On 13 June 2022, Gaia will release its third full data set (DR3).  The network of telescopes coordinated by the ORP Time Domain Astronomy team plays an important role in providing follow-up observations of Gaia alerts.

Gaia is ESA’s mission to create the most accurate map of the Milky Way. On 13 June 2022, Gaia will release its third full data set (DR3), which includes a total of 1.8 billion Milky Way stars, providing astronomers with an unprecedented view of stellar characteristics and their life cycle, and the galaxy’s structure and evolution. DR3 will also deliver a rich subset of Solar System objects, as well as a collection of extragalactic sources.

Revolutionary data from Gaia are setting astronomical standards in multiple fields. In particular, DR3 will enhance time-domain astronomy – 10 million Galactic variable stars and millions of time-series of stars around Andromeda will be published.

The synergy between the ORP project and Gaia is far-reaching. The network of telescopes coordinated by the ORP Time Domain Astronomy team plays an important role in providing follow-up observations of Gaia alerts. Moreover, ORP's BHTOM plays a key role in collecting crucial observations, which will be used together with the next Gaia data releases.

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Illustration Gaia mapping the stars of the Milky Way: Credit: ESA/ATG medialab; background: ESO/S. Brunier.