Thanks, Gaia: Astronomers spy Europa blocking distant star – The Bisouv Network – The Bisouv Network

On 31 March 2017, Jupiter’s moon Europa passed in front of a background stara rare event that was captured for the first time by ground-based telescopes thanks to data provided by ESA’s Gaia spacecraft.
Previously, observatories had only managed to watch two of Jupiter’s other moonsIo and Ganymededuring such an event.
Gaia has been operating in space since late 2013. The mission aims to produce a three-dimensional map of our galaxy, and characterise the myriad stars that call the Milky Way home….

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