Euclid Space Telescope Unveils First Images and Mission Details

The Euclid Space Telescope, launched in July this year, will map 1/3 of the sky and cover 2 billion galaxies to create the most accurate 3D map of the universe in history.

Euclid’s first images are here ✨

These five images illustrate Euclid’s full potential; never before has a telescope been able to create such razor-sharp images across such a large patch of the sky, and looking so far into the distant Universe.

👉 pic.twitter.com/Sug4drvgqs

— ESA (@esa) November 7, 2023

The telescope has reached a stable hovering point about 1.5 million kilometers from the Earth. After rendezvous with the James Webb Space Telescope, it began to transmit its first observation results back to the Earth.

The European Space Agency announced the first five images taken by the Euclid Space Telescope at a press conference held at the European Space Operations Center in Darmstadt, Germany.

European Space Agency science director Carole Mundell said the images demonstrate the Euclid Space Telescope’s ability to quickly capture the vast sky with extremely high precision. The image includes the magnificent Horsehead Nebula and various spiral and irregular galaxies.

According to the European Space Agency, more than 100,000 galaxies lurk in the background of the Perseus Galaxy Cluster, some of which have never been seen before, some 10 billion light-years away. The European Space Agency calls the Euclid Space Telescope a “dark universe detective” whose mission is to investigate why 95% of the universe appears to be composed of dark matter and dark energy, about which humans know very little.

By capturing light that took 10 billion years to arrive near Earth, the Euclid Space Telescope will delve into the question of how dark energy drove the expansion of the universe in the 13.8 billion years since the Big Bang. A big mission.

Several college students in Ningbo used helium balloons to send a teddy bear 28,000 meters into the air. The video was posted online and sparked heated debate.

The video shows that several college students took a stuffed bear wearing a white lab coat from the University of Nottingham Ningbo in Ningbo to the junction of Fuxin, Liaoning and Tongliao, Inner Mongolia. In the meantime, they also prepared a tank of helium. After a series of preliminary preparations such as weighing, temperature testing, and equipment debugging, the helium balloon carrying the bear took off in the wind and was finally taken to an altitude of 28,000 meters. As the balloon explodes, the bear falls to the ground.

The college students recorded the entire process and posted it online. Many netizens praised it and believed that they had learned real skills in college. Some netizens also questioned whether this would affect the flight of the aircraft. In response to netizens’ questions, the video publisher replied in the comment area that they complied with all rules and regulations.

It is reported that the choice of college students to take off in the Northeast was a decision made after careful consideration. “At first we wanted to try it in Ningbo, but Zhejiang has more mountainous and hilly terrain, dense cities and dense population. The survey results showed that Zhejiang is not suitable for flying.” After comprehensive consideration of objective factors such as terrain, climate, temperature, wind direction, etc. , and after receiving feedback from relevant departments that “the project did not violate air traffic control,” they decided to return to Northeast China and release the cubs.

Senior captain Chen Jianguo said that balloons have a certain impact on aircraft flight safety. Relevant departments have strict regulations regarding the release of balloons to high altitudes. “Everyone is encouraged to try, but you must apply in accordance with the law. No matter where you are or on any terrain, you need to declare to the relevant departments, and you can only release the balloons after obtaining permission.”