Episode 9 --- How ESA’s GAIA Satellite Is Revolutionizing Our Understanding of the Milky Way

Dutch astronomer Anthony Brown of Leiden University explains how the European Space Agency's GAIA satellite is revolutionizing what we know about the Milky Way.  This all-sky survey mission revisits each target 70 times over the course of the years-long mission to give astronomers a real 3-D map of a large swath of our galaxy.  Highlights include why are Milky Way is warped, the potential origins of our solar system's formation, and why Gaia is important to planet hunters.  The next big data drop is scheduled by year's end.   My apologies to those who listened to an earlier version of this; there was a technical glitch with music interference halfway through which has now been resolved.  Thanks for listening!