Data Release 19 (DR19) contains a small preview of the data and data format achieved by the LVM survey.
Each individual LVM science observation is processed through the LVM Data Reduction Pipeline, which produces a file containing the calibrated row-stacked spectra (RSS). The LVM survey footprint has been split into individual tiles, where each tile has a unique location in the sky and tile ID. LVM began survey operations in November 2023, and is scheduled to continue collecting data through September 2027. For a comprehensive overview of the LVM survey strategy and survey footprint, see the LVM Targeting and Observing Strategy documentation.
In DR19 we release a single LVM observation of a tile containing the Helix Nebula, as a showcase for our new facility. This tile is representative of what we will be surveying in the Milky Way. The Helix Nebula is a well-studied and beautiful planetary nebula (PNe), with a 13~arcmin angular diameter that is well matched to the LVM field of view. Located at a distance of 200~pc, it is one of the closest and brightest PNe. The nebula itself is visible as a bright ring of ionized gas, powered by a dying central star, and is an ideal target for optical spectroscopy due to the rich variety of emission lines produced (e.g., hydrogen, helium, oxygen, nitrogen, sulphur). These lines can provide insights into the chemical composition, temperature, density, and kinematics of the nebula.
The dataset can be found here. The corresponding data model can be accessed here. A tutorial showing how to interact with LVM data can be found in LVM tutorials, and caveats for working with this tile are available on the LVM caveats page. We note that the data reduction pipeline is still under active development, but this tile is fully reduced and calibrated with our current latest pipeline version. Further improvements, particularly with regards to sky subtraction and flux calibration, are planned in future releases of the data.
If you are new to or would like to learn more about the LVM data, we recommend starting with the LVM tutorial: LVM tutorials and the LVM caveats page.