Mega-MUSE Nearby Galaxy Serendipity Survey (2512.12505v1)

Abstract: The Mega-MUSE Nearby Galaxy Serendipity Survey is a White Paper in response to the ESO Expanding Horizons Call for Ideas. It is based on the notion that novel observing facilities for astronomy almost always make discoveries that were not anticipated at the time of planning and conceptual design. Unlike other surveys it is not targeting the solution of a single specific astrophysical problem, but enables the exploitation of data obtained from other surveys in Local Group and Local Volume galaxies to clarify open science questions that cannot be solved otherwise. The most prominent objectives are to obtain solid statistics of rare stars and gaseous nebulae as well as their properties that are not accessible in the Milky Way disk due to extinction and selection effects, and the discovery of as yet unknown phenomena.