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Euclid Telescope Reveals Nearly a Billion Celestial Objects
Confirmed
In Short: The Euclid space telescope, launched in July 2023, has captured nearly a billion celestial objects, including more than 900 million galaxies and 60 million possible quasars, in stunning detail.
Euclid's observations, which began in September 2026, include a trove of around 15,000 strong candidates for gravitational lensing, a phenomenon that helps astronomers determine the mass of celestial objects.
The telescope's approximately 600-megapixel visible-light camera has been used to capture images of the cosmos, both near and far, contributing to what could be the most comprehensive three-dimensional map of the universe.
Euclid's first major batch of observations includes three deep fields—areas of the sky where the telescope will make its most far-reaching observations.
In addition to these observations, Euclid has also discovered a previously unknown comet, C/2026 S1 (Euclid), which was captured in images taken between September 16 and 24, 2026.
Euclid's observations are aiding in the understanding of dark energy, the unknown force behind the accelerating expansion of the universe.
Euclid's observations are also helping researchers fine-tune their tools and techniques for analyzing the much larger datasets still to come.
Euclid's observations cover about 2,000 square degrees, which is approximately 14% of its total survey area of 14,000 square degrees.
Euclid's observations are expected to provide a wealth of data for astronomers to study and analyze, contributing to a better understanding of the universe's mysteries.
What this adds
Euclid's observations are a significant step forward in mapping the universe, providing a more comprehensive view than previous missions.
The discovery of the comet C/2026 S1 (Euclid) was a happy coincidence, as Euclid typically avoids the dusty band of sky along the planetary plane where most comets and asteroids lurk.
Background
NASA has issued a Request for Information to commercial companies to propose ways to extend the life of the aging Hubble Space Telescope, which is expected to re-enter Earth's atmosphere by 2033 or 2034.
NASA is asking private industry how it could save the Hubble Space Telescope, or bring it down safely, before the aging observatory falls out of orbit on its own.
What's confirmed
- Euclid's observations, which began in September 2026, include a trove of around 15,000 strong candidates for gravitational lensing, a phenomenon that helps astronomers determine the mass of celestial objects.
- The telescope's approximately 600-megapixel visible-light camera has been used to capture images of the cosmos, both near and far, contributing to what could be the most comprehensive three-dimensional map of the universe.
- Euclid's first major batch of observations includes three deep fields—areas of the sky where the telescope will make its most far-reaching observations.
- In addition to these observations, Euclid has also discovered a previously unknown comet, C/2026 S1 (Euclid), which was captured in images taken between September 16 and 24, 2026.
- Euclid's observations are aiding in the understanding of dark energy, the unknown force behind the accelerating expansion of the universe.
- Euclid's observations are also helping researchers fine-tune their tools and techniques for analyzing the much larger datasets still to come.
- Euclid's observations cover about 2,000 square degrees, which is approximately 14% of its total survey area of 14,000 square degrees.
- Euclid's observations are expected to provide a wealth of data for astronomers to study and analyze, contributing to a better understanding of the universe's mysteries.
What's still developing
- That gravity bends and magnifies the light, making it brighter and easier to detect for telescopes such as Euclid; it can even allow astronomers to determine the mass of the source.
- And Euclid can help astronomers begin to figure out where individual galaxies are located in relation to one another, leading to what could be the most comprehensive three-dimensional map of the universe ever made.
- As light emitted from galaxies and other celestial objects travels through space, it interacts with the gravitational forces of other large objects.
- Bertin ( image processing ) Astronomers took a major step toward navigating the universe, thanks to the European Space Agency’s (ESA’s) Euclid space telescope, which just released its first major batch of observations.
- The Euclid space telescope captures nearly a billion celestial objects in stunning detail The enormous trove of galaxies and quasars will help astronomers piece together the most in-depth 3D map of the universe yet made ESA/Euclid/Euclid Consortium/NASA; J.-C.
- Previous releases of images by Euclid had been focused on a far narrower band of sky.
- “Very few comets are expected to be discovered by Euclid so it was a happy coincidence that the combination of the comet’s orbit and Euclid’s scanning over those days captured the object in multiple images,” said Euclid archive scientist Dr. Bruno Altieri.
- The telescope also deliberately avoids the dusty band of sky along the planetary plane, where most comets and asteroids lurk, and it typically images each patch of sky only once.
- “And we are of course happy to have discovered a previously unknown comet for the Solar System community to follow-up on,” added Euclid project scientist Dr. Valeria Pettorino.
- Image credit: ESA / Euclid / Euclid Consortium / NASA / Pöntinen et al.
- Its exact period will be refined as more observations come in.
- With help from NASA, this space telescope is capturing sweeping views of billions of galaxies, allowing scientists to peer into the deep past.
Sources
- Scilink
- SciTechDailylink
- Scientific Americanlink
- WarpBeat — background on NASA asks industry for ideas about saving Hubble Space Telescope link
- WarpBeat — background on NASA Seeks Private Sector Help to Save Hubble Space Telescope link
- Beyond The Cosmos — video link
- Chris Pattison — video link
- VideoFromSpace — video link