Euclid mission, studying the 'dark side' of space, releases new map; He looks

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The images released represent just 1% of the maps Euclid will capture over the mission's six years, and the full product will map a third of the universe. The mosaic contains observations made between March 25 and April 8, 2024. “In just two weeks, Euclid covered 132 square degrees of the southern hemisphere's sky in impeccable detail, more than 500 times the area of ​​the full moon,” Euclid explains. European Space Agency. See pictures:

The telescope will help astronomers understand two of the universe's greatest mysteries: dark matter, the invisible glue that holds galaxies together, and dark energy, the force that pushes them apart. It is estimated that about 14 million galaxies, in the Milky Way and beyond, will be used to study “the hidden influence of dark matter and dark energy in the universe.”

What is dark matter?

This is a topic that raises many doubts on the part of scientists, as dark matter makes up the majority of the universe. According to scientist Henk Hoekstra, one of Euclid's cosmology coordinators, this mysterious substance “cannot be explained by the Standard Model of particle physics,” although it is supposed to have the function of slowing the expansion of the universe.

“About 25 years ago we discovered that, in fact, [a expansão] Accelerates. This requires a more ambiguous element. To reflect our ignorance – so far, there is no good physical explanation – we refer to this component as “dark energy.” He explained that dark matter and dark energy together constitute 95% of the universe, but we do not understand their nature.

Dark matter causes light to bend and distort, an effect known as gravitational lensing. In extreme cases, lensing makes galaxies appear distorted and can produce mirror images of a single source.

Gravity causes dark matter to clump together, but dark energy counteracts this effect. Studying the density of dark matter throughout the universe will help astronomers learn how dark energy affects the structure of the universe.

Euclid's specialty is its ability to capture wide areas of the sky in stunning detail. Galaxies appearing near bright stars like Beta Venice may be impossible for some observatories on Earth to see, but Euclid's sharp eyes can resolve them.

The telescope's sensors make it look like a grid for light, according to Jean-Charles Coulander, an astronomer at CEA Paris-Saclay. “It captures everything.”

In May this year, the first batch of images and results were released. In a series of articles, the Euclid team shared new discoveries of dwarf galaxies, star clusters, and free-roaming planets. Astronomers say these discoveries show how the mission can go beyond its main goals.

“We call this old science, things Euclid could do too,” said Michael Seifert, a cosmologist working on the mission at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

The telescope captured these two galaxies meeting 62 million light-years away, creating mysterious edges and tails.

See some pictures: