The space mission Gaia
What is the history of our galaxy, the Milky Way, and of the solar system? How do stars work? How does the invisible matter affect the motions of stars and galaxies?
The Gaia mission was designed to answer these questions, as well as many others...
An astronomy mission of the European Space Agency (ESA), Gaia was conceived in the 1990s. This two ton satellite is due to be launched by the Soyouz-Fregat rocket from Kourou at the end of 2013.
The extremely ambitious objective of Gaia is to map the sky in three dimensions as completely and with an accuracy never before attained. During 5 years, it will create an image of a billion celestial objects: the stars of our galaxy, the asteroïdes of our solar system, distant galaxies. It will participate in the hunt for circumstellar planets and measure the minute effects of relativity.
Partners of the exhibition
The Gaia exhibition, the Deep Sky, has the support of the Science Council of the Paris Observatory, and of the scientific departments: "Galaxies, stars, Physics and Instrumentation" - GEPI (Observatoire de Paris, CNRS, Université Paris Diderot), the Institute for Celestial Mechanics and ephermeris computation (Institut de Mécanique Céleste et de Calcul des éphémérides IMCCE (Observatoire de Paris, CNRS, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Université Lille 1), Time and Space reference systems (Systèmes de Référence Temps Espace) SYRTE (Observatoire de Paris, CNRS, Université Pierre et Marie Curie).
Scientific Commissioners
- Catherine Turon, emeritus astronomer, GEPI (Observatoire de Paris, CNRS, Université Paris Diderot)
- Frédéric Arenou, CNRS research engineer, GEPI (Observatoire de Paris, CNRS, Université Paris Diderot)
- David Katz, astronome-adjoint, GEPI (Observatoire de Paris, CNRS, Université Paris Diderot)
- Daniel Hestroffer, astronomer, Institut de Mécanique Céleste et de Calcul des Éphémérides (Observatoire de Paris, CNRS, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Université Lille 1)
- Christophe Le Poncin-Lafitte, astronome-adjoint, SYRTE (Observatoire de Paris, CNRS, Université Pierre et Marie Curie)
Coordination
- Sabrina Thiéry, Direction de la communication de l’Observatoire de Paris
Mobile version
This exhibition has been made into a mobile version, with the help of the Institut National des Sciences de l’Univers of the CNRS (the National Institute for the Sciences of the Universe) and of its of its specific action Gaia. It is available for downloading.
Contact: service.communication at obspm.fr