Today, ESA’s Euclid space mission reveals an awe-inspiring glimpse of the universe with five unprecedented cosmic images. These remarkable snapshots shed light on the vast potential of Euclid in unraveling the mysteries of the cosmos, from rogue planet detection to exploring dark matter through lensed galaxies, and chronicling the universe’s evolutionary journey.

The new images come from Euclid’s Early Release Observations, coinciding with the public release of its first scientific data and the announcement of ten upcoming science papers. This treasure trove arrives less than a year post-launch and around six months after Euclid delivered its initial full-color cosmic images.

“Euclid is a unique, ground-breaking mission, and these are the first datasets to be made public – it’s an important milestone,” notes Valeria Pettorino, ESA’s Euclid Project Scientist. “The images and associated science findings are impressively diverse in terms of the objects and distances observed. 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. We are looking forward to six more years of data to come!”

The extensive array of early observations targeted 17 astronomical entities ranging from nearby clouds of gas and dust to distant galaxy clusters, laying the groundwork for Euclid’s main survey which seeks to unravel the enigmas of the dark cosmos and shed light on the current state of the universe.

“This space telescope intends to tackle the biggest open questions in cosmology,” adds Valeria. “And these early observations clearly demonstrate that Euclid is more than up to the task.”

Euclid’s primary mission is to trace the hidden web-like structure of the cosmos, map billions of galaxies across more than one-third of the sky, explore the formative history of the universe, and delve into the enigma of its most mysterious components: dark energy and dark matter.

The images obtained by Euclid are at least four times sharper than those from ground-based telescopes. They cover vast regions of the sky at unprecedented depths, allowing us to peer far into the distant universe using both visible and infrared light.

“It’s no exaggeration to say that the results we’re seeing from Euclid are unprecedented,” says ESA Director of Science, Prof. Carole Mundell. “Euclid’s first images, made public in November, clearly highlighted the telescope’s vast potential to explore the dark universe, and this second batch is no different.”

Here are some highlights from Euclid’s latest cosmic views:

• Abell 2390: Euclid’s image of this galaxy cluster reveals more than 50,000 galaxies and showcases a stunning display of gravitational lensing. The resulting giant curved arcs in the image are multiple views of the same distant objects, distorted by the cluster’s massive gravitational field.
• Messier 78: This vibrant star nursery is enveloped in interstellar dust. Euclid’s infrared camera penetrates the dust, revealing hidden star-forming regions and mapping intricate filaments of gas and dust in detail.
• NGC 6744: Captured in its entirety, this spiral galaxy’s image showcases remarkable details, including feather-like lanes of dust emerging from the spiral arms. Scientists are scrutinizing these details to understand the connection between dust, gas, and star formation.
• Abell 2764: This view not only captures the galaxy cluster Abell 2764 but also includes background galaxies, distant clusters, and interacting galaxies. The bright star in the foreground demonstrates Euclid’s capability to minimize light scatter and capture faint celestial objects nearby.
• Dorado Group: Euclid’s image of this galaxy group reveals galaxies evolving and merging, with visible tidal tails and shells resulting from interactions. This dataset is important for studying galaxy evolution and cosmic history.

These visual marvels are not merely beautiful. They unveil new physical properties of the universe, thanks to Euclid’s novel observing capabilities. Detailed scientific findings are explored in several accompanying papers released by the Euclid collaboration, available tomorrow on arXiv.

In just one day, Euclid produced an early catalogue revealing over 11 million objects in visible light and 5 million more in infrared light. This massive dataset is instrumental in advancing our understanding of the universe.

“Euclid exemplifies European excellence in frontier science and modern technology, highlighting the importance of international collaboration,” says ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher. The mission is the culmination of years of effort from scientists, engineers, and industry experts worldwide, all brought together by ESA.