GAIA space observatory’s new map of the Milky Way tracks billions of stars

Path of 40 thousands stars over the next 400 thousands years
Path of 40 thousands stars over the next 400 thousands years
The Milky Way will have a more detailed map, thanks to all the informations that GAIA gathered in its six years of activity.

ESA’s GAIA space observatory was launched in 2013 and began its job in July 2014. Orbiting at 1.5 kilometers away from Earth, the 1$ billion spacecraft is capable to observe 100 thousands stars per minute (850 million per day), scannering the whole sky once every two months. GAIA does not only acquire details about the position of the cosmic objects, but also about their speed and direction.

On December 3, GAIA sent 1.3 terabytes of informations back to Earth, enabling the astronomers to create the most detailed map of the Milky Way, with the positions and motion of 1.8 billion cosmic objects.

Share This Post

Partnerships:

Subscribe to our Newsletter:

* indicates required
PoliSpace Well wishers

More To Explore

Space blog

DINING ON MARS: When you take Michelin stars literally

What will Martian colonist eat? 3D printed food, bioreactors and hydroponic cultivations will be the key of future food chain on both Earth and Mars. Let’s explore the most advanced technology in the food field.