Saying Farewell to the Spacecraft That Mapped the Milky Way

This podcast interviews Lee Billings, a senior editor at Scientific American, about the European Space Agency's Gaia spacecraft mission. The interview begins by introducing Gaia's purpose—creating the most accurate map of the Milky Way—and then delves into its achievements, including galactic archaeology findings (like pinpointing the Milky Way's last major merger 10 billion years ago) and the discovery of a new type of black hole. The discussion also covers Gaia's upcoming data releases, which are expected to reveal thousands, potentially tens of thousands, of new exoplanets. Finally, the interview touches upon future missions planned to build upon Gaia's legacy, such as an infrared Gaia mission. The podcast concludes with information on how to locate the Gaia spacecraft in the night sky.