The newly launched Euclid telescope is making waves with its breathtaking images of the universe, revealing millions of stars and galaxies in an intricate mosaic. This initial release is just a fraction of what the mission aims to achieve, representing the first step in a grand journey to map the cosmos in unprecedented detail.
A Groundbreaking Mission
Launched by the European Space Agency in July 2023, Euclid is on a mission to construct the largest and most accurate 3D map of the universe. The first piece of this expansive puzzle was unveiled on October 15 at the International Astronautical Congress in Milan, showcasing 208 gigapixels from observations made between March 25 and April 8. Despite its vastness, this mosaic only accounts for 1% of the comprehensive survey planned for the coming years, which will eventually cover over a third of the sky.
“This stunning image is the first piece of a map that in six years will reveal more than one third of the sky. This is just 1% of the map, and yet it is full of a variety of sources that will help scientists discover new ways to describe the Universe,” said Valeria Pettorino, Euclid project scientist at the ESA.
Unraveling the Mysteries of Dark Matter and Dark Energy
One of the telescope’s primary objectives is to delve into the enigmas of dark matter and dark energy. Dark matter, which is thought to constitute about 85% of the universe’s total matter, remains elusive, while dark energy is believed to drive the universe’s accelerating expansion.
By observing millions of galaxies, scientists hope Euclid can shed light on the hidden forces that shape the cosmos and influence its expansion rate.
A Wide Perspective of the Cosmos
Euclid boasts an impressive capability to capture a field of view that is 100 times larger than that of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Its sensitive cameras are designed to gather intricate details of numerous celestial objects simultaneously. For instance, the telescope revealed the delicate spiral structure of a galaxy within the cluster Abell 3381, located 470 million light-years from Earth, alongside faint “galactic cirrus” clouds made of gas and dust.
“Euclid has already produced beautiful, high-resolution images of individual objects and groups of objects. This new image finally gives us a taste of the enormity of the area of sky Euclid will cover,” commented Jason Rhodes, US science lead for Euclid and principal investigator for NASA’s Euclid dark energy science team.
Charting the Expanding Universe
The groundbreaking work of astronomers like Georges Lemaître and Edwin Hubble established that the universe has been expanding for 13.8 billion years. However, observations from the 1990s revealed an acceleration in this expansion approximately 6 billion years ago, the cause of which remains a mystery.
Understanding dark energy and dark matter is essential for comprehending the universe’s composition and the evolution of its expansion. The Euclid telescope is poised to observe billions of galaxies stretching 10 billion light-years away, providing insights into how dark energy has influenced the distribution and movement of cosmic structures.
A Treasure Trove of Data
As it conducts its survey, Euclid aims to catalog 1.5 billion galaxies and their constituent stars, generating invaluable data that will include measurements of each galaxy’s mass and the rate of star formation.
“What really strikes me about these new images is the tremendous range in physical scale,” said Mike Seiffert, project scientist at JPL for NASA’s contribution to Euclid. “The images capture detail from clusters of stars near an individual galaxy to some of the largest structures in the universe. We are beginning to see the first hints of what the full Euclid data will look like when it reaches the completion of the prime survey.”
The initial images from Euclid promise a thrilling glimpse into the expansive map it will eventually unveil, offering the potential to redefine our understanding of the universe.
(Includes inputs from online sources.)
ALSO READ: 13 Billion-Year-Old Quasars: Defying The Laws Of Cosmic Growth
