3D map of star clusters in the Milky Way is ready.

The most accurate 3D map of star-forming regions in the Milky Way has been created, extending out to a distance of 4,000 light-years from us and based on observations of 44 million ordinary stars and 87 very rare young stars (O-type stars) , targeted by the European Space Agency's Gaia mission . The results are published in two articles in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Mapping stellar cradles is very difficult because they are usually hidden from view by thick clouds of gas and dust, the distances to which cannot be measured directly. Gaia can't observe these clouds directly, but it can see how much starlight is blocked by the dust . From this information, it can create 3D maps showing where the dust is located and use these maps to calculate the amount of ionized hydrogen gas present , a telltale sign of star formation .

"This map clearly shows how radiation from massive stars ionizes the surrounding interstellar medium and how dust and gas interact with this radiation," explains Sasha Zeegers, an ESA researcher and interstellar dust expert. "The 3D model provides a detailed look at the processes shaping our local galactic environment and helps astronomers understand the interactions between the hot and cold components of the local Universe."

"It took enormous computing power to generate the high-resolution map out to 'only' 4,000 light-years from the Sun," adds Lewis McCallum, an astronomer at the University of St Andrews (UK) and lead author of the two scientific papers. "We hope the map can be further expanded once Gaia releases its new dataset."