gaia | EarthSky

Large several-armed spiral with bar in middle and labels of areas.

Gaia’s 3rd data release: Gazing toward the galactic anticenter

The 3rd data release from the Gaia mission will provide astronomers with a "treasure trove" of information they didn't have before. As they analyze Gaia's data in the years ahead, we're sure to learn new and surprising things about our home galaxy, the Milky Way.

Gaia’s 3rd data release, in numbers

The much-anticipated 3rd data release from the Gaia space observatory happened today.

Artist's concept of strings of stars - sibling stars, or star families - within 3,000 light-years of the sun.

Gaia tracks sibling stars in Milky Way

Rather than leaving home young, as expected, star siblings are more likely to stick together in long-lasting, string-like star groups, according to a new study of data from ESA's Gaia spacecraft.

Painting of circular face-on tight purple spiral with a yellow central bar.

Gaia starts mapping our Milky Way’s bar

"We knew the Milky Way had a bar, like other barred spiral galaxies. But we only had indirect indications from the motions of stars and gas. This is the first time we see the galactic bar in 3D space, based on geometric measurements of stellar distances."

A spiral galaxy, with globular clusters scattered around it.

How Hubble and Gaia weighed the Milky Way

Scientists used the measured velocities of 44 globular star clusters to measure the mass of our home galaxy, the Milky Way.

Over 100 new exoplanets from Kepler and Gaia

At least 18 of the new planets are less than 2 times larger than the Earth, and are likely to have rocky compositions with atmospheres comparable to Earth's.

Gaia spots enormous ghost galaxy on Milky Way’s outskirts

Gaia satellite data revealed the galaxy, which has avoided detection until now, thanks to its extremely low density and hiding place behind the shroud of the Milky Way’s disk.

Gaia reveals stars flying between galaxies

Only a small number of hypervelocity stars have ever been discovered. Now ESA's Gaia mission has revealed 20 more.

How Gaia could help find Dyson spheres

Dyson spheres are hypothetical megastructures built by extraterrestrials for the purpose of harvesting all of a star's energy. Here's how the European Space Agency's Gaia mission might help find one.

Gaia sees LMC stars as galactic fingerprint

It resembles a fingerprint, doesn't it? But it's really a galaxy, rotating. This image is from ESA's Gaia space observatory. It shows the rotation of the Large Magellanic Cloud.

Gaia’s 2nd data release: 1.7 billion stars!

Why did ESA's director of science say Gaia's observations are "redefining the foundations" of astronomy? Also, links to virtual reality resources made possible by Gaia, available for you to explore.

Gaia’s view of Large Magellanic Cloud

The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), one of the nearest galaxies to our Milky Way, as viewed by ESA's Gaia satellite after its first 14 months of operations.

A billion stars here we come! Gaia galaxy surveyor lifts off

Gaia is designed to make accurate measurements of the positions and motions of 1% of the total population of roughly 100 billion Milky Way stars.

Pinkish blue haze around stars in an oblong shape.

Small galaxy consumes an even smaller galaxy

Scientists found evidence that a small galaxy - the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite of the Milky Way - has eaten an even smaller galaxy.

Foreground out of focus with man in VR gear, background is images of the universe.

Virtual reality universe unveiled

Researchers have amassed terabytes of data from a slew of telescopes to create the Virtual Reality Universe Project, a map of our cosmos.

Many brilliant stars in two clusters within a nebula, or space cloud.

2 old open star clusters merging in the Milky Way

An astronomer in Brazil has looked toward a known open star cluster and found 2 old open star clusters, merging in our Milky Way galaxy.

Illustration of lights in a tunnel, viewed from one end of the tunnel. The lights get fainter as they recede into the distance.

Delta Cephei helps measure cosmic distances

Delta Cephei is an inconspicuous variable star in the northern constellation Cepheus the King. This star helps establish the cosmic distance scale.

Two center lights inside a ring of light with four dots on ring.

What is gravitational lensing?

What is gravitational lensing? When a massive object bends space, light traveling through the warped space results in rings, arcs or many points of light.

Diagram of spiral arms showing sun to left, and several dots at an angle in the next arm over.

A spiral arm break in the Milky Way

Scientists discovered a spiral arm break in the Milky Way, lying some 4,000 light-years away, which contains some of the most famous nebulas in the heavens.

3 glowing red spheres, the apparently smallest in the upper left and largest in the lower right.

An all-sky red giant star symphony

The TESS planet-finder and Gaia space observatory have given us tickets to a red giant star symphony, now playing in our Milky Way galaxy.

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Gaia’s 3rd data release: Gazing toward the galactic anticenter

Gaia’s 3rd data release, in numbers

Gaia tracks sibling stars in Milky Way

Gaia starts mapping our Milky Way’s bar

How Hubble and Gaia weighed the Milky Way

Over 100 new exoplanets from Kepler and Gaia

Gaia spots enormous ghost galaxy on Milky Way’s outskirts

Gaia reveals stars flying between galaxies

How Gaia could help find Dyson spheres

Gaia sees LMC stars as galactic fingerprint

Gaia’s 2nd data release: 1.7 billion stars!

Gaia’s view of Large Magellanic Cloud

A billion stars here we come! Gaia galaxy surveyor lifts off

Small galaxy consumes an even smaller galaxy

Virtual reality universe unveiled

2 old open star clusters merging in the Milky Way

Delta Cephei helps measure cosmic distances

What is gravitational lensing?

A spiral arm break in the Milky Way

An all-sky red giant star symphony