THINGS: THE H I NEARBY GALAXY SURVEY

TLDR

The THINGS survey is part of a broader effort to study small‑scale ISM structure, dark‑matter distribution, and star‑formation processes in nearby galaxies. The survey aims to investigate fundamental ISM characteristics related to galaxy morphology, star formation, and mass distribution across the Hubble sequence. Using the VLA, THINGS obtained homogeneous, high‑resolution (≤5.2 km s⁻¹, ~6″) HI data for 34 nearby galaxies spanning a wide range of star‑formation rates, HI masses, luminosities, and metallicities, and produced publicly available data products. The survey delivers an atlas of integrated HI maps, velocity fields, velocity‑dispersion maps, and channel maps for each galaxy.

Abstract

We present "The H i Nearby Galaxy Survey (THINGS)," a high spectral (⩽5.2 km s−1) and spatial (∼6'') resolution survey of H i emission in 34 nearby galaxies obtained using the NRAO Very Large Array (VLA). The overarching scientific goal of THINGS is to investigate fundamental characteristics of the interstellar medium (ISM) related to galaxy morphology, star formation, and mass distribution across the Hubble sequence. Unique characteristics of the THINGS database are the homogeneous sensitivity as well as spatial and velocity resolution of the H i data, which is at the limit of what can be achieved with the VLA for a significant number of galaxies. A sample of 34 objects at distances 2 ≲ D ≲ 15 Mpc (resulting in linear resolutions of ∼100 to 500 pc) are targeted in THINGS, covering a wide range of star formation rates (∼10−3 to 6 M☉ yr−1), total H i masses MHI (0.01 to 14 × 109 M☉), absolute luminosities MB (−11.5 to −21.7 mag), and metallicities (7.5 to 9.2 in units of 12+log[O/H]). We describe the setup of the VLA observations, the data reduction procedures, and the creation of the final THINGS data products. We present an atlas of the integrated H i maps, the velocity fields, the second moment (velocity dispersion) maps and individual channel maps of each THINGS galaxy. The THINGS data products are made publicly available through a dedicated webpage. Accompanying THINGS papers (in this issue of the Astronomical Journal) address issues such as the small-scale structure of the ISM, the (dark) matter distribution in THINGS galaxies, and the processes leading to star formation.