The SAMI Galaxy Survey: first 1000 galaxies

TL;DR

The SAMI Galaxy Survey has observed the first 1000 galaxies using integral field spectroscopy, providing a large, publicly available dataset to advance research in galaxy evolution.

Contribution

This paper presents the first data release of the SAMI Galaxy Survey, the largest of its kind, enabling broad investigations into galaxy evolution.

Findings

First public data release of 107 galaxies

Largest integral field spectroscopic galaxy sample to date

Enables diverse galaxy evolution studies

Abstract

The Sydney-AAO Multi-object Integral field spectrograph (SAMI) Galaxy Survey is an ongoing project to obtain integral field spectroscopic observations of ~3400 galaxies by mid-2016. Including the pilot survey, a total of ~1000 galaxies have been observed to date, making the SAMI Galaxy Survey the largest of its kind in existence. This unique dataset allows a wide range of investigations into different aspects of galaxy evolution. The first public data from the SAMI Galaxy Survey, consisting of 107 galaxies drawn from the full sample, has now been released. By giving early access to SAMI data for the entire research community, we aim to stimulate research across a broad range of topics in galaxy evolution. As the sample continues to grow, the survey will open up a new and unique parameter space for galaxy evolution studies.