Gaia

Using the data collected, it is now possible to determine how far away stars are from us and to track their so-called proper motion – the minute but measurable shift with which stars move across the sky over the years. These movements reveal where stars, asteroids and entire star systems come from and how they evolve.

Live event on 2 December 2026

For the forthcoming fourth major release of Gaia data, five and a half years’ worth of observations have been analysed – more than twice as many as last time. The result: a star catalogue ten times larger than its predecessor, containing measurements for around two billion celestial objects – partly because, for the first time, not only the averaged final results but also the individual measurements for each celestial body are being published.

On 2 December 2026, at 3 pm, scientists from the European Gaia Consortium at the institutes in Heidelberg, Dresden and Potsdam invite you to the Zeiss Großplanetarium to share this journey of discovery with you – with an accessible introduction to this exceptionally successful mission and selected highlights from the new data, presented in the planetarium’s dome. On the same day, similar events will take place at other venues across Europe, and one of the German contributions will be presented in more detail during a live link-up with ESA. Afterwards, you will have the opportunity to chat with the researchers in the foyer.

(in German)

Tickets:

• Free tickets can be booked in advance via ticket@planetarium.berlin or at the ticket office at the Zeiss Grand Planetarium.