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.
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 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.
