The VIRUS-P Exploration of Nearby Galaxies (VENGA): Survey Design and First Results

TL;DR

VENGA is a comprehensive IFU survey of 32 nearby spiral galaxies, providing detailed 2D maps of their physical properties to study galaxy structure, star formation, and feedback processes.

Contribution

It introduces a large-scale, multi-wavelength integral field unit survey with extensive spatial coverage and diverse galaxy types, enabling new insights into galaxy evolution.

Findings

First results demonstrate detailed 2D mapping capabilities.

Data will facilitate studies of star formation and galactic feedback.

Survey design allows correlation of physical properties across galaxy environments.

Abstract

VENGA is a large-scale extragalactic IFU survey, which maps the bulges, bars and large parts of the outer disks of 32 nearby normal spiral galaxies. The targets are chosen to span a wide range in Hubble types, star formation activities, morphologies, and inclinations, at the same time of having vast available multi-wavelength coverage from the far-UV to the mid-IR, and available CO and 21cm mapping. The VENGA dataset will provide 2D maps of the SFR, stellar and gas kinematics, chemical abundances, ISM density and ionization states, dust extinction and stellar populations for these 32 galaxies. The uniqueness of the VIRUS-P large field of view permits these large-scale mappings to be performed. VENGA will allow us to correlate all these important quantities throughout the different environments present in galactic disks, allowing the conduction of a large number of studies in star formation, structure assembly, galactic feedback and ISM in galaxies.