A stunning mosaic of images from the European Space Agency’s Euclid space telescope has unveiled over 14 million galaxies, marking a significant milestone in cosmic mapping. This ambitious project aims to deepen our understanding of dark matter and dark energy’s influence on the universe’s structure.
“The scale is utterly incomprehensible,” stated Carole Mundell, the director of science at the European Space Agency, during the International Astronautical Congress in Italy. She highlighted that representing the image in full resolution would require an astounding assembly of over 16,000 4K TV screens.
The initial mosaic, consisting of 260 images, is merely a glimpse into Euclid’s quest to produce the largest and most precise map of the universe to date. Captured during a two-week survey in April, this mosaic represents just 1 percent of the anticipated final map, spanning an area of the southern sky approximately 500 times larger than the full moon.
Mundell noted that the wispy blue band present in the image is dust and gas from the Milky Way, commonly referred to as “galactic cirrus.” A closer inspection reveals swirling galaxies engaged in intense interactions hundreds of millions of light-years away, including some hosting supermassive black holes capable of generating gravitational waves detectable on Earth.
Over the next six years, the telescope will autonomously survey about one-third of the night sky. Researchers anticipate the final map will reveal around 8 billion galaxies, each containing billions of stars, representing 10 billion years of cosmic evolution.
By examining galaxy clusters and fascinating phenomena such as gravitational lensing, the telescope aims to chart the cosmic web – detailing the distribution of matter throughout space and time. Measuring the voids formed between galaxy clusters could enhance our comprehension of the mysterious characteristics of dark energy and dark matter, as emphasized by a representative at the agency.
“We’re testing the fundamental laws of physics at the extreme scales of the cosmos,” concluded Mundell, underscoring the groundbreaking potential of this ongoing project.
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