The Euclid space telescope recently released new images as part of its Early Release Observations program before it begins its main science operations.
Euclid is studying dark energy and dark matter, collectively known as the “dark universe”, which are hypothesized to make up 95% of the universe. It aims to provide insights into these mysterious components.
Several scientists were asked about their favorite images from Euclid’s releases. They highlighted images that showed galaxy clusters, individual galaxies, nebulae, and other cosmic structures that will help understand dark matter and dark energy.
A cosmologist picked an image of the galaxy cluster Abell 2390 as her favorite because it revealed information about galaxy distributions. An astrophysicist also chose this image for its ability to recover low surface brightness light.
An amateur astronomer who studies local galaxies selected an image of NGC 6822 for its detail, while another of his favorites from the new set was NGC 6744 due to its spiral arm details.
A Columbia University professor commented that the Horsehead Nebula image was gorgeous and showed Euclid’s impressive field of view.
While these are early images, the scientists agreed Euclid’s main science mission over the next 6 years will reveal much more about the mysteries of the dark universe.
Source: Space
