One billion eyes for one billion stars
From 1 to 5 December the historic building of the UB discloses the progress of Gaia space mission
On the anniversary of the Gaia satellite launch and the celebration of the International Congress "The Milky Way Unravelled by Gaia" the historical building of the University of Barcelona (Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes 685, Barcelona) hosts two outreach activities both to students and the general public.
Gaia is a cornerstone mission of the European Space Agency of this decade. Its objective is to clarify the origin and evolution of our Galaxy. For that purpose, Gaia will obtain a very precise 3D map of about a thousand million stars. Thanks to this mission we will be able to answer questions about the formation of the Galaxy, its shape and structure, the role of the dark matter in the Universe or how the stars evolve among many others.
Exhibition Gaia: One billion eyes for one billion stars
The exhibition will be located on the ground floor of the science courtyard of the UB historic building throughout the week of 1 to 5 December 2014. Guided tours in small groups (8-10 people) will be offered on the following days:
- Tuesday, December 2, between 1PM and 2 PM
- Tuesday, December 2, between 6 PM and 7:30 PM
- Thursday, December 4, between 1 PM and 2 PM
Tours can be in Catalan, Castilian or English.
Further information and reservations: divulgacio@am.ub.es
Conference: Gaia and the Galactic odyssey
On December 2 at 7:30 PM, the UB Paranimf will host the talk Gaia and galactic odyssey by teachers and engineers of the department of Astronomy and Meteorology of the University of Barcelona who have been working on this mission fot the last 15 years.
The App 'Gaia Mission'
Gaia Mission is the app created by UB experts that enables to track the progress of Gaia, a satellite of the European Space Agency (ESA) which is mapping one billion stars during five years in order to create the largest, most precise 3D map of our Galaxy ever made.
Beautiful images, interactive diagrams, and videos of the satellite explain many aspects of this cornerstone mission, which will revolutionize future astrophysics thanks to the unprecedented accuracy of its astrometric observations. The app has interactive diagrams of the spacecraft and payload that can be moved 360˚, letting you explore inside the satellite.
You can download the free mobile application Gaia Mission here: iPhone / Android
Further information: Exposició Gaia/ divulgacio@am.ub.es