Astronomers have unveiled the most accurate 3D map of the galaxy yet, promising to shed fresh light on the galaxy’s workings and the mysteries of the vast universe.
The giant electronic atlas was compiled from data collected by the European Space Agency’s Gaia Observatory, which is scanning the sky from a 2013 explosion in Cairo, French Guiana.
The map has enough detail for astronomers to measure the acceleration of the solar system and calculate the mass of the galaxy. This in turn will provide clues about how the solar system was formed and the rate at which the universe expanded over time.
Nicholas Walton, a member of the ESA Gaia science team at the Cambridge-based Astronomy Institute, compared efforts to fill in the blanks on ancient maps with the statement, “Stay a dragon here.”
“What we’re doing here is getting a very detailed map of the local universe that has three dimensions for stars for three hundred light years.”
By depicting the position and movements of the stars, the probe has detected destructive processes beyond the edge of the galaxy. The rapid flow of stars between two nearby galaxies is evidence that larger and larger Magellanic clouds are constantly eating away at the smaller Magellanic cloud.
There are many body quarts that Gaia observes, extremely distant and intense bright objects driven by black holes, billions of times larger than the mass of the Sun. By measuring the speed of the solar system in comparison, Gaia data show that the solar system is approaching the center of the galaxy with an acceleration of about 7 mm per second every year.
Known as the Galaxy Surveyor, Gaia orbits the planet in a gravitational steady state 930,000 miles away from the Earth in a direction known as the Legendary Point. Over the past seven years, the probe has measured the position and velocity of nearly 2bn stars. In addition to revealing traces of cosmic consumption, the data allows astronomers to simultaneously distribute objects in the galaxy, from which they can directly estimate its mass.
Luggage points are regions in space where gravitational forces tend to place objects. For the Gaia Observatory, this means that minimal fuel is required to maintain its location. There is another advantage of distant orbit: it is enough from Earth to avoid light pollution disturbing the view of the stars.
Flore van Leeuwen, who manages data processing for Gaia at the Institute for Astronomy, said the data trove allows astronomers to “forensically analyze our stellar neighborhoods, and face crucial questions about the origin and future of our galaxy.”
Caroline Harper, head of space science at the UK Space Agency, said: “For thousands of years, we have had to take note of the stars and their exact locations and give details, as they have increased humanity’s understanding of our universe.
“Gaia has been doing the stars of heaven for the last seven years, mapping the position and velocity of the stars. Thanks to his binoculars that we have in our possession today, the most detailed billion-star 3D atlas has been collected so far. “
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