Gaia tracing starry strings in the Milky Way

This simulated video shows ESAs 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 threedimensional 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 c