Most Detailed Survey Of Milky Way Galaxy Reveals Fascinating Details About Stars
The most detailed survey of the Milky Way galaxy is here, all thanks to European Space Agency's Gaia mission that wants to create the most accurate and multi-dimensional map of our home galaxy.
In the latest data release from Gaia, scientists noted improved details about almost two billion stars in the Milky Way. The new details include important details about stars including their chemical compositions, temperatures, colours, ages, masses, and the speed at which they're moving towards or away from us.
This information was made available all thanks to a technique called spectroscopy that splits the starlight into its constituent colours. As Phys.org reported, it's a lot like a rainbow.
The new data by Gaia is also the most detailed directory of binary stars, objects like asteroids and moons, and millions of galaxies outside the Milky Way.?
Gaia's unexpected surprise - starquakes
Gaia also had a surprise for scientists! The mission was able to detect starquakes - motions on a star's surface that can change their shapes. The observatory was not built for this purpose, and the scientists are positively reinforced.
Earlier, Gaia had found proof of radial oscillations that cause stars "to swell and shrink" while preserving their spherical shape. Now, the spacecraft has found evidence for vibrations that are akin to large-scale tsunamis that are harder to detect.
Also read:?Extremely Rare Type Of Star That Emits X-Ray Spotted In The Milky Way Galaxy
The uncanny thing is - our current understanding of stars and the universe is incongruent with these starquakes. With this fresh data, Gaia has effectively created the largest chemical map of the Milky Way.
Through this data, the DNA of stars may be traced, which in their case refers to metals that formed them. Through this, scientists hope to pin down the stars that formed the Milky Way and stars that came from other galaxies.
Also read:?Four 'Malicious' Alien Civilisations In The Milky Way Could Attack Earth: Study
What do you think about this largest chemical map of our home galaxy? Let us know in the comments below.?For more in the world of?technology?and?science, keep reading?Indiatimes.com.
References
Staff, S. X. (2022c, June 13). Gaia sees strange stars in most detailed Milky Way survey to date. Phys.Org.?
Pultarova, T. (2022, June 13). “Starquakes” shake the surface of thousands of stars, Gaia galaxy mapper reveals. Space.Com.?
