Proper Motion Research Articles

RADIO PROPER MOTIONS OF THE NEARBY ULTRA-COOL DWARF BINARY VHS 1256−1257AB

The proper motions of a source obtained at different epochs or in different spectral regions should in principle be consistent. However, in the case of a binary source or a source with associated ejecta, they could be different depending on the epochs when the observations were made and on what emission is traced in each spectral region. In this paper we determine the radio proper motions of the ultra-cool dwarf binary VHS 1256−1257AB from Very Large Array (VLA) observations, that we find are consistent within error (≃2 - 3%) with those reported by Gaia DR3. The comparison of the proper motions and the analysis of the VLA data imply that, as in the optical, the radio emission is coming in comparable amounts from both components of the unresolved binary.

Membership determination in open clusters using the DBSCAN Clustering Algorithm

In this paper, we apply the machine learning clustering algorithm Density Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise (DBSCAN) to study the membership of stars in twelve open clusters (NGC 2264, NGC 2682, NGC 2244, NGC 3293, NGC 6913, NGC 7142, IC 1805, NGC 6231, NGC 2243, NGC 6451, NGC 6005 and NGC 6583) based on Gaia DR3 Data. This sample of clusters spans a variety of parameters like age, metallicity, distance, extinction and a wide parameter space in proper motions and parallaxes. We obtain reliable cluster members using DBSCAN as faint as G∼20 mag and also in the outer regions of clusters. With our revised membership list, we plot color-magnitude diagrams and we obtain cluster parameters for our sample using ASteCA and compare it with the catalog values. We also validate our membership sample by spectroscopic data from APOGEE and GALAH for the available data. This paper demonstrates the effectiveness of DBSCAN in membership determination of clusters.

Where do they come from?

Globular clusters (GCs), as old as our Galaxy, constantly lose their members to the field as they cross through the Milky Way (MW). These escaped GC stars (or escapees) are thought to contribute significantly to the MW halo. If a star left the host GC a long time ago, chemical finger prints (e.g., N enrichment) may reveal its origin. In this work we aim to establish dynamical connections between N-rich field stars recently identified by LAMOST and the existing MW GCs. By constructing the full action distribution in combination with metallicity, we found 29 potential GC progenitors for 15 N-rich field stars. In particular, some of them may be related to MW accretion events. On the other hand, if a star has recently left its host GC via tidal evaporation, it still maintains the kinematic properties of the cluster. Here we identify extra-tidal candidates based on their spatial locations, proper motions (PMs), and their positions on color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs). We successfully identified more than 1600 extra-tidal candidates in the vicinity of six Gaia-Enceladus (GE)-related GCs: NGC 1851, NGC 1904, NGC 6205, NGC 6341, NGC 6779, NGC 7089. The density map of the extra-tidal candidates is confirmed to be an efficient way to find extra-tidal structures. The two possible density peaks at opposite sides of the inner boundary is a good indicator for a long stellar stream. Among 95 extra-tidal candidates with spectroscopic radial velocities and metallicity, 54 of them are confirmed to be GC escaped stars as they share similar properties to host GCs. These extra-tidal candidates are ideal targets for follow-up spectroscopic observation as it greatly improves the scientific outcome. Once a statistically significant number of spectroscopic radial velocities and metallicities are available, the GC dynamical evolution (e.g., mass loss, rotation) can be carefully investigated.

CatNorth: An Improved Gaia DR3 Quasar Candidate Catalog with Pan-STARRS1 and CatWISE

A complete and pure sample of quasars with accurate redshifts is crucial for quasar studies and cosmology. In this paper, we present CatNorth, an improved Gaia Data Release 3 (Gaia DR3) quasar candidate catalog with more than 1.5 million sources in the 3π sky built with data from Gaia, Pan-STARRS1, and CatWISE2020. The XGBoost algorithm is used to reclassify the original Gaia DR3 quasar candidates as stars, galaxies, and quasars. To construct training/validation data sets for the classification, we carefully built two different master stellar samples in addition to the spectroscopic galaxy and quasar samples. An ensemble classification model is obtained by averaging two XGBoost classifiers trained with different master stellar samples. Using a probability threshold of p QSO_mean > 0.95 in our ensemble classification model and an additional cut on the logarithmic probability density of zero proper motion, we retrieved 1,545,514 reliable quasar candidates from the parent Gaia DR3 quasar candidate catalog. We provide photometric redshifts for all candidates with an ensemble regression model. For a subset of 89,100 candidates, accurate spectroscopic redshifts are estimated with the convolutional neural network from the Gaia BP/RP spectra. The CatNorth catalog has a high purity of ∼90%, while maintaining high completeness, which is an ideal sample to understand the quasar population and its statistical properties. The CatNorth catalog is used as the main source of input catalog for the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope phase III quasar survey, which is expected to build a highly complete sample of bright quasars with i < 19.5.

Multifrequency Very Long Baseline Interferometry Imaging of the Subparsec-scale Jet in the Sombrero Galaxy (M104)

We report multifrequency and multiepoch very long baseline interferometry studies of the subparsec jet in the Sombrero galaxy (M104, NGC 4594). Using Very Long Baseline Array data at 12, 22, 44, and 88 GHz, we study the kinematics of the jet and the properties of the compact core. The subparsec jet is clearly detected at 12 and 22 GHz, and the inner jet base is resolved down to ∼70 Schwarzschild radii (R s) at 44 GHz. The proper motions of the jet are measured with apparent subrelativistic speeds of 0.20 ± 0.08c and 0.05 ± 0.02c for the approaching and the receding jet, respectively. Based on the apparent speed and jet-to-counterjet brightness ratio, we estimate the jet viewing angle to be larger than ∼37°, and the intrinsic speed to be between ∼0.10c and 0.40c. Their joint probability distribution suggests the most probable values of the viewing angle and intrinsic speed to be 66°−6°+4° and 0.19 ± 0.04c, respectively. We also find that the measured brightness temperatures of the core at 12, 22, and 44 GHz are close to the equipartition brightness temperature, indicating that the energy density of the radiating particles is comparable to the energy density of the magnetic field in the subparsec jet region. Interestingly, the measured core size at 88 GHz (∼25 ± 5 R s) deviates from the expected frequency dependence seen at lower frequencies. This may indicate a different origin for the millimeter emission, which can be explained by an advection-dominated accretion flow (ADAF) model. This model further predicts that at 230 and 340 GHz, the ADAF may dominate the radio emission over the jet.

Identification of the optical emission detected by Gaia with radio structures in parsec-scale active galactic nucleus jets

Aims. We investigated the location of the optical emission with respect to the parsec-scale radio structure and attempted to identify whether the optical centroid is coincident with the radio core or a radio component of the jet. Methods. We used optical Gaia DR3 and 8 GHz ICRF3 positions and a model fitting of 15 GHz imaging by the MOJAVE VLBA survey for 422 sources, mostly blazars. We searched for possible associations between optical centroids and radio components. We also compared the astrometric and photometric properties of each category, looked for trends between the various source parameters, and discussed possible biases. Results. Sources can be separated into four categories based on whether their optical centroid (i) falls onto the radio core (category C), (ii) lies close to the base of the jet (category B), (iii) coincides with a radio component downstream in the jet (category J), or (iv) is not found to coincide with a detected radio component (category O). Due to a number of random and systematic errors, the number of sources falling into each category remains approximate but close to 32%, 36%, 22%, and 10%, respectively. The family of quasars, mostly flat spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs), clearly dominates the C and B categories, with their percentage decreasing from categories C to O. Conversely, the family of BL Lacs is spread over the four classes and dominates the category O. Radio galaxies are mainly in classes O and J, and the radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 all belong to class C. An individual analysis of O sources shows that, despite the absence of a direct association with a specific radio component, the optical Gaia centroid is globally related to the radio VLBI jet structure. Conclusions. Our study shows that the spatial distribution of the optical counterparts seen by Gaia below the 0.2-arcsec scale around the radio cores appears in the vast majority of cases to be related to the AGN core or to its jet, with most of them located downstream in the jet. Those associated to the core also exhibit a bluer color index, suggesting a possible contribution of the accretion disk to the optical emission, while those associated to a radio knot in the jet appear redder and tend on average to be found in more polarized radio sources. Most BL Lacs have their optical emission coincident with the jet base or a knot in the jet, while sources with an optical emission on or close to the radio core are mostly FSRQs. Radio components associated with the optical centroid at the jet base or along the jet are mainly stationary or quasi-stationary features, with low apparent MOJAVE velocities. There are indications that the apparent proper motion of the Gaia centroids may be higher than the speed of the associated radio components, but the significance of this trend requires further investigation.

A New Tidal Stream Discovered in Gaia DR3

Thanks to the precise astrometric measurements of proper motions by the Gaia mission, a new tidal stellar stream has been discovered in the northern hemisphere. The distribution of star count shows that the stream is approximately 80° long and 1.°70 wide. Observations of 21 member stars, including 14 RR Lyrae stars, indicate that the stream has an eccentric and retrograde orbit with e = 0.58. The low metallicity, high total energy, and large angular momentum suggest that it is associated with the merging event Sequoia. This discovery suggests the possibility of finding more substructures with high eccentricity orbits, even in the inner halo.

COMPACT RADIO SOURCES IN THE FIELD OF TYCHO'S SUPERNOVA REMNANT

We present sensitive, high angular resolution Jansky Very Large Array observations made in 2014 at 1.50 GHz toward the field of Tycho's supernova remnant. We detect a total of 36 compact sources in a field with radius of 13 arcmin. This number is consistent with the expected number of background sources. We use older observations made with the classic Very Large Array to compare with the 2014 observations and search for sources showing large proper motions that could be related to the donor companion of the exploding white dwarf that produced the supernova in 1572. The comparison of the positions for the two sets of observations does not show sources with large proper motions and supports the conclusion that all sources detected are extragalactic and unrelated to the supernova field.

Observed kinematics of the Milky Way nuclear stellar disk region

Context. The nuclear region of the Milky Way, within approximately −1° &lt; l &lt; +1° and −0.3° &lt; b &lt; +0.3° (i.e., |l|&lt; 150 pc, |b|&lt; 45 pc), is believed to host a nuclear stellar disk, co-spatial with the gaseous central molecular zone. Previous kinematical studies detected faster rotation for the stars belonging to the nuclear stellar disk, compared to the surrounding regions. Aims. We analyze the rotation velocity of stars at the nuclear stellar disk, and compare them with its analog in a few control fields just outside this region. We limit our analysis to stars in the red clump of the color magnitude diagram, in order to be able to relate their mean de-reddened luminosity with distance along the line of sight. Methods. We used a proper motion catalog, obtained from point spread function photometry on VISTA variables in the Vía Láctea images, to construct maps of the transverse velocity for these stars. We complemented our analysis with radial velocities from the 17th data release of the APOGEE survey. Results. We find that the main difference between the nuclear stellar disk region and its surroundings is that at the former we see only stars moving eastward, which we believe are located in front of the Galactic center. On the contrary, in every other direction, we see the brightest red clump stars moving eastward, and the faintest ones moving westward, as expected for a rotating disk. We interpret these observations as being produced by the central molecular zone, hiding stars behind itself. What we observe is compatible with being produced by just the absence of the component at the back, without requiring the presence of a cold, fast rotating disk. This component is also not clearly detected in the newest release of the APOGEE catalog. In other words, we find no clear signature of the nuclear stellar disk as a distinct kinematical component. Conclusions. This work highlights the need for nearby control fields when attempting to characterize the properties of the nuclear stellar disk, as the different systematics affecting this region, compared to nearby ones, might introduce spurious results. Deep, wide field and high resolution photometry of the inner 4 deg of the Milky Way is needed in order to understand the structure and kinematics of this very unique region of our Galaxy.

All-sky Guide Star Catalog for CSST

The China Space Station Telescope (CSST) is a two-meter space telescope with multiple back-end instruments. The Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS) is an essential subsystem of the CSST Precision Image Stability System to ensure the required absolute pointing accuracy and line-of-sight stabilization. In this study, we construct the Main Guide Star Catalog for FGS. To accomplish this, we utilize the information about the FGS and object information from the Gaia Data Release 3. We provide an FGS instrument magnitude and exclude variables, binaries, and high proper motion stars from the catalog to ensure uniform FGS guidance capabilities. Subsequently, we generate a HEALPix index, which provides a hierarchical tessellation of the celestial sphere, and employ the Voronoi algorithm to achieve a homogeneous distribution of stars across the catalog. This distribution ensures adequate coverage and sampling of the sky. The performance of the CSST guide star catalog was assessed by simulating the field of view of the FGS according to the CSST mock survey strategy catalog. The analysis of the results indicates that this catalog provides adequate coverage and accuracy. The catalog's performance meets the FGS requirements, ensuring the functioning of the FGS and its guidance capabilities.

FORECASTOR. I. Finding Optics Requirements and Exposure Times for the Cosmological Advanced Survey Telescope for Optical and UV Research Mission

The Cosmological Advanced Survey Telescope for Optical and ultraviolet Research (CASTOR) is a proposed Canadian-led 1 m class space telescope that will carry out ultraviolet and blue optical wide-field imaging, spectroscopy, and photometry. CASTOR will provide an essential bridge in the post-Hubble era, preventing a protracted UV-optical gap in space astronomy and enabling an enormous range of discovery opportunities from the solar system to the nature of the cosmos, in conjunction with the other great wide-field observatories of the next decade (e.g., Euclid, Roman, Vera Rubin). FORECASTOR (Finding Optics Requirements and Exposure times for CASTOR) will supply a coordinated suite of mission-planning tools that will serve as the one-stop shop for proposal preparation, data reduction, and analysis for the CASTOR mission. We present the first of these tools: a pixel-based, user-friendly, extensible, multi-mission exposure time calculator built in Python, including a modern browser-based graphical user interface that updates in real time. We then provide several illustrative examples of FORECASTOR’s use that advance the design of planned legacy surveys for the CASTOR mission: a search for the most massive white dwarfs in the Magellanic Clouds, a study of the frequency of flaring activity in M stars and their distribution and impacts on habitability of exoplanets, mapping the proper motions of faint stars in the Milky Way, wide and deep galaxy surveys, and time-domain studies of active galactic nuclei.

Hand-Centric Motion Refinement for 3D Hand-Object Interaction via Hierarchical Spatial-Temporal Modeling

Hands are the main medium when people interact with the world. Generating proper 3D motion for hand-object interaction is vital for applications such as virtual reality and robotics. Although grasp tracking or object manipulation synthesis can produce coarse hand motion, this kind of motion is inevitably noisy and full of jitter. To address this problem, we propose a data-driven method for coarse motion refinement. First, we design a hand-centric representation to describe the dynamic spatial-temporal relation between hands and objects. Compared to the object-centric representation, our hand-centric representation is straightforward and does not require an ambiguous projection process that converts object-based prediction into hand motion. Second, to capture the dynamic clues of hand-object interaction, we propose a new architecture that models the spatial and temporal structure in a hierarchical manner. Extensive experiments demonstrate that our method outperforms previous methods by a noticeable margin.

Discoveries and timing of pulsars in M62

ABSTRACT Using MeerKAT, we have discovered three new millisecond pulsars (MSPs) in the bulge globular cluster M62: M62H, M62I, and M62J. All three are in binary systems, which means all ten known pulsars in the cluster are in binaries. M62H has a planetary-mass companion with a median mass Mc, med ∼ 3 MJ and a mean density of ρ ∼ 11 g cm−3. M62I has an orbital period of 0.51 d and a Mc, med ∼ 0.15 M⊙. Neither of these low-mass systems exhibit eclipses. M62J has only been detected in the two Ultra High Frequency band (816 MHz) observations with a flux density S816 = 0.08 mJy. The non-detection in the L-band (1284 MHz) indicates it has a relatively steep spectrum (β &amp;lt; −3.1). We also present 23-yr-long timing solutions obtained using data from the Parkes ‘Murriyang’, Effelsberg, and MeerKAT telescopes for the six previously known pulsars. For all these pulsars, we measured the second spin-period derivatives and the rate of change of orbital period caused by the gravitational field of the cluster, and their proper motions. From these measurements, we conclude that the pulsars’ maximum accelerations are consistent with the maximum cluster acceleration assuming a core-collapsed mass distribution. Studies of the eclipses of the redback M62B and the black widow M62E at four and two different frequency bands, respectively, reveal a frequency dependence with longer and asymmetric eclipses at lower frequencies. The presence of only binary MSPs in this cluster challenges models which suggest that the MSP population of core-collapsed clusters should be dominated by isolated MSPs.

VLBI astrometry of radio stars to link radio and optical celestial reference frames: observing strategies

ABSTRACT The Gaia celestial reference frame (Gaia-CRF) will benefit from a close assessment with independent methods, such as Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) measurements of radio stars at bright magnitudes. However, obtaining full astrometric parameters for each radio star through VLBI measurements demands a significant amount of observation time. This study proposes an efficient observing strategy that acquires double-epoch VLBI positions to measure the positions and proper motions of radio stars at a reduced cost. The solution for CRF link compatible with individual VLBI position measurements is introduced, and the optimized observing epoch scheduling is discussed. Applying this solution to observational data yields results sensitive to sample increase or decrease, yet they remain consistently in line with the literature at the 1σ level. This suggests the potential for improvement with a larger sample size. Simulations show that the double-epoch strategy reduces CRF link parameter uncertainties by over 30 per cent compared to the five-parameter strategy.

The epoch of the Milky Way’s bar formation: dynamical modelling of Mira variables in the nuclear stellar disc

ABSTRACT A key event in the history of the Milky Way is the formation of the bar. This event affects the subsequent structural and dynamical evolution of the entire Galaxy. When the bar formed, gas was likely rapidly funnelled to the centre of the Galaxy settling in a star-forming nuclear disc. The Milky Way bar formation can then be dated by considering the age distribution of the oldest stars in the formed nuclear stellar disc. In this highly obscured and crowded region, reliable age tracers are limited, but bright, high-amplitude Mira variables make useful age indicators as they follow a period–age relation. We fit dynamical models to the proper motions of a sample of Mira variables in the Milky Way’s nuclear stellar disc region. Weak evidence for inside-out growth and both radial and vertical dynamical heating with time of the nuclear stellar disc is presented, suggesting that the nuclear stellar disc is dynamically well-mixed. Furthermore, for Mira variables around a ∼350-d period, there is a clear transition from nuclear stellar disc-dominated kinematics to background bar-bulge-dominated kinematics. Using a Mira variable period–age relation calibrated in the solar neighbourhood, this suggests the nuclear stellar disc formed in a significant burst in star formation $(8\pm 1)\, \mathrm{Gyr}$ ago, although the data are also weakly consistent with a more gradual formation of the nuclear stellar disc at even earlier epochs. This implies a relatively early formation time for the Milky Way bar ($\gtrsim 8\, \mathrm{Gyr}$), which has implications for the growth and state of the young Milky Way and its subsequent history.

Precise Mass Measurement of OGLE-2013-BLG-0132/MOA-2013-BLG-148: A Saturn-mass Planet Orbiting an M Dwarf

We revisit the planetary microlensing event OGLE-2013-BLG-0132/MOA-2013-BLG-148 using Keck adaptive optics imaging in 2013 with NIRC2 and in 2020, 7.4 yr after the event, with OSIRIS. The 2020 observations yield a source and lens separation of 56.91 ± 0.29 mas, which provides us with a precise measurement of the heliocentric proper motion of the event μ rel,hel = 7.695 ± 0.039 mas yr−1. We measured the magnitude of the lens in the K band as K lens = 18.69 ± 0.04. Using these constraints, we refit the microlensing light curve and undertake a full reanalysis of the event parameters including the microlensing parallax π E and the distance to the source D S . We confirm the results obtained in the initial study by Mróz et al. and improve significantly upon the accuracy of the physical parameters. The system is an M dwarf of 0.495 ± 0.054 M ⊙ orbited by a cold, Saturn-mass planet of 0.26 ± 0.028 M Jup at projected separation r ⊥ = 3.14 ± 0.28 au. This work confirms that the planetary system is at a distance of 3.48 ± 0.36 kpc, which places it in the Galactic disk and not the Galactic bulge.

HD\,7977 and its possible influence on Solar System bodies

In the latest Gaia third data release, one can find extremely small proper motion components for the star HD\,7977. This, together with the radial velocity measurement lead to the conclusion that this star passed very close to the Sun in the recent past. Such a very close approach of a one solar mass star must have resulted in noticeable changes in the motion of all Solar System bodies, especially those on less tight orbits, namely long-period comets (LPCs) and transneptunian objects (TNOs). We estimate and discuss these effects. Our current knowledge on the solar neighbourhood found in the latest Gaia catalogues allowed us to perform numerical integrations and prepare a list of potential stellar perturbers of LPCs. We used this list, made available in the StePPeD database. To study the past motion of LPCs under the simultaneous action of the Galactic potential and passing stars, we used precise original cometary orbits taken from the current CODE catalogue. We examined the reliability of the extremely small proper motion of HD\,7977 and conclude that this star can be an unresolved binary; however, according to the astrometry covering more than a century, the current Gaia data cannot be ruled out. We present the parameters of a very close passage of this star near the Sun. We also show examples of the strong influence of this passage on the past motion of some LPCs. We also discuss the possible influence of this perturber on other Solar System bodies. It is possible that 2.47 Myr ago the one solar mass star HD\,7977 passed as close as 1000 au from the Sun. Such an event constitutes a kind of dynamical horizon for all studies of the past Solar System bodies' dynamics.

Improving the light curves of gravitationally lensed quasars with Gaia proper motion data

Aims. We show how to significantly improve difference image analysis (DIA) of gravitationally lensed quasars over long periods of time using Gαία proper motions. Methods. DIA requires the subtraction of a reference image from the individual images of a monitoring campaign, using stars in the field to align the images. Since the proper motion of the stars can be of the same order as the pixel size during a several-year campaign, we use Gaia DR3 proper motions to enable a correct image alignment. The proper motion corrected star positions can be aligned by the ISIS package. DIA is carried out using the HOTPAnTS package. We apply point spread function (PSF) photometry to obtain light curves and add a proper motion correction of the PSF star to GALFIT. Results. We apply our method to the light curves of the three gravitationally lensed quasars HE1104-1805, HE2149-2745 and Q2237+0305 in the R and V band, respectively, obtained using 1 m telescopes of the Las Cumbres Observatory from 2014 to 2022. We show that the image alignment and the determination of the lensed quasar positions is significantly improved by this method. The light curves of individual quasar images display intrinsic quasar variations and are affected by chromatic microlensing.

The treasure behind the haystack: MUSE analysis of five recently discovered globular clusters

Context. After the second data release of Gaia, the number of new globular cluster candidates has increased significantly. However, most of them need to be properly characterised, both spectroscopically and photometrically, by means of radial velocities, metallicities, and deeper photometric observations. Aims. Our goal is to provide an independent confirmation of the cluster nature of Gran 4, a recently discovered globular cluster, with follow-up spectroscopic observations. The derived radial velocity for individual stars, coupled with proper motions, allows us to isolate cluster members from field stars, while the analysis of their spectra allows us to derive metallicities. By including in the analysis the recently confirmed clusters Gran 1, 2, 3, and 5, we aim to completely characterise recently discovered globular clusters. Methods. Using Gaia DR3 and VVV catalogue data and MUSE at VLT observations, we selected cluster members based on their proper motions, radial velocities and their position in colour-magnitude diagrams. Furthermore, full spectral synthesis was performed on the cluster members, extracting surface parameters and metallicity from MUSE spectra. Finally, a completeness estimation was performed on the total globular cluster population of the Milky Way. Results. We confirm the nature of Gran 4, a newly discovered globular cluster behind the Galactic bulge, with a mean radial velocity of RV = −265.28 ± 3.92 km s−1 and a mean metallicity of [Fe/H]= − 1.72 ± 0.32 dex. Additionally, independent measurements of the metallicities were derived for Gran 1, 2, 3, and 5. We also revise the observational lower mass limit for a globular cluster to survive in the bulge and disc environment. We estimate that ∼12 − 26 globular clusters have still to be discovered on the other side of the Galaxy (i.e., behind the bulge, bar and disk), up to 20 kpc.

Quaia, the Gaia-unWISE Quasar Catalog: An All-sky Spectroscopic Quasar Sample

We present a new, all-sky quasar catalog, Quaia, that samples the largest comoving volume of any existing spectroscopic quasar sample. The catalog draws on the 6,649,162 quasar candidates identified by the Gaia mission that have redshift estimates from the space observatory’s low-resolution blue photometer/red photometer spectra. This initial sample is highly homogeneous and complete, but has low purity, and 18% of even the bright (G < 20.0) confirmed quasars have discrepant redshift estimates (∣Δz/(1 + z)∣ > 0.2) compared to those from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). In this work, we combine the Gaia candidates with unWISE infrared data (based on the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer survey) to construct a catalog useful for cosmological and astrophysical quasar studies. We apply cuts based on proper motions and colors, reducing the number of contaminants by approximately four times. We improve the redshifts by training a k-Nearest Neighbor model on SDSS redshifts, and achieve estimates on the G < 20.0 sample with only 6% (10%) catastrophic errors with ∣Δz/(1 + z)∣ > 0.2 (0.1), a reduction of approximately three times (approximately two times) compared to the Gaia redshifts. The final catalog has 1,295,502 quasars with G < 20.5, and 755,850 candidates in an even cleaner G < 20.0 sample, with accompanying rigorous selection function models. We compare Quaia to existing quasar catalogs, showing that its large effective volume makes it a highly competitive sample for cosmological large-scale structure analyses. The catalog is publicly available at 10.5281/zenodo.10403370.