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Science

theHandpuppet

(19,964 posts) Wed Dec 18, 2013, 11:57 PM Dec 2013

12

Gaia 'billion star surveyor' set for launch

Gaia 'billion star surveyor' set for launch
By Jonathan Amos
Science correspondent, BBC News

Europe is about to launch the Gaia satellite - one of the most ambitious space missions in history.

The 740m-euro (£620m) observatory is going to map the precise positions and distances to more than a billion stars.

This should give us the first realistic picture of how our Milky Way galaxy is constructed.

Gaia's remarkable sensitivity will lead also to the detection of many thousands of previously unseen objects, including new planets and asteroids...

MORE at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25426424

2 replies

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Gaia 'billion star surveyor' set for launch (Original Post) theHandpuppet Dec 2013 OP

WOW I didn't even know this mission was on that map. thanks... Locut0s Dec 2013 #1

This is very exciting deutsey Dec 2013 #2

Locut0s

(6,154 posts)

1. WOW I didn't even know this mission was on that map. thanks...

Reply to theHandpuppet (Original post)

Thu Dec 19, 2013, 12:34 AM

Dec 2013

Love these kinds of hard science probes, Plank, WMAP, Wilkinson, Chandra, Keplar, etc they have added so much to our understanding vof the universe!!

deutsey

(20,166 posts)

2. This is very exciting

Reply to theHandpuppet (Original post)

Thu Dec 19, 2013, 12:00 PM

Dec 2013

I will eagerly be waiting for new data from this project!

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