Gaia Telescope
For millennia, humankind has looked towards the sky with awe and curiosity, seeking to understand more about the workings of our universe. Scientists have developed technologies to pursue that objective and aid their research. Some of the earliest of these include the astrolabe and the quadrant to track the position of the stars. Since then, our instruments have grown increasingly sophisticated.
On December 19th of 2013, the European Space Agency launched a revolutionary space observatory named Gaia. Gaia’s mission is to create a 3-D map of our galaxy. To do this, it’s equipped with 2 telescopes and 3 instruments that collect data that can be used to determine distance, velocity, mass, temperature, and composition of a celestial object. These allow Gaia to collect information using ultra-precise and accurate measurement. Gaia’s capability for measuring position can be compared to measuring the diameter of a human hair 1000 km away. Furthermore, its accuracy at measuring the distance of the nearest stars is a shocking 0.001%. What also sets Gaia apart from other telescopes is the sheer amount of objects it will map. By its possible retirement in 2025, Gaia is expected to map nearly 2 billion celestial objects, 99% of which have previously never been accurately measured. But creating a three dimensional map isn’t all that Gaia intends to do. Another key mission is to address core questions about our galaxy’s history. Namely, understanding the processes that have shaped our galaxy. By studying the Milky Way’s interactions and mergers between galaxies, astronomers have gained key insight into its history and evolutionary process. With many of Gaia’s targets for mapping being stars, its data has led to a greater understanding of stellar properties and their interactions. Gaia also uses age dating on many stars across different regions to help piece together a more complete timeline of events. By studying gravity’s effect on stars, astronomers can also examine the presence of elusive dark matter to see its distribution across the galaxy. Asteroids, quasars, and exoplanets are other subjects that Gaia has focused on. It has discovered many and deepened our knowledge of them in the process. Another of Gaia’s objectives is testing fundamental theories of physics, like Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity, and this is done through the interpretation of its data by scientists.
All of this groundbreaking information is released to the public, allowing access to a wealth of unprecedented and detailed data. Not only has this information provided reference to improve the accuracy of space navigation but it is also an invaluable tool to be used in studies. With 2023 marking 10 years past Gaia’s introduction, it has certainly proved its worth through its immense contributions to our scientific understanding of this universe.
