Gaia Solar System observations

ESA's Gaia data release 3 is providing vital information about the Solar System's asteroid population, which is essential to investigate the origin of our Solar System.

The positions and orbital details of more than 150 000 asteroids will be released, as well as their brightness variations over time, which gives information about their shapes and rotations.

This release will also contain the colour and composition details for 60 000 asteroids, which – together with their orbits – gives precious information about their origin and classification.

Additionally, Gaia observed 31 moons of Solar System planets as well as a number of icy bodies in the Kuiper Belt beyond the orbit of Neptune.