Most powerful satellite telescope Gaia launched to map Milky Way in 3D

[Cidersomerset]

http://static.bbci.co.uk/frameworks/barlesque/2.58.1/desktop/3.5/img/blq-blocks_grey_alpha.png

19 December 2013 Last updated at 10:57

Gaia 'billion-star surveyor' lifts off By Jonathan Amos

Science correspondent, BBC News



KuNEopqQPaM

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/69459000/gif/_69459496_stellar_parallax_624.gif

As the Earth goes around the Sun, relatively nearby stars appear to move against
the 'fixed' stars that are even further away

Because we know the Sun-Earth distance, we can use the parallax angle to work
out the distance to the target star

But such angles are very small - less than one arcsecond for the nearest stars, or
0.05% of the full Moon's diameter

Gaia will make repeat observations to reduce measurement errors down to seven
micro-arcseconds for the very brightest stars



MYR-9uaM4wI


Read more...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25426424


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gaia: New Technology to See the Milky Way [HD]

MCfSYQH1Ams

Published on 6 Nov 2013


Our Galaxy the Milky Way is made up of a hundred billion stars. To truly
understand its evolution we need to know exactly where we stand in this mass of
constantly moving and changing celestial objects. To do this, Astrometry, the
science of measuring the position, distance and movement of stars around us, is
just about to take a giant leap forward with the launch of ESA's new space
telescope, Gaia. Gaia will make it possible to measure a billion stars of our Milky
way.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gaia mapping the universe...

L5ADEVMuqsw


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Cidersomerset]

Gaia launch replay highlights

xDmQvJVJg8Y

Published on 19 Dec 2013


ESA's Gaia mission blasted off on 19 December 2013 on a Soyuz rocket from
Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on its exciting mission to study a
billion suns.

Gaia is destined to create the most accurate map yet of the Milky Way. By making
accurate measurements of the positions and motions of 1% of the total population
of roughly 100 billion stars, it will answer questions about the origin and evolution
of our home Galaxy.

The Soyuz launcher, operated by Arianespace, lifted off at 09:12 GMT (10:12 CET).
About ten minutes later, after separation of the first three stages, the Fregat upper
stage ignited, delivering Gaia into a temporary parking orbit at an altitude of 175 km.

Gaia is now en route towards an orbit around a gravitationally-stable virtual point in
space called L2, some 1.5 million kilometres beyond Earth as seen from the Sun.


This video includes highlights of the launch webcast including lift-off from Kourou,
the Soyuz mission, separation of Gaia and the successful entry into orbit.