Science Quickly Saying Farewell to the Spacecraft That Mapped the Milky Way
Feb 26, 2025
Lee Billings, Senior Space and Physics Editor for Scientific American and expert on the Gaia mission, reflects on the groundbreaking achievements of the Gaia spacecraft. They delve into its pivotal role in mapping the Milky Way, revealing discoveries like tidal streams and black holes. Billings discusses the mission's transition to a graveyard orbit and the significance of the collected data for future research. The conversation also touches on what lies ahead for astronomical missions aiming to continue Gaia's legacy.
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Gaia's Purpose and Impact
- Gaia, launched in 2013 by the European Space Agency, maps the Milky Way by observing star movements.
- It creates a coordinate system for telescopes like Hubble and James Webb, improving pointing accuracy.
Galactic Archaeology with Gaia
- Gaia's data has revealed tidal streams, remnants of smaller galaxies merging with the Milky Way.
- Evidence suggests a major merger occurred 10 billion years ago, impacting the Milky Way's current structure.
Gaia's Legacy and Future
- Gaia's science observations ended on January 15th, but data analysis continues.
- Future data releases are expected to reveal thousands of exoplanets using astrometry, a technique measuring star wobbles.