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A short footage showing a three-dimensional star data visualization, from ESA’s robotic Gaia mission.

ESA’s robotic Gaia mission is helping to provide a uniquely modern perspective on humanity’s place in the universe. Gaia orbits the Sun near the Earth and resolves star’s positions so precisely that it can determine a slight shift from its changing vantage point over the course of a year.

Credit: Galaxy illustration: Nick Risinger; Star Data: Gaia, ESA, Toni Sagristà (U. Heidelberg)