ESA’s Gaia mission has released its latest data on the Milky Way, providing astronomers with new insights into starquakes, stellar DNA, asymmetric motions, and more. This data release, known as Gaia’s data release 3, contains detailed information on nearly two billion stars in our galaxy, including their chemical compositions, temperatures, colors, masses, ages, and radial velocities. The data also includes subsets of stars that exhibit changes in brightness over time. One of the most surprising discoveries from the new data is Gaia’s ability to detect starquakes, which are tiny motions on the surface of stars that can change their shapes. This data release also reveals the largest catalog of binary stars, as well as information on Solar System objects, galaxies, and quasars beyond the Milky Way. The Gaia mission’s data provides valuable insights into the stellar phenomena, galactic structure, and chemical composition of our galaxy.
| Signal | Change | 10y horizon | Driving force |
|---|---|---|---|
| New data release from Gaia mission | More detailed understanding of the Milky Way | Increased knowledge of the structure and evolution of the Milky Way | Advancement in astronomical research and technology |