A massive cradle of baby stars has been observed by a European space telescope.
The European Space Agency (ESA) has released new images from the Euclid observatory, showcasing a massive cradle of baby stars. Released on Thursday, these latest images add to the observatory’s amazing celestial collection.
“Euclid is at the very beginning of its exciting journey to map the structure of the universe,” ESA’s Director General, Josef Aschbacher said.
The Euclid telescope was launched last year from Florida and since then it has been capturing these images as part of its preparatory phase. However, its primary mission is surveying the dark universe. Positioned 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometers) from Earth, Euclid is set to observe billions of galaxies over the next several years, covering more than one-third of the sky. Through Euclid, scientists hope to gain a deeper understanding of dark energy and dark matter, which constitute the majority of the universe by analyzing the shape and size of these galaxies.
Among the newly released images is a striking depiction of Messier 78, an enormous cradle of baby stars located approximately 1,300 light-years away. Using its infrared camera, Euclid penetrated the dust surrounding this region, unveiling new areas of star formation. A light-year, equivalent to 5.8 trillion miles, highlights the vast distances Euclid's observations encompass.
