AAS 242 Albuquerque
Splinter Session

An Explorer's Guide to the VLA Sky Survey (VLASS)

Tuesday 6 June 2023 9am - 3pm MDT

NOTE: Presentation slides and videos linked below in agenda. Livecasting recording is now available.

Albuquerque Convention Center, Meeting Rooms 15/16/32 (Acoma/Zuni/Tesuque) on Lower Level

The VLA Sky Survey (VLASS) is a radio astronomical survey with the Very Large Array (VLA) from 2-4 GHz with ~2.5” resolution covering the sky from Declination -40 degrees and above. Observations for the survey commenced in 2017, with two full epochs completed and a third currently underway (with scheduled completion in 2024). The VLASS data and science ready data products are publicly available from the NRAO Archive. In this Splinter Session, we will describe the VLASS and some of the science highlights to emerge from the survey, and the suite of Data Products that enable this science. There will be a particular focus on using our new Single-Epoch continuum images and cubes for polarimetry and other applications. We will explore the survey itself and provide example uses of VLASS in conjunction with other available multi-wavelength astronomical surveys. We will guide users through the process of downloading and performing custom imaging of survey data for cases not covered by our data products. We will highlight community created tools that enhance the use of VLASS, and opportunities for further community based development for the survey. Information on other VLA surveys commensal with VLASS (VCSS, COSMIC, and realfast) will be presented. We will also report on current status of the VLASS and plans for the delivery of the remainder of the survey and its products.

The format of this session will include basic project overview talks, science presentations, demonstrations, and tutorials, with ample time for interaction and discussion. We especially encourage students and educators to attend, with presentations geared towards users coming from these perspectives and wanting to learn about the VLASS and potentially participate in VLASS-related science and outreach activities.

Speakers:

Dillon Dong (NRAO);
Sergio Garza (NRAO);
Brian Kent (NRAO);
Amy Kimball (NRAO);
Mark Lacy (NRAO);
Steven Myers(NRAO);
Juergen Ott (NRAO);
Pallavi Patil (NRAO);
Emil Polisensky (NRL);
Chenoa Tremblay (SETI Ins.)

Preliminary Schedule

Tuesday 6 June, 0900 - 1500 MDT
Presentations are approx. 15min with 5min discussion

Video recording of all presentations

Tabular Schedule: 

AAS 242 Albuquerque
Individual Related Talks

118.02 Mark Lacy (NRAO) "The VLA Sky Survey: update and new results"

118.03 Steven Myers (NRAO) "An Overview of the VLA Sky Survey (VLASS) and New Data Products"

Session name: 118. Large Surveys, Programs and Catalogs

Session date & Time: Monday, June 5, 2023 | 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM MT

Albuquerque Convention Center, Meeting Room 235 

329.07 Dillon Dong (NRAO) "Powerful young pulsar wind nebulae as extragalactic radio transients: the case of VLASS Transient J1137-0337"

Session name: 329. Neutron Stars

Session date & Time: Wednesday, June 7, 2023 | 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM MT

Albuquerque Convention Center, Meeting Room 235

338.02 Trent Seelig (NRAO) "Automation of VLASS Quick Look Image Quality Assurance"

iPoster

Session name: 338. Large Surveys, Programs and Catalogs

Session date & Time: Wednesday, June 7, 2023 | 5:30 PM MT - 6:30 PM MT

Exhibit Hall 3, Terminal Number: 16

Useful links for the demonstration sessions

VLASS HiPS Images

• Epoch 1 HIPS images
• All-Epoch VLASS Quicklook HiPS with other Surveys
• VLASS Early Release Single Epoch HiPS

User Defined Imaging for VLASS

• Restoring Calibrated Data (from Pipeline Guide)
• Erik Carlson's Guide (AAS241)
• Erik Carlson's GitLab

Brian Kent's VLASS Machine Learning links

• Building a VLASS Neural Net for Classification (GitHub) with VLASS display examples

Cube analysis notebooks

• https://gitlab.nrao.edu/mlacy/vlass-polarization

VO and other Services

• Notebooks for using VO services for VLASS

Dillon Dong's VLASS Tools

• VLASS Tools GitHub