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L. Bianchi (JHU), B. Madore (IPAC and Carnegie Observatories), D. Thilker (JHU), A. Gil de Paz (IPAC and Carnegie Observatories), GALEX Science Team
GALEX (The Galaxy Evolution Explorer), a NASA Small Explorer (SMEX) mission, was launched on April 28, 2003, to perform spectroscopic and imaging surveys in the space ultraviolet (1350-2800Å) (see Martin et al., Morrissey et al, this meeting). The GALEX mission will produce an unprecedented all-sky map in two UV bands and an unbiased catalog of UV sources. A dedicated survey of over 200 nearby galaxies is also being performed, significantly deeper than the all-sky map. In particular, one or two pointings of the GALEX imager (field of view 1.2 degrees) provide complete coverage at high sensitivity for many of the large Local Group galaxies, in far-UV and near-UV simultaneously. These observations provide a snapshot of recent high-mass star formation across entire galaxies, allowing for the study of rest-frame UV morphology, spatial variations of the local SFR, and UV extinction. The GALEX NGS complements other new datasets on the stellar populations and gas content of nearby galaxies being acquired at other wavelengths by independent on-going projects, and the detailed information that HST is providing on small selected regions within these objects.
Acknowledgements: We gratefully acknowledge NASA's support for construction, operation, and science analysis for the GALEX mission.
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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 35#5
© 2003. The American Astronomical Soceity.