SDSSV

SDSS-V is the fifth phase of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, a major astronomical survey program. Launched to extend spectroscopic mapping and introduce time-domain observations, SDSS-V uses the Sloan 2.5-meter telescope at Apache Point Observatory in New Mexico to collect spectra of stars, galaxies, and quasars across large portions of the sky.

The project emphasizes three linked programs that guide its observing strategy and science goals. The Milky Way Mapper targets stars throughout the Galaxy to determine their motions, chemical compositions, and ages. The Local Volume Mapper provides integral-field spectroscopy of the Milky Way and nearby galaxies to produce spatially resolved maps of gas, stars, and ionization structure. The Black Hole Mapper conducts time-domain spectroscopy of active galactic nuclei to study black hole growth and accretion processes, including reverberation mapping.

Data products include calibrated spectra, derived physical properties, and public data releases that enable broad community use. SDSS-V also places emphasis on time-domain spectroscopy, allowing repeated observations of selected targets to monitor variability and transient phenomena.

SDSS-V continues the legacy of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey by enabling large-scale, open-access spectroscopic data and international collaboration. Its science program supports advances in galactic archaeology, the structure of the interstellar and circumgalactic medium, and extragalactic astrophysics, enriching our understanding of the Milky Way, its neighbors, and active galaxies across the universe.