THE NINTH DATA RELEASE OF THE SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY: FIRST
SPECTROSCOPIC DATA FROM THE SDSS-III BARYON OSCILLATION SPECTROSCOPIC
SURVEY
Authors: Ahn Christopher P. , Alexandroff Rachael , Allende Prieto Carlos , Anderson Scott F. , Anderton Timothy , Andrews Brett H. , Aubourg Éric , Bailey Stephen , Balbinot Eduardo , Barnes Rory , Bautista Julian , Beers Timothy C. , Beifiori Alessandra , Berlind Andreas A. , Bhardwaj Vaishali , Bizyaev Dmitry , Blake Cullen H. , Blanton Michael R. , Blomqvist Michael , Bochanski John J. , Bolton Adam S. , Borde Arnaud , Bovy Jo , Brandt W. N. , Brinkmann J. , Brown Peter J. , Brownstein Joel R. , Bundy Kevin , Busca N. G. , Carithers William , Carnero Aurelio R. , Carr Michael A. , Casetti-Dinescu Dana I. , Chen Yanmei , Chiappini Cristina , Comparat Johan , Connolly Natalia , Crepp Justin R. , Cristiani Stefano , Croft Rupert A. C. , Cuesta Antonio J. , da Costa Luiz N. , Davenport James R. A. , Dawson Kyle S. , de Putter Roland , De Lee Nathan , Delubac Timothée , Dhital Saurav , Ealet Anne , Ebelke Garrett L. , Edmondson Edward M. , Eisenstein Daniel J. , Escoffier S. , Esposito Massimiliano , Evans Michael L. , Fan Xiaohui , Femenía Castellá Bruno , Fernández Alvar Emma , Ferreira Leticia D. , Filiz Ak N. , Finley Hayley , Fleming Scott W. , Font-Ribera Andreu , Frinchaboy Peter M. , García-Hernández D. A. , Pérez A. E. García , Ge Jian , Génova-Santos R. , Gillespie Bruce A. , Girardi Léo , González Hernández Jonay I. , Grebel Eva K. , Gunn James E. , Guo Hong , Haggard Daryl , Hamilton Jean-Christophe , Harris David W. , Hawley Suzanne L. , Hearty Frederick R. , Ho Shirley , Hogg David W. , Holtzman Jon A. , Honscheid Klaus , Huehnerhoff J. , Ivans Inese I. , Ivezić Željko , Jacobson Heather R. , Jiang Linhua , Johansson Jonas , Johnson Jennifer A. , Kauffmann Guinevere , Kirkby David , Kirkpatrick Jessica A. , Klaene Mark A. , Knapp Gillian R. , Kneib Jean-Paul , Le Goff Jean-Marc , Leauthaud Alexie , Lee Khee-Gan , Lee Young Sun , Long Daniel C. , Loomis Craig P. , Lucatello Sara , Lundgren Britt , Lupton Robert H. , Ma Bo , Ma Zhibo , MacDonald Nicholas , Mack Claude E. , Mahadevan Suvrath , Maia Marcio A. G. , Majewski Steven R. , Makler Martin , Malanushenko Elena , Malanushenko Viktor , Manchado A. , Mandelbaum Rachel , Manera Marc , Maraston Claudia , Margala Daniel , Martell Sarah L. , McBride Cameron K. , McGreer Ian D. , McMahon Richard G. , Ménard Brice , Meszaros Sz. , Miralda-Escudé Jordi , Montero-Dorta Antonio D. , Montesano Francesco , Morrison Heather L. , Muna Demitri , Munn Jeffrey A. , Murayama Hitoshi , Myers Adam D. , Neto A. F. , Nguyen Duy Cuong , Nichol Robert C. , Nidever David L. , Noterdaeme Pasquier , Nuza Sebastián E. , Ogando Ricardo L. C. , Olmstead Matthew D. , Oravetz Daniel J. , Owen Russell , Padmanabhan Nikhil , Palanque-Delabrouille Nathalie , Pan Kaike , Parejko John K. , Parihar Prachi , Pâris Isabelle , Pattarakijwanich Petchara , Pepper Joshua , Percival Will J. , Pérez-Fournon Ismael , Pérez-Ràfols Ignasi , Petitjean Patrick , Pforr Janine , Pieri Matthew M. , Pinsonneault Marc H. , Porto de Mello G. F. , Prada Francisco , Price-Whelan Adrian M. , Raddick M. Jordan , Rebolo Rafael , Rich James , Richards Gordon T. , Robin Annie C. , Rocha-Pinto Helio J. , Rockosi Constance M. , Roe Natalie A. , Ross Ashley J. , Ross Nicholas P. , Rossi Graziano , Rubiño-Martin J. A. , Samushia Lado , Sanchez Almeida J. , Sánchez Ariel G. , Santiago Basílio , Sayres Conor , Schlegel David J. , Schlesinger Katharine J. , Schmidt Sarah J. , Schneider Donald P. , Schultheis Mathias , Schwope Axel D. , Scóccola C. G. , Seljak Uros , Sheldon Erin , Shen Yue , Shu Yiping , Simmerer Jennifer , Simmons Audrey E. , Skibba Ramin A. , Skrutskie M. F. , Slosar A. , Sobreira Flavia , Sobeck Jennifer S. , Stassun Keivan G. , Steele Oliver , Steinmetz Matthias , Strauss Michael A. , Streblyanska Alina , Suzuki Nao , Swanson Molly E. C. , Tal Tomer , Thakar Aniruddha R. , Thomas Daniel , Thompson Benjamin A. , Tinker Jeremy L. , Tojeiro Rita , Tremonti Christy A. , Vargas Magaña M. , Verde Licia , Viel Matteo , Vikas Shailendra K. , Vogt Nicole P. , Wake David A. , Wang Ji , Weaver Benjamin A. , Weinberg David H. , Weiner Benjamin J. , West Andrew A. , White Martin , Wilson John C. , Wisniewski John P. , Wood-Vasey W. M. , Yanny Brian , Yèche Christophe , York Donald G. , Zamora O. , Zasowski Gail , Zehavi Idit , Zhao Gong-Bo , Zheng Zheng , Zhu Guangtun , Zinn Joel C. 
Published: November 2012

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey III (SDSS-III) presents the first spectroscopic data
from the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS). This ninth data release
(DR9) of the SDSS project includes 535,995 new galaxy spectra (median
z ∼ 0.52), 102,100 new quasar spectra (median
z ∼ 2.32), and 90,897 new stellar spectra, along with the
data presented in previous data releases. These spectra were obtained with the
new BOSS spectrograph and were taken between 2009 December and 2011 July. In
addition, the stellar parameters pipeline, which determines radial velocities,
surface temperatures, surface gravities, and metallicities of stars, has been
updated and refined with improvements in temperature estimates for stars with
T
eff < 5000 K and in metallicity estimates
for stars with [Fe/H] > -0.5. DR9 includes new stellar parameters for all
stars presented in DR8, including stars from SDSS-I and II, as well as those
observed as part of the SEGUE-2. The astrometry error introduced in the DR8
imaging catalogs has been corrected in the DR9 data products. The next data
release for SDSS-III will be in Summer 2013, which will present the first data
from the APOGEE along with another year of data from BOSS, followed by the final
SDSS-III data release in 2014 December.