The Early Data Release of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument

Abstract The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) completed its 5 month Survey Validation in 2021 May. Spectra of stellar and extragalactic targets from Survey Validation constitute the first major data sample from the DESI survey. This paper describes the public release of those spectra, the catalogs of derived properties, and the intermediate data products. In total, the public release includes good-quality spectral information from 466,447 objects targeted as part of the Milky Way Survey, 428,758 as part of the Bright Galaxy Survey, 227,318 as part of the Luminous Red Galaxy sample, 437,664 as part of the Emission Line Galaxy sample, and 76,079 as part of the Quasar sample. In addition, the release…

• NS
  National Science Foundation

  Awards: AST-0950945, DE-AC02-07CH11359, DE-AC02-05CH11231, 0950945
• UD
  U.S. Department of Energy

  Awards: -AC02-05CH11231, DE-AC02-07CH11359, 05CH11231, AC02-07CH11359, AC02-05CH11231, DE-AC02, DE-AC02-05CH11231, DE-AC02-
• GA
  Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
• NE
  National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center
• CN
  Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología
• MD
  Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación
• CÀ
  Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives
• OO
  Office of Science

  Awards: AC02-05CH11231, -AC02-05CH11231, DE-AC02, DE-AC02-07CH11359
• SA
  Science and Technology Facilities Council
• DO
  Division of Astronomical Sciences

  Award: AST-0950945
• HE
  High Energy Physics

  Award: DE-AC02-05CH11231