The first piece of the big cosmic map features 100 minutes of celestial objects

In July 2023, the European Space Agency (ESA) launched Euclid, a space telescope designed to map the large-scale structure of the universe. ESA recently shared a 208-gigapixel mosaic that reveals one percent of the vast map that Euclid will survey over the next six years.

The large-scale structure of the universe comprises a vast network of galaxies, stars, and dark matter. The mosaic alone features an area of ​​our universe that is more than 500 times the size of the moon.

According to the ESA, “This first part of the map already contains about 100 million sources: stars in our Milky Way and galaxies beyond. About 14 million of these galaxies could be used to study the hidden influence of matter dark matter and dark energy in the Universe.”

In addition, “This is only 1% of the map, and yet it is full of a variety of sources that will help scientists discover new ways to describe the Universe,” added Valeria Pettorino, a scientist with the Euclid project at the ESA.

Zoom in on the mosaic

Euclid began operation in February, and the mosaic is the result of 260 observations recorded between the last week of March and the second week of April 2024.

Thanks to its sharp and sensitive 600 megapixel visible light camera, Euclid captures images in great detail. For example, when you zoom in on the mosaic to 600x, you can clearly spot the core of galaxy clusters and see the dots becoming beautiful spiral galaxies.

These celestial bodies are more than 400 million light years away from Earth. The complete map, which will be ready in the next six years, will reveal the shapes and movements of galaxies and stars out to 10 billion light-years.

“During this survey, the telescope looks at the shapes, distances and motions of billions of galaxies up to 10 billion light-years away. In doing so, it will create the largest 3D cosmic map ever made.” said the ESA team.

Euclid is not limited to stars and galaxies

High in Earth’s sky, about 4,500 to 9,000 meters (some sources mention 6,000 m above the ground), are unique, thin, hair-like clouds called cirrus clouds. They have important functions such as signaling weather changes, affecting the climate by regulating heat, and contributing to the development of other types of clouds.

The Euclid spacecraft mosaic also reveals the presence of faint clouds that appear similar to cirrus clouds. They were seen in the Milky Way among the stars and are made of cosmic dust and gases. The ESA team calls them galactic cirrus.

These structures can reflect light from distant stars, allowing researchers to locate, identify and study hidden celestial bodies. Galactic cirrus aren’t the only intriguing find you’ll find in the mosaic, however.

There could be many other cosmic structures hiding in the mosaic, waiting to be discovered. However, it will be some time before the ESA team zooms in on each section of the photo and makes new discoveries.

In addition, “The mosaic published today is a teaser of what will come from the Euclides mission. The launch of 53 square degrees of the survey, including a preview of Euclid’s deep field areas, is planned for March 2025,” the ESA team notes.