Euclid space mission sends first color images to Earth
Published: Tuesday, Nov 7th 2023, 15:30
Updated At: Wednesday, Nov 8th 2023, 00:54
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The Euclid space telescope has sent the first color images from the cosmos to Earth. They show the great potential of the mission, in which Swiss institutions are also involved, as the European Space Agency (ESA) announced on Tuesday.
"It's incredibly exciting to see the first images," said Julian Adamek from the University of Zurich (UZH) to the Keystone-SDA news agency. The researcher has been working on the Euclid mission for over ten years. "It's the first time you can see what the instruments can do."
Never before has a telescope been able to produce such sharp astronomical images over such a large area of the sky, according to the ESA. "They are even more beautiful and sharper than we could have hoped for, showing us many previously unknown features in known areas of the nearby universe. Now we are ready to observe billions of galaxies and study their evolution over cosmic time," the Euclid project scientist was quoted as saying in an ESA statement.
"Will revolutionize cosmology"
The aim of the mission is to create the most comprehensive 3D map of the universe to date. "Euclid's first look at the cosmos is not only beautiful, but also immensely valuable for the scientific community," wrote the ESA.
The probe will collect data on billions of galaxies. The ESA wants to take a look into the past of the universe and explore its development over the last ten billion years. It also aims to gain insights into dark matter and dark energy in space.
The publication of the first images marks the transition to the next phase of the mission, the ESA added. The tests have been completed and the science can now begin. "Euclid will revolutionize cosmology," Adamek said with conviction. "We are happy to be part of it."
A third of the sky in six years
In contrast to the James Webb telescope, which has been delivering spectacular space images since 2022, the images from the Euclid telescope are somewhat less sharp, explained Adamek, but they cover a much larger area of the sky.
According to ESA, Euclid can capture data of an area of the sky more than a hundred times larger than that captured by the Webb camera in a single image. This means that Euclid can image a third of the sky with the required sensitivity in six years in space - a feat that would be impossible with Webb.
Swiss expertise
The Euclid probe was launched into space at the beginning of July. At its heart is a high-resolution telescope equipped with two cameras - one for the visible wavelength range and one for the near-infrared range.
In addition to UZH, the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW), the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) and the University of Geneva (Unige) are also involved in the Euclid mission from Switzerland.
For example, parts of the "Visible Instrument" measuring device were developed in Switzerland. This is a high-resolution camera that observes visible light in space.
Swiss institutions are also involved when it comes to software: The FHNW contributed the software infrastructure that enables the management and distribution of large quantities of space data via a global data network.
©Keystone/SDA
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