Messier 78
    Messier 78
    Spiral Galaxy NGC 6744
    Spiral Galaxy NGC 6744
    Perseus cluster of galaxies
    Perseus cluster of galaxies
    Spiral galaxy IC 342
    Spiral galaxy IC 342
    Horsehead nebula
    Horsehead nebula
    Irregular galaxy NGC 6822
    Irregular galaxy NGC 6822
    Globular cluster NGC 6397
    Globular cluster NGC 6397
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    Euclid: Exploring the dark universe 

     

    Euclid is a space survey mission dedicated to investigate the origin of the accelerating expansion of the Universe and the nature of dark energy, dark matter and gravity. Euclid will map the geometry of the Universe, and reconstruct the evolution of large scale sctructures over the last 10 billion years. Euclid was approved in 2012 as the second Medium Class mission (M2) in the ESA Cosmic Vision Programme. Euclid was launched on 1 July 2023 with a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral.

    The mission is optimised to measure shapes of galaxies, which are distorted by gravitational deflection of light due to dark matter concentrations, and to measure galaxy clustering, that is the non-random distribution of galaxies in the Universe resulting from the action of gravity. Euclid demands very high precision measurements and the ability to survey the sky at visible and near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths. Such requirements cannot be met from the ground, and calls for a wide-field Visible/NIR space mission. For more information see our SciTech site, and the "red book".

     

     

    Latest News

     

     
    Euclid's Great Cosmic Atlas 15-Oct-2024
    Zoom into the first page of ESA Euclid’s great cosmic atlas
    On 15 October 2024, ESA's Euclid space mission reveals the first piece of its great map of the Universe, showing millions of stars and galaxies.
    This first chunk of the map, which is a huge mosaic of 208 gigapixels, contains 260 observations made between 25 March and 8 April 2024. In just two weeks, Euclid covered 132 square degrees of the Southern Sky in pristine detail, more than 500 times the area of the full Moon.

    Further details on ESA's Science & Exploration portal.
    Access the video

    Weak gravitational lensing 11-Sep-2024
    Weak gravitational lensing: how Euclid maps dark matter
    By making use of Euclid's flagship simulation, this video illustrates how dark-matter filaments subtly alter the shape of galaxies. Light travelling to us from vastly distant galaxies is bent and distorted by concentrations of matter along its way. The effect is called gravitational lensing because matter (both "normal" and dark matter) acts as a kind of magnifying glass.
    Read more

    Euclid Galaxy Zoo 01-Aug-2024
    Euclid Galaxy Zoo – help us classify the shapes of galaxies
    Thanks to a new Galaxy Zoo citizen science project launched today, you can help identify the shapes of thousands of galaxies in images taken by ESA’s Euclid space telescope. These classifications will help scientists answer questions about how the shapes of galaxies have changed over time, and what caused these changes and why.
    Read more

    Euclid satellite 30-May-2024
    New de-icing operation begins
    After the successful ice decontamination procedure performed in March, ESA's Euclid operation team, along with partners in science and industry, has been continuously monitoring the health of Euclid's science instrumentation. As expected, water ice remains inside the cavity where the instruments are hosted.
    Read more

    Euclid's First Science 23-May-2024
    ESA's Euclid celebrates first science with sparkling cosmic views
    Today, ESA's Euclid space mission releases five unprecedented new views of the Universe. The never-before-seen images demonstrate Euclid's ability to unravel the secrets of the cosmos and enable scientists to hunt for rogue planets, use lensed galaxies to study mysterious matter, and explore the evolution of the Universe.
    The new images are part of Euclid's Early Release Observations. They accompany the mission's first scientific data, also made public today, and 10 forthcoming science papers. The treasure trove comes less than a year after the space telescope's launch, and roughly six months after it returned its first full-colour images of the cosmos.
    Read more

    Space Foundation Award 09-Apr-2024:
    Euclid mission team honoured with Space Foundation Award
    The Euclid mission team was awarded this year's Space Achievement Award by the Space Foundation, a non-profit organisation founded in 1983 to foster collaboration across the global space community. ESA Director General, Josef Aschbacher (centre), and ESA Director of Science, Carole Mundell (right), collected the prize at the Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, USA

    Further details on ESA's Space Science portal.
    An image gallery of the event can be accessed here (source: Space Foundation)
     

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