3-D visualisation redefines Milky Way's local architecture

Astronomers have used modern techniques to visualise data from ESA's Hipparcos space astrometry mission in three dimensions. The treatment of the data has offered insights into the distribution of nearby stars and uncovered new groupings of stars in the solar neighbourhood, shedding light on the origins of the stars in Orion and calling into question the existence of the Gould Belt - an iconic ring-shaped structure of stars in the Milky Way. The results show the potential of 3D visualisation of ...