This page provides an overview of each of the SDSS surveys which have data hosted at MAST and provides links to each chapter in this guide. 

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Currently Available at MAST

The following surveys are currently available at MAST. For a summary of all SDSS surveys, see the table on the Introduction to SDSS Page.

Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory (MaNGA)

The MaNGA survey provides optical-wavelength integral field unit (IFU) spectroscopy of over 10,000 low-redshift galaxies (z<0.27). MaNGA data products include IFU data cubes, spatially stacked spectra, stellar kinematics, absorption and emission line measurements, and other properties for every galaxy in the sample.

Links:

Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE)

APOGEE is a high-resolution infrared spectroscopic survey of over 730,000 stars in the Milky Way and nearby satellites.  APOGEE provides 1-D spectra and derived measurements including temperature, surface gravity, and 20 different elemental abundances. 

Links:

Extended Baryonic Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS)

eBOSS is cosmological optical spectroscopic survey of providing spectra of nearly 4 million quasars and galaxies, also encompassing subprograms to survey variable objects and x-ray sources.

Links:

Coming Soon to MAST

The SDSS Legacy Archive is under active development. The surveys listed below will be coming to MAST in the near future. This list is not complete: more surveys and data products not listed here will be added over time. By the end of 2027,  MAST will host all the final "science-ready" data products from the entirety of SDSS, from the original SDSS-I, up to SDSS-V.  This will include images, spectra, catalogs and Value Added Catalogs (VACs) from all public SDSS data releases DR 1-22. 

Sloan Digital Sky Survey Legacy Imaging (SDSS Imaging)

The SDSS Imaging survey provides wide-field imaging and ugriz photometry for 14,055 square degrees of sky.

Links:

  • SDSS Imaging Archive Manual (Coming Soon)


User Support

For MAST user support, contact the HelpDesk: archive@stsci.edu. See the Archive Support page for details and other resources.

Citations and Acknowledgements

In publications, refer to this document as:

  • MAST 2024, Sloan Legacy Archive Manual, eds. B. Cherinka, J. Imig (Baltimore: STScI)

Please acknowledge the use of data obtained from MAST in publications.

For SDSS-specific citation instructions, please refer to the relevant survey page in this archive manual or visit the SDSS Technical Publications page.