The NIRSpec Wide GTO Survey
Astronomy and Astrophysics, vol. 689, pp. A73
Abstract
The Near-infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) on the James Webb Space Telescope is uniquely suited to studying galaxies in the distant Universe with its combination of multi-object capabilities and sensitivity over a large range in wavelength (0.6 − 5.3 μm). Here we present the NIRSpec Wide survey, part of the NIRSpec Instrument Science Team’s Guaranteed Time Observations, using NIRSpec’s microshutter array to obtain spectra of more than 3200 galaxies at z > 1 at both low and high resolution ( R ≈ 100 and 2700) for a total of 105 hours. With 31 pointings covering ≈320 arcmin 2 across the five CANDELS fields with exquisite ancillary photometry from the Hubble Space Telescope, the NIRSpec Wide survey represents a fast and efficient way of probing galaxies in the early Universe. Pointing centers are determined to maximize the observability of the rarest, high-value sources. Subsequently, the microshutter configurations are optimized to observe the maximum number of “census” galaxies with a selection function based primarily on HST/ F 160 W magnitude, photometric or slitless grism redshift, and predicted H α flux tracing the bulk of the galaxy population at cosmic noon ( z med = 2.0). We present details on the survey strategy, the target selection, an outline of the motivating science cases, and discuss upcoming public data releases to the community.
Authors 22
-
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Affiliation as printed
Department of Astronomy , University of Wisconsin-Madison , 475 N. Charter St. , Madison , WI 53706 , USA
-
Max Planck Institute for Astronomy
Affiliation as printed
Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie , Königstuhl 17 , 69117 Heidelberg , Germany
-
Leiden University · Leiden Observatory
Affiliation as printed
Leiden Observatory , Leiden University , PO Box 9513 , 2300 RA Leiden , The Netherlands
-
Max Planck Institute for Astronomy
Affiliation as printed
Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie , Königstuhl 17 , 69117 Heidelberg , Germany
-
Affiliation as printed
Scuola Normale Superiore , Piazza dei Cavalieri 7 , 56126 Pisa , Italy
-
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Affiliation as printed
Department of Astronomy , University of Wisconsin-Madison , 475 N. Charter St. , Madison , WI 53706 , USA
-
Max Planck Institute for Astronomy
Affiliation as printed
Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie , Königstuhl 17 , 69117 Heidelberg , Germany
-
European Space Agency · European Space Astronomy Centre
Affiliation as printed
European Space Agency (ESA) , European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC) , Camino Bajo del Castillo s/n , 28692 Villafranca del Castillo , Madrid , Spain
-
Affiliation as printed
Scuola Normale Superiore , Piazza dei Cavalieri 7 , 56126 Pisa , Italy
-
Affiliation as printed
Centro de Astrobiología (CAB) , CSIC-INTA , Cra. de Ajalvir Km. 4 , 28850 Torrejón de Ardoz , Madrid , Spain
-
Affiliation as printed
Department of Physics , University of Oxford , Denys Wilkinson Building , Keble Road , Oxford OX1 3RH , UK
-
Affiliation as printed
Department of Physics , University of Oxford , Denys Wilkinson Building , Keble Road , Oxford OX1 3RH , UK
-
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris · Sorbonne Université
Affiliation as printed
Sorbonne Université , CNRS , UMR 7095 , Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris , 98 bis bd Arago , 75014 Paris , France
-
Affiliation as printed
European Southern Observatory , Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2 , 85748 Garching bei München , Germany
-
Affiliation as printed
Department of Physics , University of Oxford , Denys Wilkinson Building , Keble Road , Oxford OX1 3RH , UK
-
Space Telescope Science Institute · European Space Agency
Affiliation as printed
AURA for European Space Agency (ESA) , ESA Office , Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Matin Drive , Baltimore , MD 21218 , USA
-
Affiliation as printed
Cavendish Laboratory , University of Cambridge , 19 JJ Thomson Avenue , Cambridge CB3 0HE , UK
Kavli Institute for Cosmology , University of Cambridge , Madingley Road , Cambridge CB3 0HA , UK
-
Affiliation as printed
Department of Physics , University of Oxford , Denys Wilkinson Building , Keble Road , Oxford OX1 3RH , UK
-
Liverpool John Moores University
Affiliation as printed
Astrophysics Research Institute , Liverpool John Moores University , 146 Brownlow Hill , Liverpool L3 5RF , UK
-
Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics
Affiliation as printed
NRC Herzberg , 5071 West Saanich Rd , Victoria , BC V9E 2E7 , Canada
-
Affiliation as printed
Cavendish Laboratory , University of Cambridge , 19 JJ Thomson Avenue , Cambridge CB3 0HE , UK
Kavli Institute for Cosmology , University of Cambridge , Madingley Road , Cambridge CB3 0HA , UK
Cited by 31 stored of 31
No patents citing this paper on Lens.org (checked 2026-10-11).