GALAXIES BEHIND THE GALACTIC PLANE: FIRST RESULTS AND PERSPECTIVES FROM THE VVV SURVEY

VISTA Variables in the Via Lactea (VVV) is an ESO variability survey that is performing observations in nearinfrared bands (ZY JHK sub(S) ) toward the Galactic bulge and part of the disk with the completeness limits at least 3 mag deeper than Two Micron All Sky Survey. In the present work, we searched in the VVV survey data for background galaxies near the Galactic plane using ZY JHK sub(S) photometry that covers 1.636 deg super(2). We identified 204 new galaxy candidates by analyzing colors, sizes, and visual inspection of multi-band (ZY JHK sub(S) ) images. The galaxy candidate colors were also compared with the predicted ones by star count models considering a more realistic extinction model at the same completeness limits observed by VVV. A comparison of the galaxy candidates with the expected one by Millennium simulations is also presented. Our results increase the number density of known galaxies behind the MilkyWay by more than one order of magnitude. A catalog with galaxy properties including ellipticity, Petrosian radii, and ZY JHK sub(S) magnitudes is provided, as well as comparisons of the results with other surveys of galaxies toward the Galactic plane.