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Astronomers have unveiled the most accurate 3D map of the Milky Way so far, a result that promises to shed new light on the functioning of the galaxy and the mysteries of the larger universe.
The vast electronic atlas was compiled based on data collected by the European Space Agency’s Gaia Observatory which has been exploring the skies since it exploded in 2013 from Kourou in French Guiana.
The map contains enough detail to allow astronomers to measure the acceleration of the solar system and calculate the mass of the galaxy. These in turn will provide clues to how the solar system formed and how fast the universe has expanded since the dawn of time.
Nicholas Walton, a member of ESA’s Gaia science team at the Institute of Astronomy in Cambridge, compared the effort to fill in the blanks on ancient maps that marked unknown regions with the claim that “here are dragons”.
“What we’re really doing here is getting a very detailed map of the local universe that’s in three dimensions for stars down to a few hundred light years,” he said.
By tracking the positions and motions of the stars, the spacecraft discovered destructive processes beyond the boundaries of the Milky Way. A faint stream of stars detected between two nearby galaxies is evidence that the more massive Large Magellanic Cloud is constantly devouring the tiniest Small Magellanic Cloud.
Many of the bodies Gaia observed are quasars, extremely distant and intensely bright objects powered by black holes a billion times the mass of the sun. By measuring the movement of the solar system relative to these, the Gaia data shows that the solar system is falling towards the center of the Milky Way with an acceleration of about 7 mm per second every year.
Known as the Galaxy Surveyor, Gaia orbits the planet from a gravitationally stable position known as the Lagrange point 930,000 miles from Earth in the opposite direction to the sun. Over the past seven years, the spacecraft has measured the positions and velocities of nearly 2 billion stars. In addition to revealing traces of cosmic consumption, the data allows astronomers to reconstruct the distribution of matter in the Milky Way, from which they will directly estimate its mass.
Lagrange points are regions in space where gravitational forces tend to make objects remain. For the Gaia observatory, this means that a minimum of fuel is required to maintain its position. The distant orbit has another advantage: it is far enough away from Earth to prevent light pollution from ruining its view of the stars.
Floor van Leeuwen, who manages the data processing for Gaia at the Institute for Astronomy, said the data hoard allows astronomers “to forensically analyze our stellar neighborhood and address crucial questions about the origin and the future. of our galaxy “.
Caroline Harper, Head of Space Science at the British Space Agency, added: “For thousands of years, we have been concerned with noting and detailing stars and their precise location as they broadened humanity’s understanding of our cosmos.
“Gaia has been staring at the sky for the past seven years, mapping the positions and speeds of the stars. Thanks to its telescopes, we now have in our possession the most detailed 3D atlas with billions of stars ever assembled, ”he said.
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