Nov 14, 2022
Gaia Collaboration to receive 2023 Berkeley Prize
Virtual group picture of part of the Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium as taken right before the Gaia Data Release 3 in May 2022 during one of the Gaia DPAC seminars.
The Gaia collaboration, which is responsible for the spacecraft that is currently building the largest and most precise three-dimensional map of our galaxy, will receive this year's Lancelot M. Berkeley − New York Community Trust Prize for Meritorious Work in Astronomy. The prize has been awarded annually by the American Astronomical Society (AAS) since 2011 and includes a cash award and an invitation to deliver the closing plenary lecture at the AAS winter meeting.
Since mid-2014, the European Space Agency's Gaia space telescope has been observing the sky 1.5 million kilometers from Earth, recording extremely precise positions of all celestial objects visible to the satellite. An international team of scientists, with the participation of the Lohrmann Observatory of the TU Dresden, further processes the acquired data to create the most accurate and complete map of our Milky Way.
For this work, the Gaia collaboration is now awarded the Berkeley Prize 2023. The citation for the prize states, "Gaia’s three data releases will long be regarded as major events in the history of astronomy, triggering a global partnership to better understand the origin, structure, and destiny of our home galaxy."
In a statement, AAS vice presidents commented: "The AAS and the New York Community Trust send our gratitude and congratulations to the many hundreds of scientists, engineers, and program/technical/support personnel at the European Space Agency and far beyond for bringing this transformative mission to life. Gaia will forever remain a landmark achievement in humanity’s story of cosmic exploration."
The Berkeley Prize will be accepted on behalf of the Gaia collaboration by Anthony Brown (Leiden Observatory), chair of the DPAC Executive Committee, who will deliver the award lecture on Thursday afternoon, January 12, 2023, at the Seattle Convention Center.
Links
- AAS press release https://aas.org/press/gaia-collaboration-to-receive-2023-berkeley-prize
- ESA press release https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/gaia/news/2022-11-09-gaia-collaboration-to-receive-2023-berkeley-prize
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© Sergei Klioner
Mr Prof. Dr. habil. Sergei A. Klioner
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