The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
Go to topicThis computer model of the 511 keV gamma rays coming from the central region of the galaxy matches the asymmetry around the galactic centre. The gamma rays from the galactic centre are symmetrical and the only way to fit the observations was to assume that the asymmetry was caused by gamma rays coming from the inner disc region of the galaxy, not throughout the galaxy. This ties in with the observed distribution of hard low mass X-ray binaries.