2023-08-01 13:38:48
The two Euclid instruments have captured their first test images. The fascinating results indicate that the space telescope it will achieve the scientific objectives for which it was designed, and possibly much more.
Although there are still months to go before Euclid offers a new real vision of the cosmosthe achievement of this milestone means that the scientists and engineers responsible for the mission can be sure that the telescope and instruments are working properly.
The fully calibrated Euclid will ultimately observe billions of galaxies to create the largest 3D map of the sky ever made.
“After more than 11 years of design and development from Euclid, it turns out stimulating and enormously emotional to see these first images”, affirms the director of the Euclid project, Joseph Racca, In a note distributed by the European Space Agency (ESA).
“It is even more incredible when we think that here we only see a few galaxies, produced with minimal system adjustment.” The fully calibrated Euclid will ultimately observe billions of galaxies to create the greatest 3D map of heaven never made”.
The Director General of ESA, Josef Aschbacher, congratulated the Euclid team: “It’s great to see that the latest addition to ESA’s science mission fleet is already performing so well. I have full confidence that the group behind the mission will be able to use Euclid to reveal a lot about 95% of the Universe of which we currently know so little”.
Carole Mundellthe agency’s director of science, agrees: “Our teams have worked tirelessly since Euclid’s launch on July 1, and these first engineering images offer a tantalizing glimpse of the extraordinary data we can expect from the telescope.”
The universe in visible light
Euclid’s VISible (VIS) instrument will take super sharp images billions of galaxies to measure their shapes. By looking closely at this first image, ESA astronomers say they can “get an idea” of the abundance that the VIS will bring.
Test image for the start-up of the Euclid VIS instrument. / THAT
While some galaxies are very easy to spot, many others are fuzzy blobs hidden among the stars, waiting to be revealed by the space telescope in the future.
Mark Cropper of University College London led the development of the VIS. “I am delighted with the beauty of these images and the abundance of information they contain”, he assures. In addition, he confirms that the VIS images will be available to everyone, whether for scientific or other purposes.
For her part, Reiko Nakajima, a scientist at the VIS instrument, adds: “The terrestrial tests They do not offer images of galaxies or star clustersbut here they are all in this one field”.
The image is even more special when you consider that Euclid’s team was startled when they first turned on the instrument and detected an unexpected pattern of light contaminating the images.
Subsequent investigations indicated that part of the Sun light it slipped into the ship, probably through a small hole; By rotating Euclid, the team realized that this light is only detected at specific orientations, so by avoiding certain angles, the VIS will be able to accomplish its mission.
The universe in infrared light
Euclid’s NISP (Near Infrared Spectrometer and Photometer) instrument does a dual job: imaging galaxies in infrared light and measuring the amount of light galaxies emit at various wavelengths. This second function allows you to directly calculate the distance at which each galaxy is located.
At the end of this phase of commissioning and performance verification, the real science will begin, according to those responsible for the mission.
Combining information about the distance relative to the shape of the galaxies, measured by the VIS, we will be able to map the distribution of galaxies in the Universe and their evolution over time. Ultimately, this 3D map will tell us about dark matter and dark energy.
In the bottom image, before reaching the NISP detector, light from Euclid’s telescope has passed through a filter that measures brightness at a specific infrared wavelength.
Test image for the implementation of the Euclid NISP instrument. / THAT
In this second image, light from Euclid’s telescope had passed through a grism before reaching the detector. This device divide the light of each star and galaxy by wavelengths, so that each vertical streak of light in the image is a star or galaxy. This special way of looking at the Universe makes it possible to determine what each galaxy is made of, which makes it possible to assess its distance from Earth.
Over the next few months, ESA and other industry teams will continue to carry out all the necessary tests and checks to ensure that Euclid works as well as possible. At the end of this phase of commissioning and performance verification, it will start true science, according to those responsible for the mission. At that time, ESA will release a new set of images to demonstrate what the mission is capable of.
Rights: Creative Commons.
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