Gaia is located about a million and a half kilometers from Earth at a relatively stable point in space. This allows the space probe to take extremely accurate measurements. In the nearly seven years that Gaia has now been in operation, the positions and speeds of nearly two billion stars have been recorded.
Using the data, astronomers can now calculate how matter is distributed in the Milky Way. They also found that ‘our’ solar system moves towards the center of the Milky Way at an acceleration of 7 millimeters per second every year.
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One of the researchers says in the British newspaper The Guardian that people have ‘observed and described the stars and their orbits for thousands of years’ in order to better understand the universe. Gaia has been working on it for seven years now capture the positions and speeds of stars. And thanks to his telescopes, we now have the most detailed 3D space map ever created. ”
Renewed due to success
Gaia was initially not going to perform measurements for longer than five years, but that period was extended to the end of 2022. There is still a possibility that the observatory will be kept in operation until the end of 2025.
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