Gaia: Surveying Heavens

Abstract

In this paper we attempt to study an ongoing astrometry mission of the European Space Agency (ESA), named Gaia, whose aim is to make the largest and most precise three-dimensional map of our Galaxy. We present the scientific goals of Gaia and give a brief description of the spacecraft. We also present a preliminary analysis of comparing distance estimates of Be stars from the first Gaia data release, Gaia DR1, and Hipparcos mission. From our analysis, we confirm that Gaia stands out as a promising mission in terms of the distance measurements when compared to Hipparcos, particularly for distances greater than 1 kpc.