Context. Gaia Data Release 3 (DR3) contains the first release of magnitudes estimated from the integration of Radial Velocity Spectrometer (RVS) spectra for a sample of about 32.2 million stars brighter than G RVS ∼ 14 mag (or G ∼ 15 mag). Aims. In this paper, we describe the data used and the approach adopted to derive and validate the G RVS magnitudes published in DR3. We also provide estimates of the G RVS passband and associated G RVS zero-point. Methods. We derived G RVS photometry from the integration of RVS spectra over the wavelength range from 846 to 870 nm. We processed these spectra following a procedure similar to that used for DR2, but incorporating several improvements that allow a better estimation of G RVS . These improvements pertain to the stray-light background estimation, the line spread function calibration, and the detection of spectra contaminated by nearby relatively bright sources. We calibrated the G RVS zero-point every 30 hours based on the reference magnitudes of constant stars from the Hipparcos catalogue, and used them to transform the integrated flux of the cleaned and calibrated spectra into epoch magnitudes. The G RVS magnitude of a star published in DR3 is the median of the epoch magnitudes for that star. We estimated the G RVS passband by comparing the RVS spectra of 108 bright stars with their flux-calibrated spectra from external spectrophotometric libraries.Results. The G RVS magnitude provides information that is complementary to that obtained from the G, G BP , and G RP magnitudes, which is useful for constraining stellar metallicity and interstellar extinction. The median precision of G RVS measurements ranges from about 0.006 mag for the brighter stars (i.e. with 3.5 ∼ < G RVS ∼ < 6.5 mag) to 0.125 mag at the faint end. The derived G RVS passband shows that the effective transmittance of the RVS is approximately 1.23 times better than the pre-launch estimate.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2025 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.