Rationale

The Southern Photometric Local Universe Survey (S-PLUS) is a joint scientific effort of Brazilian, Chilean and Spanish institutions that aims to map ~8000 deg2 of the Southern sky with twelve optical filters consisting of 5 broadband SDSS filters and 7 narrow-band filters centered on several prominent features (i.e., [OII], Ca H+K, D4000, Hδ, Mgb, Hα and CaT). The multi-purpose astrophysical survey in the southern hemisphere has started at the end of 2016. S-PLUS data are ideal for searching low-metallicity and blue-horizontal branch stars and high redshift quasars, study the star formation histories of large numbers of galaxies selected based on the accurate 12-band photometric redshifts, and to map the large scale structure in the nearby universe, among other science goals. S-PLUS will cover an additional ~1300 deg2 of the Galactic plane and the Bulge, and observe ~100 deg2 with some cadence to be determined. The latter will allow us to measure variability in stars and active galaxies, and to detect new supernovae and asteroids. It is expected that the survey will have a 5-7 year duration.

S-PLUS is carried out with the T80-South (hereafter, T80S), a new 0.826 m telescope optimised for robotic operation, equipped with a wide FoV camera (2 deg2). The telescope, camera, and filter set are identical to those of the Javalambre Auxiliary Survey Telescope (T80/JAST), installed at the Observatorio Astrofísico de Javalambre. T80/JAST is currently performing the Javalambre Photometric Local Universe Survey (J-PLUS), a 12-band survey of a complementary area in the northern hemisphere.

The first data release (DR1) of S-PLUS is already available and contains 80 Stripe-82 fields observed during the scientific validation process plus other 90 fields of the same region obtained during regular operation time. Other releases adding entire regions of the southern sky will be followed in the upcoming months.

In 2018, members of the research group on "Extragalactic Stellar Systems and their Cosmological Context" (SEECC for its acronyms in spanish) of Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas of Universidad Nacional de La Plata (Argentina), have started to work with S-PLUS data through their collaboration with the staff of the project at Instituto de Astronomia, Geofísica e Ciências Atmosféricas (IAG) of Universidade de São Paulo (Brasil). With the IX La Plata International School (LAPIS) on Astronomy and Geophysics entitled "S-PLUS: The Universe in True Colors" ixlapis2020@gmail.com we aim at put within reach of advanced degree, MS and PhD students, as well as of postdocs and researchers, the potentiality of S-PLUS for developing new science in the era of large surveys and big data.

T80S Images Credits: Favio R. Faifer

Music Credits: Federica Maglioni