??? Last Starlight for Ground-Breaking Gaia ????
Reza Abbasinejad
Research assistant at The University of Auckland ( Centre for Automation and Robotic Engineering Science)
The European Space Agency's (ESA) Gaia mission has officially completed its sky-scanning phase, marking the end of an era and the beginning of a legacy. Over the past decade, Gaia has revolutionized our understanding of the Milky Way and the cosmic neighborhood through over three trillion observations of nearly two billion stars and celestial objects. ????
??? Launched on 19 December 2013, Gaia has built the most precise 3D map of our galaxy to date, reshaping everything we know about: ? The structure and motion of the Milky Way ? The composition of stars ? Hidden treasures like stellar black holes, quasars, and binary star systems
?? "Gaia has exceeded all expectations," says ESA Director of Science, Carole Mundell, highlighting its groundbreaking contributions to astrophysics and solar system science.
???? While Gaia’s fuel tank is nearing empty, this isn’t the end! ?? ?? Upcoming data releases (2026 and beyond) will continue to unveil cosmic secrets, including detailed insights into the history of our galaxy and the wobbling of stars caused by exoplanets.
?? Some incredible discoveries include: ?? Evidence of ancient galaxy mergers with the Milky Way ?? High-precision orbits of 150,000+ asteroids ??? Detection of a 33-solar-mass black hole just 2,000 light-years away
?? Gaia’s farewell phase includes technology tests and a shift to a heliocentric orbit by March 2025, ensuring no interference with future missions. But before retiring, Gaia will shine brighter for amateur astronomers to observe one last time. ???
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RALP-120022012025-NNN