Understanding the Galaxy
Abstract
This general overview of our understanding of the Galaxy followed the lines of its main structures (halo, disc, bulge/bar) and emphasized some time-domain astronomy contributions. On the one hand the distance and tangential motions of the stars are essential to that understanding, and are obtained through multi-epoch surveys. On the other hand the chemistry of the stars and their radial velocities are also key elements for mapping the Galactic (sub-)structures, and unravelling their history and evolution. Contemporary surveys are revolutionizing our view of the Milky Way and of galaxies in general. Among those, the Gaia mission excels through its precise astrometry of 1.3 billion stars that populate the Milky Way and beyond, providing the first 3-D view of a major part of the Milky Way.
- Publication:
-
Southern Horizons in Time-Domain Astronomy
- Pub Date:
- August 2019
- DOI:
- 10.1017/S174392131800220X
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1803.10245
- Bibcode:
- 2019IAUS..339...50E
- Keywords:
-
- Galaxy: general;
- Galaxy: structure;
- Galaxy: stellar content;
- Galaxy: evolution;
- stars: general;
- stars: variables;
- surveys;
- astrometry;
- Astrophysics - Astrophysics of Galaxies
- E-Print:
- 6 pages, 1 figure, proceedings of the IAU Symposium 339 Southern Horizons in Time-Domain Astronomy, 13-17 November 2017, Stellenbosch, South Africa