Space agency starts to unfold atlas of 1 billion stars in 3D
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If space is the final frontier, it will help to have an accurate map, and the European Space Agency says its mission to chart more than 1 billion stars in the Milky Way is on track for completion in a year's time.
The agency released the first data Wednesday from its ongoing effort to draw the biggest and most precise three-dimensional map of our galaxy.
Mission manager Fred Jansen told a news conference in Madrid that he is "extremely happy" with the precision of the data gathered so far. It is being distributed among scientists for analysis.
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At the heart of the five-year mission is the 10-meter (33-foot)-wide Gaia spacecraft, which resembles a barrel sitting on a saucer. It carries two telescopes and is orbiting slowly around the sun.