Gaia's Stunning New Map of the Milky Way

[Claire.]

Behold a Billion Stars in This Stunning New Map of the Milky Way

If you think reading a two-dimensional road map is tough, the latest map of our galaxy may send you running. The European Space Agency just released a three-dimensional map of the Milky Way galaxy that charts the location of over a billion celestial objects.

The billion-star catalog precisely details the location and brightness of 1.142 billion stars in the Milky Way, and is the most complete map of the galaxy ever created. For stargazers, it is an unrivaled accomplishment.

The new 3D map reflects the first 14 months of data collected by ESA’s Gaia satellite. Launched on December 19, 2013, Gaia orbits the Sun-Earth second Lagrange point (L2), which lies beyond the moon’s orbit, approximately one million miles from Earth. The map is the mission’s first publically available data, which was collected through September of 2015.

Read more: Smithsonian

Additional source: Scientific American

Edited September 14, 2016 by Clair

[Thorvir]

3 minutes ago, Clair said:

Read more:

I can't!

[Claire.]

Just now, Thorvir Hrothgaard said:

I can't!

Sorry. The source link has been fixed.

[Thorvir]

4 minutes ago, Clair said:

Sorry. The source link has been fixed.

I can now!

[ChrLzs]

A very big annotated version may be found here (5.6Mb) (you'll need to copy paste the link - I didn't want to embed such a large image..)

http://sci.esa.int/science-e-media/img/a9/Gaia_GDR1_Sky_Map_annotated_4K.png

 

[MWoo7]

PREMIUM IMAGE, thank god, well Chris and Clair HERE HERE !  Love it, I see Andromeda YEY! a report on that one time and I couldn't tell you a thing about it aaaaah bliss.

THANKS !

[psyche101]

Images like this are just mindblowing and breathtaking aren't they. One of those few times where I have little to say, just gaze in wonder........ just like the Hubble UDF. 

[ChrLzs]

Forgive me for drifting off a bit and making a suggestion for anyone who hasn't done it (and that would be most folks)...

If you are ever far away from the madding crowd, in other words away from cities and even small towns, out in the great beyond..  Set aside a couple of hours on a clear night, (preferably without the Moon as it tends to ruin your night vision but whatever..), find a nice open spot with a good view of as much sky as possible, rug up if necessary, and just lie flat on your back and look up.  If the moon is up, try to block it with your hand as much as possible, or look well away from it.

The first time I seriously did this was on the Nullarbor Plain and I had driven about 30 km north of the highway to a location that was truly in the middle of absolutely nowhere.  No trees, just low saltbush, dead flat in all directions, no sings of life or lights in any direction..

As your eyes adapt, apart from the amazing sight that is the Cosmos from a truly dark location (the Milky Way is unbelievable when you first see it properly..), you will see satellites drifting over, perhaps some aircraft.. hopefully you will recognise some constellations and know which of the bright stars are in fact planets..  You'll see nebulae, clusters of billions of stars looking like little fuzzy balls (take some good binoculars with you, 7x50's are fine)..

And if you wait, you will almost certainly see a few meteors - if you're lucky, many of them..

 

Lastly.. but I can't guarantee this one, you will begin to sense the motion of the earth, and become aware of just where you are at this moment in this universe.  I felt as if I could properly visualise the rotation of the earth and where I was on it, how that all related to the solar system and then to the entire Cosmos...  If I'm sounding a little poetic.. well, it's a very deep moment and still gives me goose bumps to think about it - who needs astral projection when you can experience the reality of the Cosmos that you are tiny, tiny, but very important, sentient part of....

Do it!!!  The sky at night from the desert must be on everyone's bucket list (in fact ask your parents why they didn't show you it...:D)

Edited September 15, 2016 by ChrLzs
lowsy spelin

[toast]

1.142.000.000 stars. At least. Are we alone? I dont think so.

[woopypooky]

black and white map? there's nothing to see.

[Waspie_Dwarf]

22 minutes ago, woopypooky said:

black and white map? there's nothing to see.

It wasn't made to be pretty, it was made to be precise and accurate. This is science, not art.

[White Unicorn]

6 hours ago, ChrLzs said:

Forgive me for drifting off a bit and making a suggestion for anyone who hasn't done it (and that would be most folks)...

If you are ever far away from the madding crowd, in other words away from cities and even small towns, out in the great beyond..  Set aside a couple of hours on a clear night, (preferably without the Moon as it tends to ruin your night vision but whatever..), find a nice open spot with a good view of as much sky as possible, rug up if necessary, and just lie flat on your back and look up.  If the moon is up, try to block it with your hand as much as possible, or look well away from it.

The first time I seriously did this was on the Nullarbor Plain and I had driven about 30 km north of the highway to a location that was truly in the middle of absolutely nowhere.  No trees, just low saltbush, dead flat in all directions, no sings of life or lights in any direction..

As your eyes adapt, apart from the amazing sight that is the Cosmos from a truly dark location (the Milky Way is unbelievable when you first see it properly..), you will see satellites drifting over, perhaps some aircraft.. hopefully you will recognise some constellations and know which of the bright stars are in fact planets..  You'll see nebulae, clusters of billions of stars looking like little fuzzy balls (take some good binoculars with you, 7x50's are fine)..

And if you wait, you will almost certainly see a few meteors - if you're lucky, many of them..

 

Lastly.. but I can't guarantee this one, you will begin to sense the motion of the earth, and become aware of just where you are at this moment in this universe.  I felt as if I could properly visualise the rotation of the earth and where I was on it, how that all related to the solar system and then to the entire Cosmos...  If I'm sounding a little poetic.. well, it's a very deep moment and still gives me goose bumps to think about it - who needs astral projection when you can experience the reality of the Cosmos that you are tiny, tiny, but very important, sentient part of....

Do it!!!  The sky at night from the desert must be on everyone's bucket list (in fact ask your parents why they didn't show you it...:D)

This was  a perfect thread to post how to experience the awe of the Cosmos feelings! 

Thank you  ChrLzs, most people need to try it and you said how to do it so very well. I'm surprised how many have never tried sky gazing that way, it is an immense feeling that must be experienced. 

[David Thomson]

The amazing thing about this article isn't the picture of the Milky Way. It is the camera that was used. It can see a hair on the surface of the Earth from space! If they have this camera looking at stars, you can bet they also have them looking at us!

[Thorvir]

8 hours ago, ChrLzs said:

Forgive me for drifting off a bit and making a suggestion for anyone who hasn't done it (and that would be most folks)...

If you are ever far away from the madding crowd, in other words away from cities and even small towns, out in the great beyond..  Set aside a couple of hours on a clear night, (preferably without the Moon as it tends to ruin your night vision but whatever..), find a nice open spot with a good view of as much sky as possible, rug up if necessary, and just lie flat on your back and look up.  If the moon is up, try to block it with your hand as much as possible, or look well away from it.

The first time I seriously did this was on the Nullarbor Plain and I had driven about 30 km north of the highway to a location that was truly in the middle of absolutely nowhere.  No trees, just low saltbush, dead flat in all directions, no sings of life or lights in any direction..

As your eyes adapt, apart from the amazing sight that is the Cosmos from a truly dark location (the Milky Way is unbelievable when you first see it properly..), you will see satellites drifting over, perhaps some aircraft.. hopefully you will recognise some constellations and know which of the bright stars are in fact planets..  You'll see nebulae, clusters of billions of stars looking like little fuzzy balls (take some good binoculars with you, 7x50's are fine)..

And if you wait, you will almost certainly see a few meteors - if you're lucky, many of them..

 

Lastly.. but I can't guarantee this one, you will begin to sense the motion of the earth, and become aware of just where you are at this moment in this universe.  I felt as if I could properly visualise the rotation of the earth and where I was on it, how that all related to the solar system and then to the entire Cosmos...  If I'm sounding a little poetic.. well, it's a very deep moment and still gives me goose bumps to think about it - who needs astral projection when you can experience the reality of the Cosmos that you are tiny, tiny, but very important, sentient part of....

Do it!!!  The sky at night from the desert must be on everyone's bucket list (in fact ask your parents why they didn't show you it...:D)

When my wife and I were in Arizona earlier this year, I had her pull over so I could see the stars.  It lasted about 30 seconds before she got freaked out at the deep darkness, the stillness of the desert, and the utter silence.  So I missed out on my chance.  I won't miss the next one.

Here in my part of Indiana, one can get a "nice" view of the Milky Way (nice as in as best as I can get), but it's still polluted by nearby Indy and Noblesville and some of the other small towns around the area.  At least I have a switch on my dusk to dawn light so I can shut if off and gets things as dark as possible.  Good for meteor showers, though.

[paperdyer]

A "New Map to the Stars"  now available at Hollywood and Vine.

I whole heartedly agree with toast.  We can't be alone.

 

[psyche101]

15 hours ago, Waspie_Dwarf said:

It wasn't made to be pretty, it was made to be precise and accurate. This is science, not art.

Well then, in my opinion they failed

Looks very pretty to be, beautiful, breathtaking stunning. Particularly noticeable in the HD image Chrlz linked to

Thanks Chrlz

Using that as a wallpaper now !

[Waspie_Dwarf]

6 hours ago, psyche101 said:

Well then, in my opinion they failed

Good point, but in my defence I didn't say it wasn't pretty, just that it wasn't made to be pretty.

For me the beauty isn't in the aesthetics of the map, it is in the fact that human beings can build a device that can accurately map more than a billion stars.

[psyche101]

On 9/16/2016 at 6:24 PM, Waspie_Dwarf said:

Good point, but in my defence I didn't say it wasn't pretty, just that it wasn't made to be pretty.

I would have to concur  

On 9/16/2016 at 6:24 PM, Waspie_Dwarf said:

For me the beauty isn't in the aesthetics of the map, it is in the fact that human beings can build a device that can accurately map more than a billion stars.

I will have to meet you halfway and call both stunning  

Indeed, what an achievement! 

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Quote

The wonder is, not that the field of stars is so vast, but that man has measured it.
~ Anatole France - The Garden of Epicurus, 1894.

 

[Pjjr]

This is pretty cool! If you have an iphone/pod everyone should check out a free app called Exoplanet.It has a pretty detailed map of the Milky Way, and has new feeds showing new planet discoveries in our galaxy.

[quiXilver]

freaking awesome!