The most detailed map of the Milky Way galaxy has been revealed by UK researches, funded by Swindon's own UK Space Agency. 

A precise 3D map of the galaxy was produced using the cosmic treasure trove of data collected from the Gaia satellite, known as the ‘Galaxy Surveyor’. 

The cosmic data – co-ordinated by the Institute of Astronomy in Cambridge – will enable astronomers, for the first time, to measure the mass of the Galaxy by examining the acceleration of the solar system.

This ability will give us clues to the origins of our star system and could help confirm just how quickly the universe has expanded since it began.

Swindon Advertiser:

Caroline Harper, head of space science at the UK Space Agency, said: “For thousands of years, we have been preoccupied with noting and detailing the stars and their precise locations as they expanded humanity’s understanding of our cosmos.

“Gaia has been staring at the heavens for the past seven years, mapping the positions and velocities of stars. Thanks to its telescopes we have in our possession today the most detailed billion-star 3D atlas ever assembled.”

Gaia is located at a Lagrange point, a gravitationally stable spot in the sun-Earth system, called L2, which is located about 930,000 miles from Earth in the opposite direction from the sun.

It has so far measured the positions and brightness of almost two billion stars, as well as detailing their positions, magnitudes and colours.

At Lagrange points, spacecraft can use a minimum of fuel to maintain the same location in space.

Gaia is also far enough from Earth that the light emanating from our planet will not interfere with observations.

Dr Floor van Leeuwen of the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge, said: “Gaia is measuring the distances of hundreds of millions of objects that are many thousands of light years away, at an accuracy equivalent to measuring the thickness of hair at a distance of more than 2000 kilometres.

"These data are one of the backbones of astrophysics, allowing us to forensically analyse our stellar neighbourhood, and tackle crucial questions about the origin and future of our Galaxy.”

How does Gaia work?

  • The mission carries two telescopes, which it scans across the Milky Way from a location about 1.5 million km from Earth.
  • The telescopes' mirrors throw their captured light on to a huge, one-billion-pixel camera detector connected to a trio of instruments.
  • It is this ultra-stable and supersensitive optical equipment that Gaia uses to pick out its sample of stars with extraordinary precision and confidence.
  • The called-for specification was to get to know the brightest objects' coordinates down to an error 1.94 degree.
  • This angle is equivalent to the size of a pound coin on the Moon as seen from Earth.
  • In addition to their position and proper motion, the stars are having their physical properties analysed by Gaia.
  • Its instruments are acquiring vital statistics like temperature and composition. These are markers needed to help determine the stars' ages.