Released on December 19, 2013, ESA's star mapping satellite “Gaia” We are now nearing the sky, but this does not mean the mission is complete. Technical tests are scheduled in the weeks before Gaia moves into its “retirement” orbit, with two major data releases scheduled for around 2026 and the end of the century, respectively.
An artist's impression of the Milky Way galaxy based on data from ESA's Gaia Space Telescope. Image credit: ESA / Gaia / DPAC / Stefan Payne-Wardenaar.
ESA Director of Science Carol Mandel said: “Today, as the science observations conclude, we celebrate this amazing mission that has exceeded all our expectations, extending almost twice its original predicted lifetime.” said.
“The treasure trove of data collected by Gaia has given us unique insight into the origin and evolution of the Milky Way galaxy, and has also provided insight into astrophysics and the solar system in ways we still don't fully understand. It transformed science.”
“Gaia is built on Europe’s unique excellence in astronomical measurements and will leave a lasting legacy for future generations.”
“After 11 years in space, surviving micrometeorite impacts and solar storms along the way, Gaia has completed collecting scientific data,” said Gaia project scientist Johannes Sahlmann.
“All eyes are now on preparing for the next data release.”
“We are excited to carry out this incredible mission and are excited about the discoveries that await us.”
An annotated artist's impression of the Milky Way galaxy, based on data from ESA's Gaia Space Telescope. Image credit: ESA / Gaia / DPAC / Stefan Payne-Wardenaar.
Gaia has used the three instruments many times over the course of its mission to observe and chart the stars' positions, distances, movements, changes in brightness, compositions, and numerous other characteristics.
This will allow Gaia to achieve its primary goal of building the largest and most accurate map of the Milky Way, displaying our home galaxy like no other mission has been able to achieve to date. is completed.
“Gaia has changed our impression of the Milky Way, so it contains major changes from previous models,” said Stefan Payne Waldenaar, a science visualizer at the House of Astronomy and the IAU Directorate of Astronomy Education. said.
“Even basic ideas such as the rotation of the galaxy's central bar, the distortion of the disk, the detailed structure of the spiral arms, and the interstellar dust near the sun have been revised.”
“Still, we are still speculating about the distant parts of the Milky Way based on incomplete data.”
“As more Gaia data is released, our view of the Milky Way will become even more accurate.”
Gaia's science and engineering teams are already hard at work preparing for Gaia Data Release 4 (DR4), scheduled for 2026.
The amount and quality of data is increasing with each release, and Gaia DR4, with an expected 500 TB data product, is no exception.
Additionally, it will cover the first 5.5 years of the mission, which is the length of the mission as originally planned.
“This is the release of Gaia that the community has been waiting for, but it's exciting considering it only covers half of the data collected,” said Dr. Antonella Valenari, an astronomer at the National Institute of Astronomical Sciences. Ta.
“Although the mission is currently suspending data collection, it will be business as usual for many years to come as we continue to make these impressive datasets available.”
Over the past decade, Gaia has accumulated more than 3 trillion observations of nearly 2 billion stars and other astronomical objects, revolutionizing the way we see our home galaxy and neighboring universe, and advancing its mission. You have completed the empty scan stage. Image credit: ESA / Gaia / DPAC / Stefan Payne-Wardenaar.
After several weeks of testing, Gaia will leave its current orbit around Lagrangian Point 2, 1.5 million km from Earth, away from the Sun and be placed into a final heliocentric orbit far from Earth's sphere of influence. .
The spacecraft is scheduled to be passivated on March 27, 2025 to avoid harm or interference with other spacecraft.
During the technical test, Gaia's orientation is changed, temporarily making it several orders of magnitude brighter and making it much easier to observe with small telescopes.
Gaia mission manager Uwe Lammers said: “Gaia will shine among the stars before her sad retirement and will treat us with this final gift to bid her farewell.”
“This is a moment to celebrate this transformative mission and to thank all the teams who have worked hard for more than a decade to operate Gaia, plan observations, and ensure the smooth return of valuable data to Earth.”
Source: www.sci.news
