In total, it comprised 1.8 billion stars and millions of other bodies. On June 13, it reached a milestone by sending the scientific community a first complete version of its catalog. This European Space Agency (ESA) satellite, launched in 2013, systematically analyzes the light from the brightest objects in the sky to produce a three-dimensional map of about 1% of the Milky Way. The third delivery of the Gaia space astrometry mission marks a new turning point in the study of the composition, formation and evolution of our galaxy. It's the tree that towers above the forest. This represents a major advance in astrometry.įrom this height, you can capture the whole landscape. Long ReadThe satellite launched in 2013 has just delivered the scientific community with a preliminary version of a three-dimensional map encompassing around 1% of the Milky Way. Gaia, the Milky Way's cartographer By Vahé Ter Minassian Published on Jat 22h00, updated at 22h00 on July 23, 2022
