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ABSTRACT The MeerKAT International GHz Tiered Extragalactic Exploration Survey (MIGHTEE) is one of the large survey projects using the MeerKAT telescope, covering four fields that have a wealth of ancillary data available. We present Data Release 1 of the MIGHTEE continuum survey, releasing total intensity images and catalogues over 20 deg², across three fields at 1. 2–1. 3 GHz. This includes 4. 2 deg² over the Cosmic Evolution Survey (COSMOS) field, 14. 4 deg² over the XMM Large-Scale Structure (XMM-LSS) field and deeper imaging over 1. 5 deg² of the Extended Chandra Deep Field South (CDFS). We release images at both a lower resolution (7–9 arcsec) and higher resolution (5 arcsec). These images have central rms sensitivities of 1. 3-2. 7 Jy beam^-1 (1. 2-3. 6 Jy beam^-1) in the lower (higher) resolution images, respectively. We also release catalogues comprised of 144 000 (114 000) sources using the lower (higher) resolution images. We compare the astrometry and flux-density calibration with the Early Science data in the COSMOS and XMM-LSS fields and previous radio observations in the CDFS field, finding broad agreement. Furthermore, we extend the source counts at the 10 Jy level to these larger areas (20 deg²) and, using the areal coverage of MIGHTEE we measure the sample variance for differing areas of sky. We find a typical sample variance of 10 –20 per cent for 0. 3 and 0. 5 deg2 subregions at S₁. ₄ 200Jy, which increases at brighter flux densities, given the lower source density and expected higher galaxy bias for these sources.
Hale et al. (Sat,) studied this question.