Euclid captures NGC 6744, one of the largest spiral galaxies beyond our local patch of space. It’s a ... [+]
A space mission to map the geometry of the universe has sent back five stunning new images.
Launched in July 2023 atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, the $1.6 billion Euclid—named after the famous Greek mathematician—has since been in deep space a million miles from Earth.
Euclid’s Mission
Its mission is to explore the evolution of the universe, study so-called dark matter and hunt for rogue planets that don’t orbit stars. Armed with a 1.2 m diameter telescope, it will observe a few billion galaxies in the distant early universe, mapping around a third of the universe in unique accuracy.
Its images are reckoned to be four times sharper than any ground-based telescope. The images were accompanied by 10 new science papers based upon the data collected so far by Euclid.
Detail And Depth
Part of Euclid’s Early Release Observations—published six months after ita first full-colour images, these five new images include clouds of gas and dust, a beautiful spiral galaxy and distant clusters of galaxies.
“The beauty of Euclid is that it covers large regions of the sky in great detail and depth, and can capture a wide range of different objects all in the same image—from faint to bright, from distant to nearby, from the most massive of galaxy clusters to small planets,” said ESA Director of Science, Prof. Carole Mundell. “We get both a very detailed and very wide view all at once.”
Here are five new images, with a brief description of what each one contains:
This image is a smaller, close-up cutout from a wider frame featuring galaxy cluster Abell 2390. It ... [+]
1. Abell 2390
What is it: cluster of galaxies
Where is it: 2.7 billion light-years distant in the constellation Pegasus.
This breathtaking image features Messier 78 (the central and brightest region), a vibrant nursery of ... [+]
2. Messier 78
What is it: star-forming reflection nebula
Where is it: 1,350 light-years away in the constellation Orion.
Euclid captures NGC 6744, one of the largest spiral galaxies beyond our local patch of space. It’s a ... [+]
3. NGC 6744
What is it: spiral galaxy.
Where is it: 30 million light-years away in the constellation Pavo.
This new view shows the galaxy cluster Abell 2764 (top right), a very dense region of space ... [+]
4. Pandora’s Cluster (Abell 2764)
What is it: cluster of galaxies
Where is it: 4 billion light-years away in the constellation Phoenix.
The Dorado Group of galaxies is one of the richest galaxy groups in the southern hemisphere. Here, ... [+]
5. Dorado Group
What is it: group of galaxies
Where is it: 60 million light-years away in the constellation Dorado.
“This space telescope intends to tackle the biggest open questions in cosmology,” said Valeria Pettorino, ESA’s Euclid Project Scientist. “And these early observations clearly demonstrate that Euclid is more than up to the task.”
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.