VISTA Variables in the Via Lactea (VVV): first results and perspectives

Abstract

VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea (VVV) is a public ESO near-IR variability survey scanning the Milky Way Bulge and an adjacent section of the mid-plane. The survey will take 1929 hours of observations with the 4 m VISTA telescope during five years (2010-2014), covering ∼ 109 point sources across an area of 520 deg2. Here we address the first results obtained from the VVV Survey as well as a glimpse into the possibilities for using a deep near-IR atlas in five passbands and a catalogue of more than 106 variable point sources. We expect to use the data to find planetary transits of late-type main-sequence stars. We discuss the planet searches and future follow-ups.