Comparison between Gaias first and second data releases ESA Science Hub 2018-04-25 | A virtual journey, from our Solar System through our Milky Way Galaxy, based on data from the first (left) and second (right) release of ESA’s Gaia satellite. The journey starts by looking back at the Sun, moving away and travelling between the stars. A comparison between the two views shows the huge increase in number of stars and distances from the Sun between the two data releases.The view on the left is based on the 3D position of 1.4 million stars for which parallaxes had been estimated using the Tycho-Gaia astrometric solution (TGAS) as part of the first Gaia data release, published in 2016. The view on the right is based on the 3D position of nearly 97 million stars from the second data release, published in 2018. The majority of these stars have the most accurate parallax measurements in the dataset, which can be used to directly estimate distances to individual stars. More about Gaia's second data release: http://sci.esa.int/gaia/60192-gaia-creates-richest-star-map-of-our-galaxy-and-beyond/More information about this video and download options can be found at http://sci.esa.int/gaia/60221-comparison-between-gaia-s-first-and-second-data-releases/Credit: ESA/Gaia/DPAC, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGOhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/igoAcknowledgement: Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium (DPAC); Gaia Sky (https://zah.uni-heidelberg.de/institutes/ari/gaia/outreach/gaiasky/) ; S. Jordan / T. Sagristà, Astronomisches Rechen-Institut, Zentrum für Astronomie der Universität Heidelberg, Germany
Solar Orbiter observes an active region on the Sun ESA Science Hub 2024-05-28 | The Sun seen by Solar Orbiter on 3 March 2022, during the spacecraft's first close approach to the Sun. This view was part of an important piece of research that opens up a new way for solar physicists to study the source regions of the solar wind.The main, largest image was taken with the full Sun imager mode of Solar Orbiter's Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) instrument. The medium-sized image that appears after about five seconds was taken with EUI's high-resolution mode. The third, smallest image was taken with Solar Orbiter's Spectral Imaging of the Coronal Environment (SPICE) instrument.The Sun's active regions are often responsible for solar flares and eruptions. Visual indicators of active regions are dark sunspots – cooler areas in the Sun's photosphere where intense magnetic fields become twisted and concentrated. The magnetic activity that creates sunspots is thought to be connected to the so-called ‘slow’ solar wind.In this research, a team led by Stephanie Yardley from Northumbria University imaged an active region of the Sun with Solar Orbiter's EUI, SPICE and Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager (PHI) instruments, before measuring the resulting slow solar wind with the spacecraft's in situ instruments several days later. This is the first ever connection between high-resolution images of the Sun’s surface at a close distance and direct measurements of the solar wind around a spacecraft. It allowed the scientists involved in the research to identify more clearly where the slow solar wind originates and opens up a new way for solar physicists to study the source regions of the solar wind.Read the full story: https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Solar_Orbiter/ESA_s_Solar_Orbiter_traces_solar_wind_to_its_source Credit: ESA & NASA/Solar Orbiter/EUI & SPICE/S. YardleyWe are Europe's gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe's space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.Copyright information about our videos is available here: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Terms_and_conditions_of_use_of_images_and_videos_available_on_the_esa_website
Webb Sets Out to Study Exoplanets: Space Sparks Episode 9 ESA Science Hub 2023-01-27 | Until recently, the only planetary system we could study was our own Solar System. Now astronomers have found evidence for thousands of planets around stars other than our own Sun. These are known as exoplanets. Because of this we are getting closer to answering key questions such as: Is Earth unique? Do other planetary systems similar to ours exist? Are we alone in the Universe? Thanks to its powerful capabilities at infrared wavelengths, the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope will offer a unique view of the outer planets in our own magnificent Solar System Watch this special Space Sparks episode to learn how Webb will study exoplanets. Credit:Directed by: Bethany Downer and Nico BartmannEditing: Nico BartmannWeb and technical support: Enciso SystemsWritten by: Owen HigginsNarration: Sara Mendes de Costa Music: tonelabs - Happy Hubble (http://www.tonelabs.com), tonelabs - The Red North (http://www.tonelabs.com), and Stellardrone - StardomeFootage and photos: ESA/Hubble, ESA/Webb, ESA, NASA, CSA, STScI, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab, Northrup Grumman, M. Kornmesser, J. Olmsted (STScI), ESO, L. Calçada, Solar Dynamics Observatory, L. Hustak, A Carter (UCSC), the ERS 1386 team, A. Pagan (STScI), A. Simon (Goddard Space Flight Center), M.H. Wong (University of California, Berkeley), JPL, Caltech, spaceengine.org
Space Sparks Episode 5: Webb Captures A Cosmic Tarantula ESA Science Hub 2022-09-07 | Watch this special Space Sparks episode to learn more about the stellar nursery called 30 Doradus, as captured by the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope.Credit:Directed by: Bethany Downer and Nico BartmannEditing: Nico BartmannWeb and technical support: Enciso SystemsWritten by: Bethany DownerMusic: Stellardrone - The Belt of OrionFootage and photos: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab, ESO, E. Slawik, N. Risinger, D. De Martin, D. Lennon, E. Sabbi, N. Bartmann, M. Zamani
Space Sparks Episode 4: Webb Detects Carbon Dioxide in Exoplanet Atmosphere ESA Science Hub 2022-08-26 | Watch this Space Sparks episode to learn more about how the James Webb Space Telescope has found definitive evidence for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of a gas giant planet orbiting a Sun-like star 700 light-years away.More information and download options: http://esawebb.org/videos/weic2213aCreditsDirected by: Bethany Downer and Nico BartmannEditing: Nico BartmannWeb and technical support: Enciso SystemsWritten by: Bethany DownerMusic: STAN DART - Organic LifeFootage and photos: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab, ESO, E. Slawik, N. Risinger, D. De Martin, D. Lennon, E. Sabbi, N. Bartmann, M. Zamani
Webb’s First Images: ESA/Webb Space Sparks Episode 3 ESA Science Hub 2022-07-15 | Watch this special Space Sparks episode to learn about the European mission contributions to the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope. esawebb.orgDirected by: Bethany Downer and Nico BartmannEditing: Nico BartmannWeb and technical support: Enciso SystemsWritten by: Bethany DownerMusic: Stellardrone – The Belt of OrionFootage and photos: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Webb ERO Production Team, ESA/Hubble, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab
The James Webb Space Telescope’s European Contributions: ESA/Webb Space Sparks Episode 2 ESA Science Hub 2022-05-09 | Watch this special Space Sparks episode to learn about the European mission contributions to the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope. esawebb.orgCredits:Directed by: Bethany Downer and Nico BartmannEditing: Nico BartmannWeb and technical support: Enciso SystemsWritten by: Bethany DownerNarration: Sara Mendes de Costa Music: Music written and performed by STAN DART, Dmitry Lee'o/New HorizonsFootage and photos: ESA/Hubble, ESA, NASA, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab, ESA/ATG Media Lab, ESA/Arianespace
The James Webb Space Telescope’s Science Goals: ESA/Webb Space Sparks Episode 1 ESA Science Hub 2021-12-23 | Watch this special Space Sparks episode to learn about the science goals of the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope.esawebb.orgCredits:Directed by: Bethany Downer and Nico BartmannEditing: Nico BartmannWeb and technical support: Enciso SystemsWritten by: Bethany DownerNarration: Sara Mendes de Costa Music: Stan Dart - Olympus Mons (Music written and performed by STAN DART), The Belt of Orion (Stellardrone), Tonelabs - Expect the Unexpected (tonelabs.com)Footage and photos: ESA/Hubble, ESA, NASA, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab, ESA/ATG Media Lab, ESO/L. Calçada/spaceengine.org, P. Ševeček/Charles University
Gaia tracing starry strings in Milky Way ESA Science Hub 2019-08-28 | This simulated video shows ESA's Gaia spacecraft as it traces the structure and star formation activity of a large patch of space surrounding the Solar System. Gaia launched in 2013, and is on a mission to chart a three-dimensional map of our galaxy, pinpointing the locations, motions, and dynamics of roughly one percent of the stars within the Milky Way – along with additional information about many of these stars.The video begins with a view of Gaia set against the bright plane of the Milky Way, which cuts horizontally across the frame. Different coloured patches – each representing a different stellar 'family' observed by Gaia – then come into view, with yellows, greens, blues, purples and reds gradually filling up the region and creating a rainbow patchwork effect. Each family is identified with a different colour and comprises a population of stars that formed at the same time.Gaia then disappears from view, and the perspective zooms out to show the wider three-dimensional structure of the colourful star populations, along with their future paths through the galaxy based on Gaia's measurements of proper motions (the motions have been speeded up for illustration purposes, with each second corresponding to 158 730 years).A recent study using data from Gaia's second data release revealed that the most massive among these familial groups of stars may keep moving together through the galaxy in long, string-like configurations for billion of years after their birth, as shown in this video. Finally, the patch of space investigated in this study, covering a radius of around 3000 light-years around the Sun, is presented in the wider context of the Milky Way.The new study uncovered nearly 2000 previously unidentified clusters and co-moving groups of stars in just over 3000 light-years from us (roughly 750 times the distance to Proxima Centauri, the nearest star to the Sun). The study also determined the ages for hundreds of thousands of stars, making it possible to track stellar families – as shown in this video – and to uncover their surprising arrangements and orientations.More information about this video and download options can be found at http://sci.esa.int/gaia/61524-gaia-tracing-starry-strings-in-the-milky-way Credit: ESA/Gaia/DPAC; Data: M. Kounkel & K. Covey (2019); Animation: S. Jordan / T. Sagristá / Gaia Sky (http://www.zah.uni-heidelberg.de/gaia/outreach/gaiasky ) – CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/igo
Revealing the galactic bar ESA Science Hub 2019-07-16 | This colour chart shows the distribution of 150 million stars in the Milky Way probed using data from the second release of ESA's Gaia mission in combination with infrared and optical surveys, with orange/yellow hues indicating a greater density of stars. Most of these stars are red giants.While the majority of charted stars are located closer to the Sun (the larger orange/yellow blob in the lower part of the image), a large and elongated feature populated by many stars is also visible in the central region of the galaxy: this is the first geometric indication of the galactic bar.The distances to the stars shown in this chart, along with their surface temperature and extinction – a measure of how much dust there is between us and the stars – were estimated using the StarHorse computer code.Credit: Data: ESA/Gaia/DPAC, A. Khalatyan(AIP) & StarHorse team; Galaxy map: NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt (SSC/Caltech) More information about this video can be found at http://sci.esa.int/gaia/61461-revealing-the-galactic-bar/
Gaias asteroid discoveries ESA Science Hub 2019-06-28 | Animated view of more than 14 000 asteroids in our Solar System from the catalogue in the second data release of ESA's Gaia satellite, published in 2018.The orbits of the 200 brightest objects are shown in green. In addition, the orbits of the first four asteroids discovered by Gaia are shown in pink.While Gaia's main scientific goal is to chart a billion stars in our Milky Way galaxy, the satellite is also sensitive to celestial bodies closer to home, regularly observing known asteroids and occasionally discovering new ones.Three of the newly discovered asteroids, temporarily designated as 2018 YK4, 2018 YL4 and 2018 YM4, were first spotted by Gaia in December 2018, and later confirmed by follow-up observations performed with the Haute-Provence Observatory in France, which enabled scientists to determine their orbits. Comparing this information with existing observations indicated the objects had not been detected earlier.The fourth discovery, an asteroid with temporary designation 2019 CZ10, was first detected by Gaia in February, and was recently confirmed by ground-based observations by the Mount Lemmon Survey and the Pan-STARRS 1 project in the US.These four asteroids, while part of the 'main belt' between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, move around the Sun on orbits that have a greater tilt (15 degrees or more) with respect to the orbital plane of planets than most main-belt asteroids.The population of such high-inclination asteroids is not as well studied as those with less tilted orbits, since most surveys tend to focus on the plane where the majority of asteroids reside. But Gaia can readily observe them as it scans the entire sky from its vantage point in space, so it is possible that the satellite will find more such objects in the future and contribute new information to study their properties.Alongside the extensive processing and analysis of Gaia's data in preparation for subsequent data releases (https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/gaia/release ), preliminary information about Gaia's asteroid detections are regularly shared via an online alert system (https://gaiafunsso.imcce.fr/ ) so that astronomers across the world can perform follow-up observations. This animation starts showing the position of planets, asteroids and stars on Asteroid Day, 30 June 2019; time has been speeded up by a factor of 5 million.Credits: ESA/Gaia/DPAC – CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/igo/); Music copyright: Encore 5 by Christophe Goze, audionetwork.comaudionetwork.com/browse/m/composer/christophe-goze_18Acknowledgement: Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium (DPAC); Gaia Coordinating Unit 4; B. Carry, F. Spoto, P. Tanga (Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur, France) & W. Thuillot (IMCCE, Observatoire de Paris, France); Gaia Data Processing Center at CNES, Toulouse, France; Animation: Gaia Sky; S. Jordan / T. Sagristà, Astronomisches Rechen-Institut, Zentrum für Astronomie der Universität Heidelberg, GermanyMore information about this video can be found at http://sci.esa.int/gaia/61433-gaia-s-asteroid-discoveries/
The motions of 230 000 white dwarfs ESA Science Hub 2019-05-17 | All-sky animation showing the position, brightness and motions of some 230 000 white dwarfs discovered with ESA's Gaia satellite.The video starts by showing the position in the sky of millions of stars based on data from the second Gaia data release (the stars have been selected from the catalogue choosing the ones with the most accurate distance determinations). For a subset of nearby stars, also data from Gaia's predecessor, the Hipparcos satellite, are included.After 20 seconds, all stars disappear but white dwarfs – the remnants left behind when medium-sized stars like our Sun reach the end of their lives. For the sake of illustration, the brightness of the white dwarfs has been enhanced by a factor of about 160 000.Finally, the video shows the way these stars will move across the sky during the next 500 000 years, based on their true velocity across the sky, or proper motions, measured by Gaia.Prior to the second Gaia data release, made public in 2018, only about 30 000 white dwarfs had been discovered. Now, thanks to the game-changing second batch of data from Gaia, 486 641 white dwarf candidates have been detected, with 260 000 of these being high-confidence candidates, as reported in a catalogue (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2019MNRAS.482.4570G ) compiled by Nicola Pietro Gentile Fusillo and collaborators. Discovering more of these mysterious objects enables us to gain better knowledge of their properties, improving our understanding of how they fit into the overall picture of stellar evolution.Read the full story "Shedding light on white dwarfs – the future of stars like our Sun" at http://sci.esa.int/gaia/61343-shedding-light-on-white-dwarfs-the-future-of-stars-like-our-sun/Credit: ESA/Gaia/DPAC.Acknowledgement: Gaia Sky (https://zah.uni-heidelberg.de/institutes/ari/gaia/outreach/gaiasky/ ); S. Jordan / T. Sagristà, Astronomisches Rechen-Institut, Zentrum für Astronomie der Universität Heidelberg, Germany
The hyper-velocity white dwarf D6-2 ESA Science Hub 2019-05-17 | The motion across the sky of hyper-velocity white dwarf D6-2, based on data from the second release of ESA's Gaia satellite. The first half of the video shows how the star will move from its current position into the future, during the next 95 000 years, calculated from its true velocity across the sky, or proper motion, measured by Gaia. The second half of the video shows how the star has reached its current position over the past 95 000 years. The circle identifies the location of the supernova remnant G70.0-21.5, a likely progenitor of this high-speed star. For the sake of illustration, the motion is exaggerated by a factor of 300 billion. This star was identified in a study by Ken Shen and colleagues (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2018ApJ...865...15S ), who exploited Gaia's information not only on the position and distance of stars but also on their velocities across the Milky Way to find three white dwarfs that are zipping through our Galaxy at very high speeds. One possible interpretation sees these hyper-velocity white dwarfs (https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/gaia/iow_20181119) as the survivors of a particular type of thermonuclear explosion, known as a type-Ia supernova. These explosions happen when a white dwarf pulls matter from a stellar companion in a binary system; in this particular case, the astronomers believe that the explosion happened in a system of two white dwarfs, causing one of the two stellar remnants to disappear and throwing the other away at speeds over 1000 kilometres per second. Gaia data on the motion of one of these speedy white dwarfs even hints at the existence of a supernova remnant. Read the full story "Shedding light on white dwarfs – the future of stars like our Sun" at http://sci.esa.int/gaia/61343-shedding-light-on-white-dwarfs-the-future-of-stars-like-our-sun/ Credit: ESA/Gaia/DPAC. Acknowledgement: Gaia Sky (https://zah.uni-heidelberg.de/institutes/ari/gaia/outreach/gaiasky/ ); S. Jordan / T. Sagristà, Astronomisches Rechen-Institut, Zentrum für Astronomie der Universität Heidelberg, Germany
JUICEs Jovian odyssey ESA Science Hub 2019-04-03 | ESA's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, JUICE, is set to embark on a seven-year cruise to Jupiter starting May 2022. The mission will investigate the emergence of habitable worlds around gas giants and the Jupiter system as an archetype for the numerous giant planets now known to orbit other stars.This animation depicts the journey to Jupiter and the highlights from its foreseen tour of the giant planet and its large ocean-bearing moons.An Ariane 5 will lift JUICE into space from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou. A series of gravity-assist flybys at Earth (3), Venus (1) and Mars (1) will set the spacecraft on course for its October 2029 rendezvous in the Jovian system.It is expected that a number of instruments will be activated during the gravity assists (indicated by the different coloured beams scanning across the planets) and measurements will be taken for calibration and to check the health of the instruments. The visualisations of the Earth flybys show the closest approaches over the planet according to current planning – over the South Pacific Ocean, Argentina and Peru, respectively. Throughout the animation, the instrument beam colours correspond to example observations by JANUS (green), MAJIS (red), UVS (purple), Gala (Blue) and RIME (grey), which are cameras, spectrometers, laser altimeter and radar.During the Venus flyby, limited observations can be made because the spacecraft will be oriented to protect it from the heat of the Sun experienced in the inner Solar System. The Mars flyby will see JUICE fly over the planet's south pole to make scientific observations.JUICE will start its science mission about six months prior to arriving in orbit around the gas giant, making observations as it approaches its destination. Once in the Jovian system, a gravity-assist flyby of Jupiter's largest moon Ganymede – the largest moon in the Solar System – helps JUICE enter orbit around the gas giant 7.5 hours later.While in Jupiter orbit, the spacecraft will study the Jovian system as an archetype for gas giants, making observations of its atmosphere, the magnetosphere, its rings and satellites.During the tour, JUICE will make two flybys of Europa, which has strong evidence for an ocean of liquid water under its icy shell. JUICE will look at the moon's active zones, its surface composition and geology, search for pockets of liquid water under the surface and study the plasma environment around Europa.A sequence of Callisto flybys will not only be used to study this ancient, cratered world that may too harbor a subsurface ocean, but it will change the angle of JUICE's orbit with respect to Jupiter's equator, making it possible to investigate the polar regions and environment at higher latitudes.During the tour there will also be unique periods to observe events such as moon transits. The example in this animation shows Europa and Io passing in front of Jupiter on 27 January 2032. This type of event is rare, with less than 10 expected to occur during JUICE's tour of the Jovian system.A sequence of Ganymede and Callisto flybys will adjust the orbit of JUICE to enable it to enter orbit around Ganymede, marking it the first spacecraft to orbit another planet's moon (aside from our own). The elliptical orbit will be followed by a 5000 km altitude circular orbit, and later a 500 km circular orbit.Ganymede is unique in the Solar System in that it is the only moon to have a magnetosphere. JUICE will investigate this phenomenon and the moon's internal magnetic field, and the interaction of its plasma environment with that of Jupiter. JUICE will also study the moon's atmosphere, surface, subsurface, interior and its internal ocean, investigating the moon as a planetary object and possible habitat.Over time the 500 km orbit will naturally decay – eventually there will not be enough propellant to maintain it – and it will make a grazing impact on the surface. The animation concludes with an example of what the approach to impact could look like.Even with the launch of JUICE a few years away, ESA is already planning for future exploration of the outer Solar System. NASA and ESA have been studying a possible joint mission that would target the two ice giant planets: Uranus and Neptune. As we discover more and more exoplanets around other stars, we find that many are gas giants in the size range of these gaseous worlds. Exploring our local planets to understand why our Solar System is the way it is, is critical to understanding exoplanet systems, too.The animation was prepared by Benjamin Torn as part of ESA's Young Graduate Trainee programme under the guidance of the JUICE project and with support from M. Stefko.Credit: ESA - European Space AgencyMore information about this video can be found at http://sci.esa.int/juice/61287-juice-jovian-odyssey/
Science at ESA ESA Science Hub 2019-02-05 | Science is the underpinning theme of ESA, driving the spiral of inspiration, innovation, information exchange and interaction with our stakeholders. In this video, Günther Hasinger, ESA Director of Science, reflects on the growth of ESA's space science programme over the past decades, as well as on its current and future challenges. He also highlights the importance of long-term strategic planning and international cooperation in these endeavours, and finally looks back at some recent successes of ESA's space science missions.Science is everywhere at ESA. As well as exploring the Universe and answering the big questions about our place in space we develop the satellites, rockets and technologies to get there. Science also helps us to care for our home planet. All this week we're highlighting different aspects of science at ESA. Join the conversation with #ScienceAtESA. Credits: ESA/NASA/JPL/University of Arizona (Huygens landing); ESA/Rosetta/Philae/ROLIS/DLR, Stefano Mottola (Philae landing); ESA/Planck Collaboration (cosmic microwave background); ESA/Gaia/DPAC (Milky Way); MPG/ESO (Eagle Nebula, visible); ESA/Herschel/PACS/SPIRE/Hill, Motte, HOBYS Key Programme Consortium (Eagle Nebula, far-infrared); ESA/XMM-Newton/EPIC/XMM-Newton-SOC/Boulanger (Eagle Nebula, X-rays); NASA, ESA/Hubble and the Hubble Heritage Team (Pillars of Creation); ESO (Pillars of Creation, ground-based view); Koppelman, Villalobos & Helmi, Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen (Milky Way simulation); ESA/XMM-Newton/F. Nicastro et al./R. Cen (warm-hot intergalactic medium); ESA/DLR/FU Berlin, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (Mars surface); ESA/NASA/JPL/ASI/Univ. Rome (Mars, liquid water under south pole); NASA/JPL-Caltech (Mars view); ESO, M. Kornmesser, L. Calcada ('Oumuamua animation)See also: http://sci.esa.int/director-desk/61105-guenther-hasinger-s-science-vision/More information about this video can be found at http://sci.esa.int/home/61108-science-at-esa/
How can we access data from ESAs astronomy missions? ESA Science Hub 2019-01-16 | How can we access data from ESA's astronomy missions?The vast amounts of scientific data obtained during a space science mission have a much longer lifetime than the spacecraft itself. Dr Bruno Merín, Head of the ESAC Science Data Centre, shows how data from ESA's space science missions are archived and made freely accessible online to the global scientific community, and how these archives are often a trove of unexpected discoveries.Explore the Universe with ESASky, an online application that allows everyone to visualise the sky as observed by ESA's astronomy missions: http://sky.esa.int/ Credit: ESA
How do we operate a telescope in space? ESA Science Hub 2019-01-13 | How does a space telescope work? Dr María Santos-Lleo, XMM-Newton Science Operations Manager, explains how ESA's flagship X-ray observatory collects data from some of the most energetic sources in the Universe, including supermassive black holes and the dead remnants of massive stars.Crab pulsar image: NASA, ESA and Allison Loll/Jeff Hester (Arizona State University). Acknowledgement: Davide De Martin (ESA/Hubble)
What are the biggest questions in 21st century astronomy? ESA Science Hub 2019-01-13 | One of the biggest questions in 21st century astronomy is: where do we come from, where do we go to? Prof Günther Hasinger, ESA Director of Science, reflects on current challenges in space science, from the exploration of our Solar System, the search for exoplanets and the emergence of life, to the fundamental workings of the Universe, including dark matter, dark energy and black holes.
Merger in the early formation stages of our Galaxy ESA Science Hub 2018-10-31 | Computer simulation of the merger between a galaxy like the young Milky Way, whose stars are shown in cyan, and a smaller galaxy, indicated in red.According to a study based on the second data release of ESA's Gaia mission, astronomers estimate that a significant merging event like the one shown in this animation has occurred during the Milky Way's early formation stages, ten billion years ago. Such a merger has led to two important components of our Galaxy, the halo and the thick disc.Stars belonging to the accreted galaxy, which has been named Gaia-Enceladus, are interspersed with the Milky Way stars and can be seen across the entire sky, but could only be revealed thanks to Gaia's extraordinary precision.The simulation shown in this animation is described in papers by Á. Villalobos and A. Helmi published in 2008 (doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2966.2008.13979.x ) and 2009 (doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2966.2009.15085.x ).Credit: Koppelman, Villalobos & Helmi, Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen, The Netherlands Read the full story at http://sci.esa.int/gaia/60892-galactic-ghosts-gaia-uncovers-major-event-in-the-formation-of-the-milky-wayMore information about this video can be found at http://sci.esa.int/gaia/60897-merger-in-the-early-formation-stages-of-our-galaxy/
The CHEOPS satellite in the Large European Acoustic Facility ESA Science Hub 2018-10-22 | In September 2018, the CHEOPS satellite underwent acoustic noise testing in the Large European Acoustic Facility (LEAF) at ESA's technical centre in the Netherlands. The satellite was placed in an elevated position and surrounded by microphones that monitored sound pressure levels during the test. The tests have shown that the satellite can withstand the high sound pressures of launch. These were followed by Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) testing, also performed at ESA's technical centre, to demonstrate that CHEOPS is compatible with its electromagnetic environment at launch and in orbit.Read the full story in the CHEOPS journal #14, at http://sci.esa.int/cheops/60779-14Credit: ESA–A. Conigli; Airbus Defence & SpaceMore information about this video can be found at http://sci.esa.int/cheops/60795-the-cheops-satellite-in-the-large-european-acoustic-facility/
The CHEOPS satellite in the Maxwell test facility ESA Science Hub 2018-10-22 | In September 2018, the CHEOPS satellite underwent acoustic noise testing and Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) testing at ESA's technical centre in the Netherlands. During EMC testing, the satellite was mounted on mechanical ground support equipment that allowed its attitude with respect to the test antennas to be varied. The foam pyramids distributed on the floor are arranged to absorb reflections from the metal mechanical ground support equipment (painted white). The successful tests have shown that the satellite is compatible with its electromagnetic environment at launch and in orbit.Read the full story in the CHEOPS journal #14, at http://sci.esa.int/cheops/60779-14Credit: ESA–A. Conigli; Airbus Defence & SpaceMore information about this video can be found at http://sci.esa.int/cheops/60796-the-cheops-satellite-in-the-maxwell-test-facility/
BepiColombos journey to Mercury ESA Science Hub 2018-10-12 | Animation visualising BepiColombo's 7.2 year journey to Mercury.This animation is based on a launch date in October, marking the start of the launch window in 2018. It illustrates the gravity assist flybys that the spacecraft will make at Earth, Venus and Mercury before arriving at Mercury in December 2025.More about the journey: http://sci.esa.int/bepicolombo/48871-getting-to-mercury/More about the BepiColombo mission: http://sci.esa.int/bepicolombo/More information about this video can be found at http://sci.esa.int/bepicolombo/59288-animation-visualising-bepicolombo-s-journey-to-mercury/Credit: ESA
Vibration test of the CHEOPS satellite ESA Science Hub 2018-08-31 | The CHEOPS satellite is mounted on a longitudinal shaker that forces it to vibrate at different frequencies. At the beginning of the test, performed at RUAG Space in Zurich, Switzerland, low-frequency sine-wave vibrations of 5 Hz are applied. As the test progresses, a sweep, using sine waves of increasing frequency, is performed up to the maximum of 100 Hz.Credit: ESA/Airbus/RUAGMore information about this video can be found at http://sci.esa.int/cheops/60585-vibration-test/
Rosettas final images ESA Science Hub 2018-06-21 | Compilation of images taken by Rosetta's high resolution OSIRIS camera during the mission's final hours at Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. As it moved closer towards the surface it scanned across an ancient pit (see http://sci.esa.int/rosetta/58638-osiris-footprints ) and sent back images showing what would become its final resting place.Browse all images via the Archive Image Browser at https://imagearchives.esac.esa.int/.More information about this video can be found at http://sci.esa.int/rosetta/60433-rosetta-s-final-images/Credit:Images: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA – CC BY-SA 4.0 (see creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 ); Image compilation: ESA–D. C. Jimeno and M. P. Ayucar
Interview with Rosettas camera team ESA Science Hub 2018-06-21 | Members of the OSIRIS camera team, the high-resolution science camera onboard Rosetta, talk to ESA Web TV about the mission's final images and finding Philae, as well as their latest discoveries and ongoing work.The interview was filmed at Lindos on the Greek island of Rhodes, during the 49th Rosetta science team meeting in May 2018.More information about this video can be found at http://sci.esa.int/rosetta/60431-interview-with-rosetta-s-camera-teamCredit: ESA
CHEOPS satellite integration ESA Science Hub 2018-05-14 | Integration of ESA's CHEOPS science instrument (top) with the spacecraft platform (bottom) in the cleanroom at Airbus Defence and Space in Madrid, Spain. The science instrument, which includes among other elements the telescope and detector, was built and tested at the University of Bern, Switzerland. It was shipped to Spain in April to be integrated with the spacecraft platform for further tests and launch preparations. Once in orbit, CHEOPS will observe transits of known exoplanets around bright stars to characterise these planetary systems. Credit: Airbus Defence and Space Spain More information about this video can be found at http://sci.esa.int/cheops/60328-cheops-satellite-integration/
The Hertzsprung-Russell diagram ESA Science Hub 2018-04-30 | All-sky view of 58 000 stars from the second data release of ESA's Gaia satellite, located within 2200 light years of the Sun. The animation shows how astronomers use measurements of star brightness, distance and colour to create a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram.Named after the astronomers who devised it in the early twentieth century, the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram is a fundamental tool to study populations of stars and their evolution.Stars are first sorted on the basis of their colour, with bluer stars, which have hotter surfaces, on the left, and redder stars, with cooler surfaces, on the right. Then, they are sorted on the basis of their brightness, with brighter stars shown in the top part of the diagram, and fainter stars in the lower part. Information about stellar distances is fundamental to calculate the true brightness, or absolute magnitude, of stars.The colour scale in this image represents the colour of stars, and the size of the disc represents their brightness.The large diagonal stripe across the centre of the graph is known as the main sequence. This is where fully-fledged stars that are generating energy by fusing hydrogen into helium are found. Massive stars, which have bluer or whiter colours, are found in the upper left end of the main sequence, while intermediate-mass stars like our Sun, characterised by yellow colours, are located mid-way. Redder, low-mass stars are found towards the lower right.As stars age they swell up, becoming brighter and redder. Stars experiencing this are shown on the diagram as the vertical arm leading off the main sequence and turning to the right. This is known as the red giant branch.While the most massive stars swell into red giants and explode as powerful supernovae, stars like our Sun end their days in a less spectacular fashion, eventually turning into white dwarfs – the hot cores of dead stars. These are found in the lower left of the diagram.More about Gaia's second data release: http://sci.esa.int/gaia/60192-gaia-creates-richest-star-map-of-our-galaxy-and-beyond/More information about this video and download options can be found at http://sci.esa.int/gaia/60240-the-hertzsprung-russell-diagram/Credit: ESA/Gaia/DPAC, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGOhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/igoAcknowledgement: Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium (DPAC); K. Nienartowicz / L. Eyer / L. Rimoldini, Observatory of Geneva, Switzerland
Variable stars in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram ESA Science Hub 2018-04-26 | This video shows the way variable stars change their brightness and colour over time, as viewed by ESA's Gaia satellite using information from the mission's second data release. The stars are plotted on a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, named after the astronomers who devised it in the early 20th century, which locates stars according to their colour and brightness.More about Gaia's second data release: http://sci.esa.int/gaia/60192-gaia-creates-richest-star-map-of-our-galaxy-and-beyond/More information about this video and a download option can be found at http://sci.esa.int/gaia/60239-variable-stars-in-the-hertzsprung-russell-diagram/Credit: ESA/Gaia/DPAC, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGOhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/igoAcknowledgement: Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium (DPAC); Gaia Coordination Unit 7; K. Nienartowicz / L. Eyer / L. Rimoldini / O. Marchal / F. Glass
Rotation of the Large Magellanic Cloud ESA Science Hub 2018-04-26 | Animated view of the motion of stars in our neighbouring galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud, based on data from the second release of ESA's Gaia satellite.Measuring the velocity across the sky, or proper motion, of several million stars in this galaxy, astronomers were able to see an imprint of the stars rotating around it.Full story: http://sci.esa.int/gaia/60192-gaia-creates-richest-star-map-of-our-galaxy-and-beyond/More information about this video and download options can be found at http://sci.esa.int/gaia/60238-rotation-of-the-large-magellanic-cloud/Credit: ESA/Gaia/DPAC, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGOhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/igoAcknowledgement: Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium (DPAC); Gaia Sky (https://zah.uni-heidelberg.de/institutes/ari/gaia/outreach/gaiasky/) ; S. Jordan / T. Sagristà, Astronomisches Rechen-Institut, Zentrum für Astronomie der Universität Heidelberg, Germany
The Hyades cluster ESA Science Hub 2018-04-26 | Animated 3D view of the sky as observed by ESA’s Gaia satellite using information from the mission’s second data release.The bright band in the left half of the image is the Milky Way, where most of the stars in our Galaxy reside. The animation starts with the Orion constellation at the centre; we then move towards the neighbouring Taurus constellation and to the Hyades star cluster, which is part of this constellation. Hyades is the closest open cluster to the Solar System, some 150 light-years away.The animation first shows the 3D structure of the cluster, based on accurate position and distance information from Gaia. Then an animated view of the future motions of stars is shown – both in Hyades and beyond. This is based on Gaia’s measurements of the velocity of stars across the sky, also known as proper motion.More information about this video and download options can be found at http://sci.esa.int/gaia/60226-the-hyades-cluster/More about Gaia's second data release: http://sci.esa.int/gaia/60192-gaia-creates-richest-star-map-of-our-galaxy-and-beyondCredit: ESA/Gaia/DPAC, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGOhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/igoAcknowledgement: Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium (DPAC); Gaia Sky (https://zah.uni-heidelberg.de/institutes/ari/gaia/outreach/gaiasky/) ; S. Jordan / T. Sagristà, Astronomisches Rechen-Institut, Zentrum für Astronomie der Universität Heidelberg, Germany
Fly between Gaia stars ESA Science Hub 2018-04-26 | A virtual flight that takes the viewer from the Solar System through our Milky Way Galaxy. The journey starts by looking back at the Sun, moving away and travelling between the stars. The animation is based on data from the second release of ESA’s Gaia satellite, specifically on the 3D position of nearly 97 million stars, the majority of which have the most accurate parallax measurements in the dataset. Accurate parallaxes can be used to directly estimate distances to individual stars. Full story: http://sci.esa.int/gaia/60192-gaia-creates-richest-star-map-of-our-galaxy-and-beyond/More information about this video and download options can be found at http://sci.esa.int/gaia/60225-fly-between-gaia-stars/A similar animation comparing the data from the first and second release of Gaia is at youtu.be/648xGDdNz_gCredit: ESA/Gaia/DPAC, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGOhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/igoAcknowledgement: Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium (DPAC); Gaia Sky (https://zah.uni-heidelberg.de/institutes/ari/gaia/outreach/gaiasky/) ; S. Jordan / T. Sagristà, Astronomisches Rechen-Institut, Zentrum für Astronomie der Universität Heidelberg, Germany
Parallax ESA Science Hub 2018-04-26 | Simulated motion of a star in the sky due to parallax, an apparent shift caused by Earth's yearly motion around the Sun. The parallax has been exaggerated by 10 000 times to make it visible in this animation, which shows the star's position in the sky for about three and a half years.Measuring parallaxes is very complex because we observe this apparent motion combined with the true motion of stars through the Galaxy. Astronomers need accurate measurements over more than one year to separate the parallax from the stars' true movements. ESA's Gaia satellite has observed more than one billion stars, measuring their positions, parallaxes and motions across the sky to unprecedented accuracy.Full story: http://sci.esa.int/gaia/60192-gaia-creates-richest-star-map-of-our-galaxy-and-beyond/More information about this video and download options can be found at http://sci.esa.int/gaia/60236-parallax/Credit: ESA/Gaia/DPAC, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGOhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/igo
Parallax and proper motion ESA Science Hub 2018-04-26 | Simulated motion of a star in the sky caused by the combination of parallax, an apparent shift caused by Earth's yearly motion around the Sun, and proper motion, which results from the star's true motion through the Galaxy. Parallax and proper motion have been exaggerated by 10 000 times to make it visible in this animation, which shows the star's position in the sky for about three and a half years.Astronomers need accurate measurements over more than one year to separate the parallax from the stars' true movements. ESA's Gaia satellite has observed more than one billion stars, measuring their positions, parallaxes and motions across the sky to unprecedented accuracy.Full story: http://sci.esa.int/gaia/60192-gaia-creates-richest-star-map-of-our-galaxy-and-beyond/More information about this video and download options can be found at http://sci.esa.int/gaia/60237-parallax-and-proper-motion/Credit: ESA/Gaia/DPAC, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGOhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/igo
Parallax and proper motion on the sky ESA Science Hub 2018-04-26 | Animated view of the sky in the northern hemisphere on 25 April 2018. After a few seconds, the stars start moving in the sky according to parallax, an apparent shift caused by Earth's yearly motion around the Sun. Then, constellation outlines appear as visual aids. Finally, stars start moving according to their true motion through space, which is visible on the sky as proper motion.Parallaxes have been exaggerated by 100 000 and proper motions have been speeded up by one trillion (10^12) to make them visible in this animation.This animation is based on data from the second data release of ESA's Gaia satellite, which has measured the positions, parallaxes and motions of more than one billion stars across the sky to unprecedented accuracy.Watch a 360° version here: youtu.be/bZfFdCknTQcFull story: http://sci.esa.int/gaia/60192-gaia-creates-richest-star-map-of-our-galaxy-and-beyond/More information about this video and download options can be found at http://sci.esa.int/gaia/60233-parallax-and-proper-motion-on-the-sky/Credit: ESA/Gaia/DPAC, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGOhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/igoAcknowledgement: Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium (DPAC); Gaia Sky (https://zah.uni-heidelberg.de/institutes/ari/gaia/outreach/gaiasky/) ; S. Jordan / T. Sagristà, Astronomisches Rechen-Institut, Zentrum für Astronomie der Universität Heidelberg, Germany
The motions of 96 million stars ESA Science Hub 2018-04-26 | An all-sky view of the stars as viewed by ESA's Gaia satellite using information from the mission's second data release. This view shows both brightness and colour information of 96 million stars, selected from the Gaia catalogue by choosing the ones with the most accurate distance determinations. After a few seconds, the stars start to move according to their true velocity across the sky, or proper motions, measured by Gaia. This shows the way the stars will move across the sky during the next 800 000 years.More about Gaia's second data release: http://sci.esa.int/gaia/60192-gaia-creates-richest-star-map-of-our-galaxy-and-beyond/More information about this video and download options can be found at http://sci.esa.int/gaia/60232-the-motions-of-96-million-stars/Credit: ESA/Gaia/DPAC, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGOhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/igoAcknowledgement: Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium (DPAC); Image: A. Moitinho / A. F. Silva / M. Barros / C. Barata, University of Lisbon, Portugal; H. Savietto, Fork Research, Portugal; Animation: Gaia Sky (https://zah.uni-heidelberg.de/institutes/ari/gaia/outreach/gaiasky/) ; S. Jordan / T. Sagristà, Astronomisches Rechen-Institut, Zentrum für Astronomie der Universität Heidelberg, Germany
Gaias first asteroid survey ESA Science Hub 2018-04-25 | Animated view of the 14 099 asteroids in our Solar System, as viewed by ESA's Gaia satellite using information from the mission's second data release. The orbits of the 200 brightest asteroids are also shown, as determined using Gaia data.In future data releases, Gaia will also provide asteroid spectra and enable a complete characterisation of the asteroid belt. The combination of dynamical and physical information that is being collected by Gaia provides an unprecedented opportunity to improve our understanding of the origin and the evolution of the Solar System. More about Gaia's second data release: http://sci.esa.int/gaia/60192-gaia-creates-richest-star-map-of-our-galaxy-and-beyond/More information about this video and download options can be found at http://sci.esa.int/gaia/60222-gaia-s-first-asteroid-survey/Credit: ESA/Gaia/DPAC, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGOhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/igoAcknowledgement: Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium (DPAC); Orbits: Gaia Coordinating Unit 4; P. Tanga, Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur, France; F. Spoto, IMCCE, Observatoire de Paris, France; Animation: Gaia Sky (https://zah.uni-heidelberg.de/institutes/ari/gaia/outreach/gaiasky/) ; S. Jordan / T. Sagristà, Astronomisches Rechen-Institut, Zentrum für Astronomie der Universität Heidelberg, Germany
Globular clusters and dwarf galaxies orbiting the Milky Way ESA Science Hub 2018-04-25 | A 3D view of the orbits of four globular clusters (blue) and three dwarf galaxies (red) in motion around our Milky Way Galaxy, based on data from the second release of ESA's Gaia satellite.Using Gaia data, astronomers have measured the motion of 75 globular clusters in the halo of the Milky Way and 12 dwarf galaxies orbiting the Galaxy. From measurements of the proper motions – the true motion across the sky – of large numbers of stars in each of these clusters and galaxies, the orbits around the Milky Way could be calculated.The four globular clusters shown here are NGC 104, NGC 288, NGC 362, NGC 1851; the three dwarf galaxies are Carina, Bootes I and Draco.The orbits derived from the Gaia data are combined with an artist's impression of the Milky Way.More about Gaia's second data release: http://sci.esa.int/gaia/60192-gaia-creates-richest-star-map-of-our-galaxy-and-beyond/More information about this video and download options can be found at http://sci.esa.int/gaia/60227-globular-clusters-and-dwarf-galaxies-orbiting-the-milky-way/Credit: ESA/Gaia/DPAC, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGOhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/igoAcknowledgement: Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium (DPAC); Orbits: Floor van Leeuwen, University of Cambridge, UK / Paul McMillan, Lund Observatory, Sweden / Amina Helmi, Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen, The Netherlands.
360° view of Gaias sky ESA Science Hub 2018-04-25 | Explore Gaia's all-sky view of our Milky Way Galaxy and neighbouring galaxies in 360 degrees. The map, based on measurements of nearly 1.7 billion stars, shows the total brightness and colour of stars observed by the ESA satellite in each portion of the sky between July 2014 and May 2016.Brighter regions indicate denser concentrations of especially bright stars, while darker regions correspond to patches of the sky where fewer bright stars are observed. The colour representation is obtained by combining the total amount of light with the amount of blue and red light recorded by Gaia in each patch of the sky.The bright horizontal structure that dominates the image is the Galactic plane, the flattened disc that hosts most of the stars in our home Galaxy. In the middle of the image, the Galactic centre appears vivid and teeming with stars.Darker regions across the Galactic plane correspond to foreground clouds of interstellar gas and dust, which absorb the light of stars located further away, behind the clouds. Many of these conceal stellar nurseries where new generations of stars are being born.Sprinkled across the image are also many globular and open clusters – groupings of stars held together by their mutual gravity, as well as entire galaxies beyond our own. The two bright objects in the lower right of the image are the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, two dwarf galaxies orbiting the Milky Way. Other nearby galaxies are also visible, most notably the Milky Way's largest galactic neighbour the Andromeda galaxy (also known as M31), seen in the lower left of the image along with its satellite, the Triangulum galaxy (M33).In small areas of the image where no colour information was available – to the lower left of the Galactic centre, to the upper left of the Small Magellanic Cloud, and in the top portion of the map – an equivalent greyscale value was assigned. The second Gaia data release was made public on 25 April 2018 and includes the position and brightness of almost 1.7 billion stars, and the parallax, proper motion and colour of more than 1.3 billion stars. It also includes the radial velocity of more than seven million stars, the surface temperature of more than 100 million stars, and the amount of dust intervening between us and of 87 million stars. There are also more than 500 000 variable sources, and the position of 14 099 known Solar System objects – most of them asteroids – included in the release. A high-resolution version of this image is available for download from http://sci.esa.int/jump.cfm?oid=60196More information about this video and download options can be found at http://sci.esa.int/gaia/60219-360-view-of-gaia-s-sky/The Virtual Reality application "GaiaVR" allows you to explore this map in detail and up close. It is available for Mac and Windows. You can download the application from http://sci.esa.int/gaia-vr Credit: ESA/Gaia/DPAC; ATG medialab; CC BY-SA 3.0 IGOhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/igoAcknowledgement: Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium (DPAC); A. Moitinho / A. F. Silva / M. Barros / C. Barata, University of Lisbon, Portugal; H. Savietto, Fork Research, Portugal.
Parallax and proper motion on the sky - 360° view ESA Science Hub 2018-04-25 | A 360° animated view of the entire sky on 25 April 2018. After a few seconds, the stars start moving in the sky according to parallax, an apparent shift caused by Earth’s yearly motion around the Sun. Then, constellation outlines appear as visual aids. Finally, stars start moving according to their true motion through space, which is visible on the sky as proper motion.Parallaxes have been exaggerated by 100 000 and proper motions have been speeded up by one trillion (10^12) to make them visible in this animation.This animation is based on data from the second data release of ESA's Gaia satellite, which has measured the positions, parallaxes and motions of more than one billion stars across the sky to unprecedented accuracy.Full story: http://sci.esa.int/gaia/60192-gaia-creates-richest-star-map-of-our-galaxy-and-beyond/Credit: ESA/Gaia/DPAC, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGOhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/igoAcknowledgement: Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium (DPAC); Gaia Sky (https://zah.uni-heidelberg.de/institutes/ari/gaia/outreach/gaiasky/) ; S. Jordan / T. Sagristà, Astronomisches Rechen-Institut, Zentrum für Astronomie der Universität Heidelberg, GermanyMore information about this video can be found at http://sci.esa.int/gaia/60224-parallax-and-proper-motion-on-the-sky/
Chasing a stellar flash ESA Science Hub 2018-02-27 | Last year, ESA's Gaia mission helped astronomers make unique observations of Neptune's large moon Triton as it passed in front of a distant star. This is a preview of the superb quality and versatility of the Gaia data that will be released in April.For more about this story see http://sci.esa.int/gaia/60011-chasing-a-stellar-flash-with-assistance-from-gaiaMore information about this video can be found at http://sci.esa.int/gaia/60012-chasing-a-stellar-flash/Credit: ESA
Central flash during Triton occultation ESA Science Hub 2018-02-27 | The occultation of a distant star by Triton, Neptune's largest moon, as observed on 5 October 2017 from Constancia, Portugal.The large object in this view is Neptune, while the fainter source to its upper left is the star occulted by Triton. The star was first seen to dim, as Triton passed in front of it, then underwent the so-called central flash, appearing even brighter than before or after the event, before dimming again and eventually returning to its usual brightness.The central flash, caused by focussing of the starlight by deep layers in the moon's atmosphere – about 10 km above surface, can be seen half way through the occultation under the right observing conditions.Taking advantage of improved measurements of the star's position and a few hundred more stars, provided by Gaia, the Lucky Star team has coordinated a campaign to observe this occultation.A collaboration of professional as well as amateur astronomers observed the phenomenon at more than a hundred stations across Europe, North Africa and North America. The improved prediction of the best locations to observe, based on the specially released, preliminary data from Gaia DR2, led to twenty-five successful detections of the central flash, from Spain and Portugal to the south of France and the north of Italy.The astronomers are now busy analysing the data collected during this campaign to learn more about the atmosphere of Triton.Credit: Courtesy Rui GonçalvesMore information about this video can be found at http://sci.esa.int/gaia/60015-central-flash-during-triton-occultation/
The motion of two million stars - with audio track ESA Science Hub 2017-11-30 | This video shows the 2 057 050 stars from the TGAS sample, which was published as part of the first data release of ESA's Gaia mission (Gaia DR1) on 14 September 2016, with the addition of 24 320 bright stars from the Hipparcos Catalogue that are not included in Gaia's first data release. The stars are plotted in Galactic coordinates and using a rectangular projection: in this, the plane of the Milky Way stands out as the horizontal band with greater density of stars.The video starts from the positions of stars as measured by Gaia between 2014 and 2015, and shows how these positions are expected to evolve in the future, based on the proper motions from TGAS. The frames in the video are separated by 750 years, and the overall sequence covers 5 million years. The stripes visible in the early frames reflect the way Gaia scans the sky and the preliminary nature of the first data release; these artefacts are gradually washed out in the video as stars move across the sky.The shape of the Orion constellation can be spotted towards the right edge of the frame, just below the Galactic Plane, at the beginning of the video. As the sequence proceeds, the familiar shape of this constellation (and others) evolves into a new pattern. Two stellar clusters – groups of stars that were born together and consequently move together – can be seen towards the left edge of the frame: these are the alpha Persei (Per OB3) and Pleiades open clusters. Credit: ESA/Gaia/DPAC, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGOhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/igoMore information about this video can be found at: http://sci.esa.int/gaia/59832-the-motion-of-two-million-starsFull story: http://sci.esa.int/gaia/59004-two-million-stars-on-the-move/
Herschel and its legacy ESA Science Hub 2017-11-30 | The teams involved in ESA's Herschel space observatory reflect on the mission and its legacy. Herschel launched in May 2009 and studied the cool Universe in infrared and sub-millimetre wavelengths for nearly four years. Highlights included surveying the glow of cold cosmic dust embedded in interstellar clouds of gas to unlock the secrets of star formation, and peering back in time to when the Universe was less than one billion years old to study galaxy evolution. The observatory also traced out the presence of water in star-forming clouds, detected it for the first time in the seeds of future stars and planets, and identified the delivery of water from interplanetary debris to planets in our Solar System. Although the Herschel mission has now reached retirement, its legacy continues and it will remain a primary reference for astronomers for many years to come. For more videos and articles celebrating the achievements and legacy of Herschel visit http://sci.esa.int/herschel-weekCredit: ESA - European Space AgencyMore information about this video can be found at http://sci.esa.int/herschel/59833-herschel-and-its-legacy
Selected asteroids detected by Gaia between August 2014 and May 2016 ESA Science Hub 2017-11-29 | While scanning the sky, ESA's Gaia mission maps not only the stellar content of our Galaxy, but also the Solar System's asteroid population (see http://sci.esa.int/gaia/58562-challenges-closer-to-home-gaia-s-asteroids/). This visualisation shows the detection by Gaia of more than 13 000 asteroids as the spacecraft (represented by the pale blue dot) scanned the sky between August 2014 and May 2016. This is a subset of the total number of asteroids seen by Gaia – the sample shown here is of bright asteroids that have been detected more than ten times during the period. The corresponding data for the position on the sky for each detection of every asteroid – the epoch astrometry – will be included in Gaia's Data Release 2, the second intermediate data release from the mission, expected in April 2018 (see https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/gaia/release).Gaia sweeps the sky with two fields of view, separated by an angle of 106.5 degrees (see http://sci.esa.int/gaia/58214-gaia-scanning-the-sky/). Each of these sweeps takes six hours, the time it takes for Gaia to make one rotation on its spin axis. The spin axis also undergoes a slow precession, so that the slice of sky captured by the two fields of view shifts slightly for each rotation. In this way a map of the distribution of stars and asteroids is built up. Not all regions of the sky are accessible to Gaia at any one time. In particular, as indicated in the opening sequence, there are two large cones of exclusion (with boundaries indicated by the dashed lines) where Gaia never observes (see http://sci.esa.int/gaia/58710-asteroid-search-region/). One cone includes the direction of the Sun (represented by the large white dot), and the other is directly opposite. As Gaia orbits the Sun, these cones sweep across new regions of the sky and the previously excluded regions can be observed. Eventually the entire sky is covered. In this visualisation, asteroids detected during a six-hour scan are marked yellow, turning blue when the next scan begins. As time progresses the impressive accumulation of detected asteroids can be clearly seen and the main asteroid belt, located between Mars and Jupiter, emerges.Asteroids can be detected more than once, as they may be detected during several scans. Most of the asteroids depicted here are detected ten or more times in the period covered by this visualisation. In the time between detections, a given asteroid moves through the Solar System and is detected at a different position each time. Although none of the asteroids depicted here are newly discovered, mapping known asteroids in this way is very valuable. By doing so, the mission plays an important role in contributing to our understanding of the physical and dynamical characteristics of asteroid populations. In particular, the precise measurement of each position provided by Gaia helps astronomers to refine their models of asteroid orbits.The time stamp in the upper left of the animation shows the progression of time; the counter shows the accumulated number of asteroids detected at that time. As time passes, the sample approaches completeness and the rate of detection decreases. The view on the left is a projection of the asteroid positions on the ecliptic plane – the plane of Earth's orbit around the Sun. On the right, the view is side-on. Both views are from the perspective of an observer following Gaia along its path around the Sun and thus Gaia appears to remain in one place. The transition at the beginning of the animation from the Gaia ecliptic pole scanning law (EPSL), which was used for the first 28 days of commissioning, to the nominal scanning law (NSL) which was used subsequently (see https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/gaia/iow_20140602), can be discerned from the emerging pattern of detections.The animation was made by P. Tanga, Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur, France.Credit: ESA/Gaia/DPACVideo downloads available at http://sci.esa.int/gaia/59821-selected-asteroids-detected-by-gaia-between-august-2014-and-may-2016See also: Asteroids all aroundhttps://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/gaia/iow_20150731Gaia reveals the composition of asteroidshttps://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/gaia/iow_20170424Follow-up network for Solar System Objectshttps://gaiafunsso.imcce.fr/DPAC consortium:https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/gaia/dpac/consortium
Gaia: How to find a star cluster ESA Science Hub 2017-11-15 | It's the perfect meeting of old and new. Astronomers have combined recent data from ESA's Gaia mission with a simple analysis technique from the 18th century to discover a massive star cluster that had previously escaped detection. Subsequent investigations are helping to reveal the star-forming history of our Galaxy, the Milky Way.For more about this story see: How do you find a star cluster? Easy, simply count the stars at http://sci.esa.int/gaia/how-to-find-a-star-cluster
Herschel: galaxy evolution ESA Science Hub 2017-09-20 | Delving deep into the history of our cosmos, the Herschel Space Observatory scrutinised hundreds of thousands of star-forming galaxies, peering back in time to when the Universe was less than one billion years old. These observations probed the peak epoch of stellar production, about ten billion years ago, when galaxies were forming stars roughly ten times faster than their present counterparts.Full story: Herschel's chronicles of galaxy evolutionhttp://sci.esa.int/herschel/59495-herschel-s-chronicles-of-galaxy-evolutionCredit: ESA/Herschel/NASA/JPL-Caltech; acknowledgement: T. Pyle & R. Hurt (JPL-Caltech); Galaxy formation simulation courtesy of Illustris Collaboration; Big Bang Timeline art courtesy of Rhys Taylor/rhysy.netMore information about this video can be found at http://sci.esa.int/herschel/59547-herschel-galaxy-evolution/
Herschel: water ESA Science Hub 2017-09-19 | During almost four years of observing the cosmos, the Herschel Space Observatory traced out the presence of water. With its unprecedented sensitivity and spectral resolution at key wavelengths, Herschel revealed this crucial molecule in star-forming molecular clouds, detected it for the first time in the seeds of future stars and planets, and identified the delivery of water from interplanetary debris to planets in our Solar System.Full story: The cosmic water trail uncovered by Herschelhttp://sci.esa.int/herschel/59494-the-cosmic-water-trail-uncovered-by-herschel/Credit: ESA/Herschel/NASA/JPL-Caltech; acknowledgement: T. Pyle & R. Hurt (JPL-Caltech)More information about this video can be found at http://sci.esa.int/herschel/59544-herschel-water/
Herschel: star formation ESA Science Hub 2017-09-18 | Surveying the sky for almost four years to observe the glow of cold cosmic dust embedded in interstellar clouds of gas, the Herschel Space Observatory has provided astronomers with an unprecedented glimpse into the stellar cradles of our Galaxy. As a result, giant strides have been taken in our understanding of the physical processes that lead to the birth of stars and their planetary systems.Full story: How Herschel unlocked the secrets of star formationhttp://sci.esa.int/herschel/59493-how-herschel-unlocked-the-secrets-of-star-formationCredit: ESA/Herschel/NASA/JPL-Caltech; acknowledgement: T. Pyle & R. Hurt (JPL-Caltech)More information about this video can be found at http://sci.esa.int/herschel/59541-herschel-unlocking-the-secrets-of-star-formation/
Celebrate ESAs Herschel Space Observatory – 18-22 September 2017 ESA Science Hub 2017-09-14 | Herschel Week 18-22 September 2017 http://sci.esa.int/herschel-week Join us during the week for new articles, images, and videos as we celebrate the achievements and legacy of the Herschel Space Observatory. More information about this video can be found at http://sci.esa.int/herschel/59510-herschel-week/
ESA Star Mapper demo ESA Science Hub 2017-09-07 | The ESA Star Mapper visualisation is an exploration of some central aspects of astrometric star catalogues, using data from ESA's Hipparcos mission.Star Mapper can be accessed at http://sci.esa.int/star-mapper. Further details can be found at http://sci.esa.int/hipparcos/58154-star-mapperESA's Star Mapper visualisation was developed for the European Space Agency by Jan Willem Tulp (TULP interactive) with support from Jos de Bruijne (ESA), Karen O'Flaherty (EJR-Quartz for ESA) and Claudia Mignone (Vitrociset Belgium for ESA).Video credit: ESA/Science OfficeMore information about this video can be found at http://sci.esa.int/hipparcos/59486-esa-star-mapper-visualisation-demo
