The variable Universe through the eyes of Gaia

TL;DR

The Gaia mission will create a comprehensive multi-epoch database of a billion objects, enabling advanced analysis of variable objects like stars and asteroids through innovative data processing and classification techniques.

Contribution

This paper discusses Gaia's properties and presents methods for analyzing and classifying variable objects using multi-band data and PCA techniques, preparing for data releases.

Findings

Effective multi-band PCA analysis of Gaia data

Successful classification of variability types

Preparation for data release to scientific community

Abstract

The ESA Gaia mission will provide a multi-epoch database for a billion of objects, including variable objects that comprise stars, active galactic nuclei and asteroids. We highlight a few of Gaia's properties that will benefit the study of variable objects, and illustrate with two examples the work being done in the preparation of the data processing and object characterization. The first example relates to the analysis of the nearly simultaneous multi-band data of Gaia with the Principal Component Analysis techniques, and the second example concerns the classification of Gaia time series into variability types. The results of the ground-based processing of Gaia's variable objects data will be made available to the scientific community through the intermediate and final ESA releases throughout the mission.