The ESA and the Euclid consortium share data, images, and scientific results from the preliminary observation phase of the ESA's Euclid space telescope, in orbit since July 2023. This promising first demonstration of the telescope's performance is accompanied by a comprehensive technical review of the instruments, including NISP, the instrument designed by CNRS through its IN2P3 and INSU institutes.
From Euclid's initial observation phase, this photograph captures Messier 78, a bright star nursery enveloped in interstellar dust. Euclid's advanced capabilities allow for the unveiling of hidden star-forming regions, mapping complex filaments of gas and dust with unprecedented detail, and discovering newly formed stars and planets.
Paris, May 23, 2024: The ESA and the Euclid consortium publish data from the Early Release Observation phase of the Euclid space telescope. This test phase aims to give a first glimpse into the depth and diversity of observations that Euclid will be able to provide.
Since its launch, Euclid has observed seventeen extragalactic targets, such as galaxy clusters, nearby galaxies, globular clusters, and star-forming regions. Analysis of these targets has led to the discovery of young rogue planets, populations of globular clusters around nearby galaxies, and new low surface brightness dwarf galaxies.
This phase also allowed for the observation of the distribution of dark matter and intra-cluster light in galaxy clusters, as well as the study of high-redshift galaxies perceived through gravitational lensing.
These observations resulted in the publication of ten images available on the ESA website and ten scientific articles published and accessible from the Euclid consortium website. They are accompanied by five reference articles detailing the characteristics and performance of the telescope and its subsystems, two of which focus on the NISP (Near Infrared Spectrometer and Photometer), a state-of-the-art spectrometer and photometer with significant contributions from IN2P3 laboratories.
The tests indicate that all instruments are performing at levels fully in line with expectations.
Euclid space telescope - ESA Image About the Euclid space telescope
Designed to create a more detailed mapping of billions of galaxies throughout the history of the Universe than ever before, Euclid will provide cosmologists with invaluable data on, among other things, the distribution of dark matter in the Universe and the imprint of dark energy.
The telescope stands out from its predecessors by its ability to observe a large part of the sky in a single shot. It will take 40,000 of these shots over the course of its six-year mission.