Euclid: ‘Dark explorer’ opens its eyes to the cosmos

A new space telescope launched by the European Space Agency has taken its first images of the sky, showing us a stunning view of stars and galaxies in both visible and infrared light. Euclid is designed to study the nature of dark matter and dark energy, two mysterious phenomena that affect the shape and expansion of the universe. In this article, we will take a look at what Euclid has captured so far, and why it’s so special.

Euclid’s cameras

Euclid is not your ordinary space telescope. It has two powerful cameras that can observe the sky in both visible and infrared light. The visible camera, or VIS, has a resolution of 600 megapixels and a field of view of 0.6 square degrees, which is equivalent to about three times the size of the full moon. The infrared camera, or NISP, has a resolution of 300 megapixels and a field of view of 0.8 square degrees, which is about four times the size of the full moon. Both cameras can cover a wide range of wavelengths, from 0.55 to 2 microns for VIS and from 0.92 to 2 microns for NISP. This means that Euclid can see things that are invisible to our eyes, such as faint stars, dusty galaxies, and distant supernovae.

Testing and calibration

But before Euclid can start its scientific mission, it has to undergo a series of tests and calibrations to make sure that everything is working properly. This is not an easy task, as Euclid is orbiting at a distance of 1.5 million kilometers from Earth, far beyond the reach of any human or robotic repair crew. To ensure the quality and accuracy of the images, Euclid uses several methods and instruments to check its performance. For example, it uses an onboard calibration unit that provides stable light sources for both cameras. It also uses an external calibration source: the moon. By observing the moon at different phases and angles, Euclid can measure its sensitivity, distortion, alignment, and stability.

Sample pictures

The first images that Euclid has taken are part of these tests and calibrations. They are not meant to be scientific data, but they are still impressive and beautiful. They show us a wide vista of stars and galaxies in both visible and infrared light. In the visible image, we can see bright stars with different colors, indicating their temperatures and ages. We can also see some fainter galaxies with different shapes and sizes, some of them distorted by gravitational lensing. In the infrared image, we can see more stars that weren’t visible before, as well as more details in the galaxies. We can also see some features that are hidden by dust in the visible image, such as star-forming regions and supernova remnants.

Future plans

These images are just a glimpse of what Euclid will be able to do once it starts its scientific survey. Euclid will create a 3D map of the large-scale structure of the universe across space and time by observing billions of galaxies out to 10 billion light-years, across more than a third of the sky. Euclid will explore how the universe has expanded and how structure has formed over cosmic history, revealing more about the role of gravity and the nature of dark energy and dark matter. By doing so, Euclid will address some of the most fundamental questions in cosmology: What is the origin and fate of the universe? What are dark matter and dark energy made of? How did galaxies evolve? How did life emerge?

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