Euclid Telescope celebrates its first scientific discoveries with stunning images | The science

Almost a year has passed since the launch of the telescope Euclid, also known as the detective of the dark side of the universe. In its first 11 months of operation, the probe provided full-color images of space that were sharp and capable of covering large areas of the sky and reaching into the distant Universe. Today, the European Space Agency (ESA), responsible for the mission, is releasing five new photographs taken with its instruments. Pictures show power Euclid photograph large structures such as galaxies, nebulae and galaxy clusters at high resolution and speed, covering up to a third of the visible sky. Along with these images, the mission’s first scientific data was released and 10 upcoming scientific papers were announced.

In addition to their stunning beauty, the images reveal new physical properties of the Universe. The full set of observations included 17 astronomical objects, from nearby clouds of gas and dust to distant galaxy clusters. primary goal Euclid is to unlock the mysteries of the dark cosmos and understand how and why the Universe looks the way it does today.

It is estimated that dark matter makes up 25% of the Universe, and visible matter only 5%. The rest is dark energy, a hypothetical entity that causes the Universe to expand faster and faster. To try to find out the nature of this 95% of space, Euclid will observe the distances, shapes and movements of hundreds of billions of galaxies, creating a 3D map of the Universe that will reach objects up to 10 billion light years away.

ESA claims that the images presented are only a small part of what Euclid could be achieved in the next five years and will demonstrate the telescope’s potential to fulfill its mission of creating the most extensive 3D map of the Universe to date to explore its hidden secrets.

Abell 2390, over 50,000 galaxies.

In this photo there is a detective Euclid captured Abell 2390, a cluster containing more than 50,000 galaxies. To photograph them, Euclid uses gravitational lensing, a key technique for exploring the dark universe, indirectly measuring the amount and distribution of dark matter both in galaxy clusters like the one in the image and elsewhere. Scientists are studying how the masses and numbers of galaxy clusters have changed over time, revealing more information about the history and evolution of the Universe.

The cropped image shows light-piercing star clusters separated from their host galaxies and floating in intergalactic space. Observing this light is a specialty of the telescope, and these orphans allow us to determine where dark matter is located.

Messier Nebula 78

A bright stellar nursery shrouded in interstellar dust: the Messier 78 nebula. Euclid allows you to obtain more accurate information about the stars of this object, located in the constellation Orion, and the dust hiding it. Scientists are using the data set to study the number and proportions of stars and smaller objects found here, which is key to understanding the dynamics of stellar population formation and change over time.

NGC 6744, a galaxy similar to the Milky Way.

In this picture, Euclid shows NGC 6744, a galaxy considered one of the most Milky Way-like in our immediate environment. In addition to the spiral structure of the galaxy, Euclid has very clearly imprinted structures that surround it. These include dust trails in the form of plumes that appear as “spurs” from spiral arms. Scientists will use this information to understand how dust and gas are linked to star formation, map the distribution of different stellar populations in galaxies where stars are currently forming, and unravel the physics of the structure of spiral galaxies. is still not fully understood, despite decades of research.

Abel 2764 (and bright star)

Another galaxy cluster: Abell 2764. It contains hundreds of galaxies in a huge halo of dark matter. This full view of Abell 2764 and its surroundings allows scientists to determine the radius of the cluster and see its periphery with distant galaxies still in the frame. In the foreground you can see a very bright star that is located inside our galaxy. When we look at a star through a telescope, its light is scattered as a diffuse halo. Euclid was designed to make this variance as small as possible. As a result, the star causes a slight disturbance, allowing faint, distant galaxies to be imaged close to the line of sight without being blinded by the star’s brightness.

“Golden” group of galaxies

Euclid managed to capture the Dorado group of galaxies, discovered by astronomer James Dunlop in 1826. The image shows evolving and merging galaxies, whose interactions create structures called tidal tails and shells. Thanks to the large field of view and high resolution, Euclid can capture both fine detail (such as star clusters) and larger structures in a single image. Scientists are also looking for globular clusters, which are groups of stars, to better understand their history and dynamics.

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