Imaging Surveys at the VLT Survey Telescope

The VLT Survey Telescope (VST) is one of the most efficient wide-field optical imagers, significantly contributing to our understanding of the universe. By capturing the night sky with unprecedented precision, VST has provided astronomers with valuable data covering a wide range of astrophysical phenomena, from distant galaxies and galaxy clusters to objects within our own Milky Way.

To ensure a steady flow of high-quality resources to the scientific community, new datasets are released twice a year. These datasets, gathered using high-resolution imaging techniques, cover a vast array of celestial objects. The observations have been conducted using nearly all VST filters (e.g., u, g, r, i, z, Hα), allowing for precise photometric measurements and detailed color analyses.

The standard release package primarily consists of:

• Co-added images (deep stacks of multiple exposures)

• Associated weight maps

For specific sub-sets of the data, the release provides:

• Reduced single-epoch images

The archive also includes some data collected before the new INAF-ESO agreement (2022-2027, renewable).

Information on the specific VST programmes in each release, including project names and Principal Investigators (PIs), can be found in Programmes and PIs.

⭐⭐⭐LATEST UPDATE: DR3!!!⭐⭐⭐

Following the DR1 and DR2, we are pleased to announce the publication of OMEGACAM_INAF DR3.

The release is fully consistent with the DR1 and DR2 format.

Accessing the Data

For instructions on how to download the DR1, DR2 and DR3 please visit the official ESO release page:

http://archive.eso.org/cms/eso-archive-news/release-of-vst-omegacam-imaging-products-from-the-collaboration-with-inaf.html

Official ESO Announcements

http://www.eso.org/sci/observing/phase3/news.html#VST_INAF

Future Releases

We plan to release newly reduced data twice a year, adding new survey projects and complementing the existing datasets.

Download the Data Release 1 documentation (PDF)

Download the Data Release 2 documentation (PDF)

Download the Data Release 3 documentation (PDF)