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The VISTA Variables in the V\'\ia Láctea extended (VVVX) ESO public survey: Completion of the observations and legacy

Saito, R.~K., Hempel, M., Alonso-Garc\'\ia, J., Lucas, P.~W., Minniti, D., Alonso, S., Baravalle, L., Borissova, J., Caceres, C., Chené, A.~N., and others. (2024) The VISTA Variables in the V\'\ia Láctea extended (VVVX) ESO public survey: Completion of the observations and legacy. Astronomy & Astrophysics, 689 . A148. ISSN 0004-6361. (doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202450584) (KAR id:109575)

Abstract

Context. The ESO public survey VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea (VVV) surveyed the inner Galactic bulge and the adjacent southern Galactic disk from 2009–2015. Upon its conclusion, the complementary VVV extended (VVVX) survey has expanded both the temporal as well as spatial coverage of the original VVV area, widening it from 562 to 1700 sq. deg., as well as providing additional epochs in JHKs filters from 2016–2023.

Aims. With the completion of VVVX observations during the first semester of 2023, we present here the observing strategy, a description of data quality and access, and the legacy of VVVX.

Methods. VVVX took ~2000 h, covering about 4% of the sky in the bulge and southern disk. VVVX covered most of the gaps left between the VVV and the VISTA Hemisphere Survey (VHS) areas and extended the VVV time baseline in the obscured regions affected by high extinction and hence hidden from optical observations.

Results. VVVX provides a deep JHKs catalogue of ≳1.5 × 109 point sources, as well as a Ks band catalogue of ~107 variable sources. Within the existing VVV area, we produced a 5D map of the surveyed region by combining positions, distances, and proper motions of well-understood distance indicators such as red clump stars, RR Lyrae, and Cepheid variables.

Conclusions. In March 2023 we successfully finished the VVVX survey observations that started in 2016, an accomplishment for ESO Paranal Observatory upon 4200 h of observations for VVV+VVVX. The VVV+VVVX catalogues complement those from the Gaia mission at low Galactic latitudes and provide spectroscopic targets for the forthcoming ESO high-multiplex spectrographs MOONS and 4MOST.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1051/0004-6361/202450584
Uncontrolled keywords: surveys, Galaxy: bulge, Galaxy: disk, Galaxy: stellar content, infrared: stars, Astrophysics - Astrophysics of Galaxies, Astrophysics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
Subjects: Q Science > QB Astronomy > QB460 Astrophysics
Institutional Unit: Schools > School of Engineering, Mathematics and Physics > Physics and Astronomy
Former Institutional Unit:
Divisions > Division of Natural Sciences > Physics and Astronomy
Funders: Science and Technology Facilities Council (https://ror.org/057g20z61)
Depositing User: Dirk Froebrich
Date Deposited: 09 Apr 2025 08:42 UTC
Last Modified: 20 May 2025 09:48 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/109575 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

Froebrich, D..

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