El Gaia Space Telescope is an advanced astronomical mission launched by the European Space Agency (ESA) with the main objective of accurately and detailed mapping the position, movement and physical characteristics of around one billion stars in our galaxy, the Milky Way. Its launch took place on December 19, 2013 from the Kourou Spaceport, French Guiana. To date, there are many discoveries made by this telescope.
In this article we are going to tell you what the main discoveries of the Gaia Space Telescope and its characteristics are.
Features of the Gaia Space Telescope
One of Gaia's most notable features is its ability to measure stellar positions with unprecedented precision, reaching up to a thousand microarcseconds. This results in highly precise three-dimensional star mapping that offers detailed information about the spatial distribution of stars in the Milky Way. Besides, Gaia can determine the radial velocities of stars with astonishing precision, providing crucial data to understand the dynamics of our galaxy.
To achieve these precise measurements, Gaia uses a 1.5 meter diameter primary mirror and two main instruments: the Astrometry, which is responsible for measuring stellar positions and movements, and the Spectrograph, designed to analyze the chemical composition and temperature of the stars. stars. These instruments work together to collect data that allows us to build a three-dimensional star map and better understand the formation and evolution of the Milky Way.
A unique feature of Gaia is its ability to observe each star repeatedly during its mission, providing multiple measurements over time. This not only improves the precision of the measurements, but also makes it possible to detect variations in the brightness of stars, which is invaluable for studying astrophysical phenomena such as the presence of exoplanets in star systems.
In addition to its primary focus on stellar mapping, Gaia has also contributed significantly to other areas of astronomy, such as the identification of asteroids in our solar system, the study of brown dwarfs and the classification of various classes of variable stars.
Discovery of the Gaia Space Telescope
Recently, the European Space Agency (ESA) published a comprehensive collection of findings from the Gaia space telescope. In particular, these discoveries include the identification of 500.000 previously unknown stars within the Omega Centauri star cluster, the detection of more than 380 potential gravitational lenses allowing the observation of distant galaxies and the improved positioning of more than 150.000 asteroids.
The results, which exceed the initial objectives set for Gaia by the European Space Agency (ESA), have been obtained through the analysis of the mission's third data publication in 2022. These findings, which include an extension of the study, contribute to the Most complete catalog of the Milky Way ever compiled, covering the positions of more than 1.800 billion stars.
Gaia's ability to observe with great precision is limited in certain regions of our galaxy where the concentration of stars is so high that distinguishing them individually becomes almost impossible. These regions are known as globular clusters, which have significant scientific importance due to their status as some of the oldest objects in the universe.
To surpass Gaia's measurement capabilities, mission organizers opted for Omega Centauri, which is the most expansive globular cluster visible from Earth and It is located approximately 18.300 light years away. This cluster is home to almost 10 million stars. To carry out the study, a unique approach was used to observe the region surrounding the core of the cluster, where the density of stars is slightly lower.
Thanks to this effort, More than 500.000 hitherto unknown stars have been revealed. This momentous discovery is of immense importance as it not only allows us to fully document the population of Gaia stars, but, as stated by Alexey Mints of the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics in Potsdam and a collaborator on the project, it gives us the opportunity to meticulously examine the structure of the cluster and the trajectories of its constituent stars. Consequently, we will be able to build a complete and expansive map of Omega Centauri.
Space exploration of star clusters
Gaia's triumph with Omega Centauri has prompted the exploration of eight additional globular clusters. Delving into the ins and outs of these celestial bodies is crucial to verifying the age of our galaxy and understanding the transformative journey it has undertaken since its inception.
While the primary goal of Gaia's mission is to create a map of the Milky Way, it has also managed to identify numerous events that are believed to be gravitational lensing. These lenses occur when the faint light emitted by a distant object is deformed as it passes through a region containing a significant concentration of mass on its way to our instruments. This distortion amplifies the brightness of the object and produces multiple images of it. Consequently, this makes it possible to detect incredibly distant galaxies.
Within the new study, There are a total of 381 potential gravitational lenses associated with quasars. These quasars are the nuclei of galaxies located at incredibly vast distances and are known to host supermassive black holes that actively consume matter.
Study of the Universe
The study of the early universe relies heavily on the importance of quasars. According to Christine Ducourant, a Gaia member and affiliate of the Bordeaux Astrophysics Laboratory in France, this discovery is an invaluable resource for cosmologists. It is the most extensive collection of potential quasars ever released simultaneously, and offers immense opportunities for research and exploration.
Among the gravitational lenses identified by Gaia, a total of five have the potential to be classified as Einstein crossings, an incredibly rare occurrence in which the alignment between the mass concentration of the foreground and the distant galaxy results in the generation of four different copies at a junction. as a pattern.
The ESA announcement not only reveals the results, but also provides a more detailed analysis of 156.823 asteroids. This new information has the potential to improve our understanding of their orbits by a significant factor of 20. Additionally, Gaia's upcoming fourth data delivery, expected to be completed by the end of 2025, is expected to contribute to the doubling of asteroids. observed.
ESA has also revealed its research on galactic dust as part of its studies. In particular, the mission has collected an impressive six million light spectra, providing astronomers with a deeper understanding of the composition of the interstellar medium.
After careful examination, the group of scientists known as Gaia has studied in depth 10.000 red giant stars that show regular fluctuations in their luminosity. These particular stars are included in the extensive catalog produced during the third phase of the mission, covering approximately two million stars with varying characteristics.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about the Gaia space telescope and its discoveries.