This is the largest map of the Milky Way that was created in history

So far, we have been able to see the effects of the work of various astronomical institutes from around the world several times, which aimed to catalog as many stars as possible. Scientists from the European Space Agency have just made a historic step.

As part of the Gaia project, they managed to catalog as many as 1.7 billion stars! Less than two years ago, it was only 1.1 billion, so the progress is considerable (see here).

The device is located 1.6 million kilometers from our planet, and uses two telescopes and a mirror system for its work. The instruments are able to determine the positions of the stars, their movement, as well as the chemical composition, temperature and brightness.

In the graphic below, you can take a closer look at the amazing effects of the work of ESA scientists, which were presented at the ILA Berlin Show. Astronomers have made this determination very meaningfully: "This is the best representation of the Milky Way in the history of mankind. Looking at this map, we can finally feel at home."

The entire Gaia space probe mission was ESA up to 750 million euros. The probe was launched in 2013 for a five-year sky mapping mission.

Of course, 1.7 billion stars are a lot, but in the space of the Universe the stars are incomparably more. At this point, astronomers have information about more than 2 million of them, and the rest is still a mystery to them.

Researchers, however, announce that the base will be successively enlarged with new finds. Observation of the stars and their cataloging will revolutionize our knowledge of the spatial distribution of these objects and their movement in our galaxy, which will allow us to broaden our knowledge about dark matter.

However, this is not the entire contribution of the Gaia probe to the cosmic space around us. Thanks to it we have learned the exact positions and orbits of 14,000 asteroids that could potentially threaten our planet.