Euclid Mission Launches First Cosmic Atlas Image

On a significant day in cosmic exploration, ESA’s Euclid space mission has unveiled the first fragment of a grand cosmic atlas—a marvelous tapestry that captures the elusive dance of billions of stars and galaxies. This artistic piece, which is merely the opening act in a six-year long astronomical symphony, reveals a stunning mosaic comprising 208 gigapixels. Each pixel in this vast expanse is not just a dot on a map; it’s a portal to the universe’s mysteries, chiseled meticulously by the hands of time and gravity.

Captured during a remarkable two-week observational campaign from March 25 to April 8, 2024, this initial image showcases 260 distinct observations that collectively cover 132 square degrees of the Southern Sky—an area over 500 times larger than the full Moon. The precision of this data is akin to peering through a keyhole into an immense universe, where each detail unfolds a story waiting to be told.

To put this achievement in context, this mosaic represents a mere 1% of the total survey that Euclid is set to accomplish during its mission. By observing the shapes, distances, and motions of galaxies extending up to 10 billion light-years away, Euclid aims to carve out the largest three-dimensional map of the cosmos ever created. This monumental effort is not just a technical triumph; it is a leap toward understanding the very fabric of our Universe.

The image, already teeming with around 100 million sources, serves as an exemplary showcase of what lies beyond our familiar horizon. Among these celestial bodies, approximately 14 million galaxies present themselves as beacons of knowledge, capable of unlocking secrets about dark matter and dark energy—two of the most enigmatic and elusive phenomena that govern the cosmos. Valeria Pettorino, Euclid Project Scientist at ESA, beautifully encapsulated this excitement: “This stunning image is the first piece of a map that in six years will reveal more than one third of the sky. That’s just 1% of the map, and yet it is full of a variety of sources that will help scientists discover new ways to describe the Universe.”

The meticulous craftsmanship of Euclid’s sensitive cameras allows us to zoom deep into this mosaic, where we can still decipher the intricate spirals of a distant galaxy, a testament to the power of state-of-the-art astrophysics. As we delve deeper, we uncover fascinating features like the dim clouds interspersed among the stars in our very own Milky Way. These ethereal formations, known as “galactic cirrus,” appear as light blue wisps against the profound black tapestry of space. They represent a blend of gas and dust, reflecting optical light from our galaxy while also revealing their essence in far-infrared light, as observed by ESA’s Planck mission.

The exhilarating journey is just beginning. Since commencing its routine science observations in February, the mission has already completed 12% of its survey. A significant expansion of this mosaic, showcasing 53 square degrees including the Euclid Deep Field areas, is set to be released in March 2025. Furthermore, the first wave of cosmological data from the mission will grace the scientific community in 2026, promising an avalanche of insights and revelations.

Euclid’s mission, launched in July 2023, is a collaborative masterpiece involving over 2000 scientists from 300 institutes across 15 countries, including contributions from NASA. The mission is a medium-class endeavor in ESA’s Cosmic Vision Programme, designed to probe and unravel the mysteries of our universe through its cutting-edge instruments, such as the Near-Infrared Spectrometer and Photometer provided by NASA.

As we stand on the threshold of this cosmic odyssey, we are reminded that each observation made by Euclid adds new layers to our understanding of the Universe. It’s a precious gift from the cosmos, beckoning us to ponder our place within it, and igniting our curiosity to explore the boundless frontiers that lie beyond our reach.