VST Atlas ConeSearch: Southern Sky Galaxy Survey in Five Filters

4500 square degrees of the Southern sky are imaged in five optical filters (U, V, R, I, Z) to depths comparable to the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). This dataset, provided by NASA via the MAST archive, is designed to study baryon wiggles in galaxy power spectra and examine luminous red galaxies to constrain dark energy. The survey also serves as an imaging base for spectroscopic follow-up by the Very Large Telescope (VLT).

Use Cases

• Analyzing large-scale structure and baryon acoustic oscillations based on luminous red galaxy positions
• Constraining dark energy equation of state parameters based on galaxy clustering measurements
• Preparing target lists for spectroscopic surveys based on the provided optical imaging base
• Cross-matching optical data with near-infrared data from the VISTA Hemisphere Survey
• Studying galaxy properties and populations across five distinct optical filter bands

Strengths

• Covers a large area of 4500 square degrees of the Southern sky
• Provides imaging in five distinct optical filters (U, V, R, I, Z)
• Achieves imaging depths comparable to the well-established Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS)
• Complemented by near-infrared data from the VISTA Hemisphere Survey

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), MAST archive

Collection Method

Observational data from the VST (VLT Survey Telescope) ATLAS survey

Time Range

null

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 18:36:52.189605; freshness should be verified

Geography

Southern sky