Milky Way in 3D: Gaia space telescope maps a billion stars

2016-09-14 7

Astronomers working on the Gaia space telescope have released data recording the position and brightness of over a billion stars. The space telescope has enabled scientists to create the highest-ever resolution map of the night sky. So much data is being downloaded from the spacecraft that scientists hope will eventually give them clues to the origins and evolution of the Milky Way.