ESA title
Agency

First data from ESA's Gaia mission

Date: Wed, Sep 14, 2016 GMT

FTP only

Replay: Wed, Sep 14, 2016 | 16:00 - 16:15 GMT | 18:00 - 18:15 CEST

Type: ESA TV Exchange

Format: 16:9

Media representatives are invited to a briefing on the first intermediate data release of ESA’s Gaia mission, an astrometry mission to map the stars of our galaxy, the Milky Way.

The media briefing is taking place at the European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC) in Villanueva de la Cañada, Madrid, Spain, on Wednesday 14 September 2016. 

In parallel ESA TV is releasing a video explaining the performance of the satellite and its science data and highlighting the science that can be done with this intermediate data release.

Launched in December 2013, Gaia is destined to create the most accurate map yet of the Milky Way. By making accurate measurements of the positions and motions of roughly 1% of the total population of stars in the Milky Way, it will answer questions about the origin and evolution of our home galaxy.

The first intermediate data release, containing, among other things, three-dimensional positions and two-dimensional motions of a subset of two million stars, demonstrates that Gaia’s measurements are as precise as planned, paving the way to create the full map of one billion stars to be released towards the end of 2017.

The video shows new images of the Milky Way and includes interviews with Fred Jansen, ESA Gaia Mission Manager and Timo Prusti, ESA Gaia Project Scientist.

More information at: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Gaia

Preview and download:
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos/2016/09/First_data_from_ESA_s_Gaia_mission

Script:
Gaia - first data release FINALScript.doc