European space telescope photos reveal new insights in deep space

James Powel, USA TODAY
·3 min read

The European Space Agency released five new images from the Euclid space telescope last week, showing some of the clearest images of the cosmos captured to date.

The release, along with the first data provided by the space mission, gave researchers insight into the creation of galaxies and how the universe formed. The announcement also comes ahead of 10 scientific papers and the mission's main survey.

"The images and associated science findings are impressively diverse in terms of the objects and distances observed," Valeria Pettorino, ESA’s Euclid Project Scientist, said in a news release. "They include a variety of science applications, and yet represent a mere 24 hours of observations. They give just a hint of what Euclid can do."

The telescope launched just under 11 months ago and delivered its first images six months ago. The mission is scheduled to last another six years, providing scientists with data and observations on galaxies as far away as 10 billion light-years from Earth.

Here are the latest images from the Euclid space telescope and what the ESA said the data reveals.

The Dorado group of galaxies

Handout photo of the Dorado Group of galaxies as captured by the Euclid telescope. The Dorado Group of galaxies is one of the richest galaxy groups in the southern hemisphere.
Handout photo of the Dorado Group of galaxies as captured by the Euclid telescope. The Dorado Group of galaxies is one of the richest galaxy groups in the southern hemisphere.

Here, Euclid captures signs of galaxies evolving and merging 'in action', with beautiful tidal tails and shells visible as a result of ongoing interactions.

European Space Agency

Deep space clues: Researchers discover oldest known black hole that existed not long after the Big Bang

Abell 2764

Handout photo of a new view of the galaxy cluster Abell 2764 as captured by the Euclid telescope. Abell 2764 is a very dense region of space containing hundreds of galaxies orbiting within a halo of dark matter.
Handout photo of a new view of the galaxy cluster Abell 2764 as captured by the Euclid telescope. Abell 2764 is a very dense region of space containing hundreds of galaxies orbiting within a halo of dark matter.

This complete view of Abell 2764 and surroundings – obtained thanks to Euclid’s impressively wide field-of-view – allows scientists to ascertain the radius of the cluster and study its outskirts with faraway galaxies still in frame ... Euclid enables (the ESA) to see these galaxies back when the Universe was only 700 million years old, just 5% of its current age.

ESA

Messier 78

Handout photo of star-forming region Messier 78 as captured by the Euclid telescope. The capture is the first shot of this young star-forming region at this width and depth.
Handout photo of star-forming region Messier 78 as captured by the Euclid telescope. The capture is the first shot of this young star-forming region at this width and depth.

This breathtaking image features Messier 78 (the central and brightest region), a vibrant nursery of star formation enveloped in a shroud of interstellar dust.

ESA

Galaxy NGC 6744

Handout image of spiral galaxy NGC 6744 as captured by the Euclid telescope. NGC 6744 is one of the largest spiral galaxies beyond our local patch of space
Handout image of spiral galaxy NGC 6744 as captured by the Euclid telescope. NGC 6744 is one of the largest spiral galaxies beyond our local patch of space

(NGC 6744 is) a typical example of the type of galaxy currently forming most of the stars in the nearby Universe, making it a wonderful archetype to study with Euclid.

ESA

Aging satellites and astronaut tools: How space junk has become an orbital threat

Abell 2390

Handout photo of galaxy cluster Abell 2390 as captured by the Euclid telescope. More than 50,000 galaxies are seen in the capture.
Handout photo of galaxy cluster Abell 2390 as captured by the Euclid telescope. More than 50,000 galaxies are seen in the capture.

Abell 2390 is a galaxy cluster, a giant conglomeration of many galaxies like the Milky Way. More than 50 000 galaxies are seen here, the distances to which can be measured thanks to these new observations. Such clusters contain huge amounts of mass (up to 10 trillion times that of the Sun), with much of this being in the form of dark matter – a form of matter that we can’t observe directly but is purported to together with dark energy make up the bulk of the contents of the Universe

ESA

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Euclid space telescope: New images give insight into galaxy creation

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories