Gaia reveals Milky Way's side view with stunning new star map

What would our galaxy (Milky Way) look like from the side? We cannot take actual photos because we are inside the galaxy. However, a map was created using position data of billions of stars from the European Space Agency (ESA) mission Gaia. This illustration shows that, like many other spiral galaxies, our galaxy also has a very thin central disk. All the stars we see in the night sky, including Taeyang, are located within this disk. It is quite surprising that this disk curves at its outer edge. The colors of this curved central band mainly come from dark dust, bright blue stars, and red emission nebulae. The Gaia spacecraft completed its mission successfully and ceased operations in March. Data analysis is still underway.