Gaia: unraveling the chemical and dinamical history of our Galaxy
Abstract
The Gaia astrometric mission - the Hipparcos successor - is described in some detail, with its three instruments: the two (spectro)photometers (BP and RP) covering the range 330-1050 nm, the white light (G-band) imager dedicated to astrometry, and the radial velocity spectrometer (RVS) covering the range 847-874 nm at a resolution R 11500. The whole sky will be scanned repeatedly providing data for ~109 point-like objects, down to a magnitude of V 20, aiming to the full 6D reconstruction of the Milky Way kinematical and dinamical structure with unprecendented precision. The horizon of scientific questions that can find an answer with such a set of data is vast, including besides the Galaxy: Solar system studies, stellar astrophysics, exoplanets, supernovae, Local group physics, unresolved galaxies, Quasars, and fundamental physics. The Italian involvement in the mission preparation is briefly outlined.
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