The first images from the European probe “Euclid” provide a detailed insight into space. “Never before has a telescope been able to capture such razor-sharp astronomical images over such a large part of the sky and look so far into the distant universe,” the European space agency Esa said on Tuesday.
She showed the first images of the probe at the European Space Flight Control Center in Darmstadt and at the space summit in Seville. It is intended to collect data on billions of galaxies, including for research into dark matter and dark energy.
The images show the Perseus cluster in the constellation Perseus. According to Esa, the image is a “revolution for astronomy”. It shows 1,000 galaxies in the cluster and more than 100,000 more distant galaxies in the background. Many of these faint galaxies have not been seen before. “Euclid” also captured an image of the famous Horsehead Nebula.
“We have never seen such astronomical images, with so many details,” Esa quoted “Euclid” scientist René Laureijs as saying. “They are even more beautiful and sharper than we could have hoped, and show us many previously unseen elements in well-known regions of the nearby universe.”
Telescope with two cameras
The “Euclid” probe was launched into space at the beginning of July. The centerpiece is a high-resolution telescope equipped with two cameras – one for the visible wavelength range and one for the near-infrared range. They are intended to depict the movements and shapes of galaxies or help to determine the distance of galaxies.
Esa wants to take a look into the past of the universe and research its development over the last ten billion years. In total, data on billions of galaxies will be collected and a 3D map of space will be created with time as a component.
“These exquisite Euclid images show that the mission is ready to help provide answers to one of the greatest mysteries in modern physics,” said ESA Science Director Carole Mundell.
Dark matter and dark energy together make up an extremely large portion of the universe. All other known components such as galaxies only make up around five percent. So far, researchers know little about the two variables. According to ESA, “Euclid” will record the shape, position and movement of galaxies in detail. This could provide information about how matter in space is distributed over huge distances and how the expansion of the universe has developed over the course of cosmic history. From this, astronomers hope to be able to draw conclusions about the properties of dark energy and dark matter.
