Three-dimensional dust mapping of the Milky Way using Gaia (B09)

• Subject Area: Astrophysics and Astronomy
• Term: from 2015 to 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 138713538

Interstellar dust plays an essential role in the life cycle of stars, as well as in absorbing the light we receive from astronomical sources. Inferring the 3-D distribution of this dust in our Galaxy is important for studying both these aspects. Building on work done and published in the first two phases of the SFB, we will extend our non-parametric Bayesian method of mapping dust. More-over, by using optical and infrared photometry, SDSS-V spectroscopy, and Gaia-DR2/DR3 par-allaxes of millions of stars, we will map dust out to several kpc. Our method produces a plausi-ble, continuous distribution even across unobserved lines of sight, useful in many applications.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 881: The Milky Way System
• Applicant Institution: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg
• Project Head: Dr. Coryn A.L. Bailer-Jones