Gaia Telescope 3D Map

Gaia Telescope 3D Map Latest News

Recently, a new 3D map created using data from the Gaia Telescope shows stellar nurseries (star-forming regions) within 4,000 light-years of the Sun in all directions.

Latest Development

• This is the most detailed chart of glowing hydrogen gas clouds, helping scientists understand how stars form and the dynamics of turbulent interstellar gas.
• The study integrates Gaia dust maps with the radiation impact of 87 massive O-type stars, which emit intense ultraviolet light capable of ionising hydrogen gas.
• The resulting simulation shows glowing hydrogen clouds, aligning closely with older hydrogen emission maps, but with much higher precision.

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About the GAIA Mission

• Full name: Originally Global Astrometric Interferometer for Astrophysics (GAIA), simplified to Gaia.
• Launch Year: 2013, by the European Space Agency (ESA).
• Objective: To create the most precise 3D map of the Milky Way Galaxy through astrometry (measurement of star positions, distances, and movements).
• Position: Located at Lagrange Point 2 (L2), about 1.5 million km from Earth, providing a stable and unobstructed cosmic view.

Structure and Instruments

• Twin Telescopes: Capture light from two directions simultaneously.
• Digital camera: Contains nearly 1 billion pixels, making it the largest camera ever flown in space.
• Three Main Instruments:
  • Astrometer – Measures precise positions of celestial objects.
  • Photometer – Determines the brightness and temperature of stars.
  • Spectrometer – Identifies chemical composition and radial motion of stars.

Source: SCN