Dr Nicholas A. Walton, Member of ESA Gaia Science Team, Lead of the UK Gaia DPAC project, Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge; Imperial Alumnus 

Gaia is a space observatory of the European Space Agency (ESA), launched in 2013 and expected to operate until c. 2022. The spacecraft is designed for astrometry: measuring the positions, distances and motions of stars with unprecedented precision. The mission aims to construct by far the largest and most precise 3D space catalogue ever made, totalling approximately 1 billion astronomical objects, mainly stars, but also planets, comets, asteroids and quasars, among others.

We hope you enjoyed this live streamed lecture, part of our programme of events for the academic year 2021-22.