Gaia: The Astrometry Revolution

TL;DR

Gaia's micro-arcsecond astrometry is revolutionizing Galactic astronomy and planetary system studies, especially in detecting and characterizing young nearby planetary systems through combined astrometry and imaging.

Contribution

This paper highlights the potential of Gaia's high-precision astrometry to advance the understanding of young planetary systems near the Sun, integrating it with direct imaging methods.

Findings

Gaia will significantly improve detection of young planetary systems.

Combined astrometry and imaging enhances characterization accuracy.

Revolutionizes understanding of planetary system formation near the Sun.

Abstract

The power of micro-arcsecond ($\mu$as) astrometry is about to be unleashed. ESA's Gaia mission, now headed towards the end of the first year of routine science operations, will soon fulfil its promise for revolutionary science in countless aspects of Galactic astronomy and astrophysics. The potential of Gaia position measurements for important contributions to the astrophysics of planetary systems is huge. We focus here on the expectations for detection and improved characterization of 'young' planetary systems in the neighborhood of the Sun using a combination of Gaia $\mu$as astrometry and direct imaging techniques.