Around 45 astronomers have been in Portsmouth, England this week attending the MaNGA Pre-Survey Review and Team Meeting.

MaNGA  (Mapping Nearby Galaxies at APO) is part of the plans for the next phase of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (along with eBOSS and APOGEE2) due to start in July of this year.

The MaNGA Team and Review Panel in front of the Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation at the University of Portsmouth. Image Credit: Edd Edmondson

As well as the full science program, the astronomers have been enjoying the British pubs, Indian Food, and historic Naval ships to be found in Portsmouth.

The MaNGA Team enjoyed a special tour of HMS Warrior 1860 in the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. Here shown just before sunset on Wednesday. Image Credit: Karen Masters

The MaNGA Team are happy with the outcome of the review, and it’s full speed ahead to survey operations. The discussions continue today and tomorrow with open issues and plans for early science papers.