SINGS: The Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey
Rob Kennicutt (University of Arizona)
The Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey is a comprehensive
multi-wavelength imaging and spectroscopic survey of 75 nearby
galaxies. Its primary goal is to characterize the infrared emission of
galaxies and their principle IR-emitting components, across the entire
range of galaxy properties and star formation environments. SINGS will
provide new insights into the physical processes connecting star
formation to the ISM properties of galaxies, and provide a vital
foundation for understanding infrared observations of the distant
universe and ultraluminous and active galaxies. As with all SIRTF
Legacy projects, the data will be completely non-proprietary, and the
galaxy sample and observing strategy have been designed to maximize the
scientific and archival value of the data set for the SIRTF user
community at large. This talk will include a brief update on the
Spitzer mission, a summary of the SINGS project, and highlights from
our first observations.
