Which European Space Agency mission has advanced the 3D mapping of extinction and measured Diffuse Interstellar Bands (DIBs)?
Answer
Gaia mission
Mapping the complex structure of the Interstellar Medium, particularly the distribution of absorbing material across the Milky Way, has been greatly aided by specific space-based instruments. The European Space Agency’s Gaia mission has been instrumental in this effort. Gaia precisely measures the distance and color of hundreds of millions of stars, which allows astronomers to create a detailed, three-dimensional map of extinction caused by intervening dust clouds. Furthermore, Gaia has provided measurements of Diffuse Interstellar Bands (DIBs), which are specific absorption features believed to originate from organic molecules existing within the ISM along the line of sight to those stars.
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