ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Science → Astronomy

Gaia mission’s third data release shows astonishing galactic 3D maps

Paula FerreirabyPaula Ferreira
December 9, 2020 - Updated on December 10, 2020
in Astronomy, Space
A A
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterSubmit to Reddit

ESA’s spacecraft collected important information about nearby stars, the solar system’s motion and provided a map with the motions of 40 thousand stars in the Milky Way. It’s the best available map we have of our galaxy and it looks stunning.

Image credits: ESA.

Gaia is an ESA mission to build a 3D map of the Milky Way. Last week the collaboration released the third early data release, the first final release will happen in 2022. Despite being in operation for only 34 months, the Gaia telescope was able to collect around 1.8 billion sources. Gaia’s ambitious mission is to chart a 3D map of our galaxy, revealing its composition and evolution.

The mission has provided the Gaia Catalog of Nearby Stars (GCNS), stars with around 100 pc from the Sun. It has more than 330,000 galaxies, a major advance compared to the first effort in 1957 by Willhelm Gliese. The recent observations have shown that most stars in the GCNS have circular orbits just like our Sun. In addition, the catalog was used to estimate the solar velocity, which is 7 km/s.

The researchers behind the project detected 2,879 ultra-cool dwarfs (UCD) which are faint, low-mass, and relatively cold (under 2,700 Kelvin degrees, or about 24000 Celsius) star formation objects. Furthermore, Gaia was capable of detecting the most probable binary star within the nearby area; 16,565 in total, as seen from the 3D map they have a common velocity in reference to the center of the galaxy.

What caught the astronomers’ eye was the astrometry of the QSO-objects (quasi-stellar objects) outside the galaxy. As the name implies, QSOsare objects with a starlike visual appearance, but a different type of optical spectrum. Gaia was able to detect the position and velocities of 1.6 million QSO-objects. The idea is to use those outside sources as points of reference to estimate the acceleration of the solar system.

For the mapping mission, it’s also important to correct any aberration due to the motion of the solar system: when we are moving in a direction the stars placed in the opposite movement appear to be moving closer to each other, while the stars in front of the sun appear to be separating.

Image credits: ESA.

The result of analyzing the motion of stars is in the video bellow. It shows the motion of 40,000 stars as they cross the sky, which are 100 pc away from the sun. The dots are the stars that become trails, which represent their motion, faster objects have longer trails. Finally, the last image represents 400,000 years into the future.

RelatedPosts

What’s the brightest star from Earth, and how do we measure it?
Observing Alien Armageddon could be our first sign of advanced civilizations in space.
Steam Power Might Help in Space Exploration
How did the Oort cloud form? A new simulation reveals its origins

The next release, DR4, will be based on 66 months of the mission. It will include Gaia’s list of exoplanets. According to the Collaboration, the spacecraft is in good condition with the exception of radiation damage, below the expected by the team.

Tags: astronomy

ShareTweetShare
Paula Ferreira

Paula Ferreira

Paula is a meteorologist who is now a PhD student in Physics. You will notice that her posts are mainly about cosmology, astronomy and atmospheric science.

Related Posts

Archaeology

Did the Ancient Egyptians Paint the Milky Way on Their Coffins?

byTibi Puiu
2 weeks ago
Science

A Rare ‘Micromoon’ Is Rising This Weekend and Most People Won’t Notice

byTibi Puiu
1 month ago
News

Astronomers Discover 128 New Moons Around Saturn Securing Its Title as the Moon King and Leaving Jupiter in the Dust

byTibi Puiu
2 months ago
Astronomy

Stunning close-up views of scorching hot Mercury may surprisingly reveal ice in its craters

byMihai Andrei
4 months ago

Recent news

The Worm That Outsourced Locomotion to Its (Many) Butts

May 16, 2025

The unusual world of Roman Collegia — or how to start a company in Ancient Rome

May 16, 2025
Merton College, University of Oxford. Located in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK. Original public domain image from Wikimedia Commons

For over 500 years, Oxford graduates pledged to hate Henry Symeonis. So, who is he?

May 16, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
  • How we review products
  • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Science News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Space
  • Future
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Physics
      • Matter and Energy
      • Quantum Mechanics
      • Thermodynamics
    • Chemistry
      • Periodic Table
      • Applied Chemistry
      • Materials
      • Physical Chemistry
    • Biology
      • Anatomy
      • Biochemistry
      • Ecology
      • Genetics
      • Microbiology
      • Plants and Fungi
    • Geology and Paleontology
      • Planet Earth
      • Earth Dynamics
      • Rocks and Minerals
      • Volcanoes
      • Dinosaurs
      • Fossils
    • Animals
      • Mammals
      • Birds
      • Fish
      • Amphibians
      • Reptiles
      • Invertebrates
      • Pets
      • Conservation
      • Animal facts
    • Climate and Weather
      • Climate change
      • Weather and atmosphere
    • Health
      • Drugs
      • Diseases and Conditions
      • Human Body
      • Mind and Brain
      • Food and Nutrition
      • Wellness
    • History and Humanities
      • Anthropology
      • Archaeology
      • History
      • Economics
      • People
      • Sociology
    • Space & Astronomy
      • The Solar System
      • Sun
      • The Moon
      • Planets
      • Asteroids, meteors & comets
      • Astronomy
      • Astrophysics
      • Cosmology
      • Exoplanets & Alien Life
      • Spaceflight and Exploration
    • Technology
      • Computer Science & IT
      • Engineering
      • Inventions
      • Sustainability
      • Renewable Energy
      • Green Living
    • Culture
    • Resources
  • Videos
  • Reviews
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Editorial policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.