evolution of star formation and dust composition in galaxy interactions. After investigating the validity of multiple WISE photometry methodologies, use of the unWISE photometry catalog was found to best characterize the objects of the study. Determination of the best WISE photometry allows us to conduct a preliminary search for Active Galactic Nuclei(AGN). We conclude that there is an insignificant population of WISE determined AGN in our sample of major merger (mass ratio less than 2.5) galaxy pair candidates.