New Space Telescope Releases Its First Images

The European Space Agency’s latest space telescope, orbiting near the James Webb Space Telescope, just released its first full-color images. One image in particular has already been described as a “revolution for astronomy.”

Concept art of Euclid in space surrounded by galaxies. Credit: ESA/NASA.

Named after the Greek mathematician Euclid of Alexandria, who is considered the “father of geometry,” Euclid was given this name because “the density of matter and energy is linked to the geometry of the universe” according to the European Space Agency. ESA’s Euclid space telescope is designed to study the most mysterious aspects of our universe. Aimed to discover more about dark energy and dark matter, scientists hope Euclid will answer questions about the structure and history of our universe, the nature of dark matter and dark energy, if our understanding of gravity is accurate, and how our universe has changed as it expanded over time.

Euclid’s Mission Objectives

One of Euclid’s main mission objectives is to create a 3D map of the Universe, with time being the third dimension. When we look at distant objects in space, we are not just looking far away, but back in time. This is because despite seeming to appear instantaneously, even light has a limit to how fast it can travel.