The Public Survey VISTA Variables in the Via Lactea (VVV) is a wide area (562 square degree), near-infrared, multi-epoch imaging survey of the Bulge and part of the Disk of the Milky Way. The initial survey in Z, Y, J, H and Ks is followed by extensive multi-epoch Ks-band observations. VVV photometric catalogues have now been released and are publicly available for query.
First Data Release of VVV Photometric Catalogues
Published: 17 Jul 2014
The first VVV data release, which was based on observations until 1 October 2010, covered 404 square degrees of the Galactic Disk and the Bulge region and consisted of 208 million sources (including duplicates). That release (DR1) of astrometrically and photometrically calibrated mosaiced and co-added images, weight maps and associated single band source lists is now complemented by three high-level photometric catalogues:
- five-band photometry with coordinates, fluxes, colour indices and associated quality information (catalogue with 95 parameters per object, total data volume >81 GB);
- multi-epoch Ks-band photometry of these sources (catalogue of >600 million individual measurements, data volume >36 GB);
- >6.7 million sources classified as variables (catalogue listing mean magnitude, photometric amplitude and probability of variability, data volume 320 MB).
These catalogues are fully searchable and accessible – the entire dataset or user-defined subsets – from the catalogue facility query interface. Please use your personal ESO User Portal credentials for login.
The release of the VVV public catalogues benefits from the joint efforts of the VVV Public Survey team, led by D. Minniti (P.I.), the VVV team collaborators and ESO.