NASA Contributes to Euclid Mission to Unlock Secrets of the Universe’s Accelerating Expansion.

This image represents about 1.5% of Euclid’s Deep Field South, revealing faint, distant galaxies, including a galaxy cluster nearly 6 billion light-years away.

The Euclid mission, led by the European Space Agency (ESA) with significant contributions from NASA, is on a groundbreaking journey to investigate one of the universe's greatest mysteries: why is the universe expanding at an accelerating rate? This phenomenon, referred to as "dark energy," is one of the most puzzling aspects of cosmology, and Euclid aims to provide key insights by capturing images of billions of galaxies. On March 19, ESA released a portion of the mission's data to the public, showcasing the mission's early progress.

The data, labeled as a “quick” release, offers a preview of what’s to come from Euclid’s detailed observations. This initial dataset focuses on specific regions of the sky, known as the "deep fields," which will serve as Euclid’s focal points for its most distant observations. These fields, containing over 26 million galaxies, include objects as far as 10.5 billion light-years away, offering a window into the early universe. Launched in July 2023, the Euclid space telescope is expected to study over 1.5 billion galaxies during its six-year prime mission, gradually accumulating light to observe increasingly faint and distant galaxies.

Exploring the Evolution of Dark Energy.

The Euclid deep fields are marked in yellow on this all-sky view from ESA’s Gaia and Planck missions, with Deep Field South located at the left of the bottom right regions.

The mission builds on historic discoveries such as the 1995 Hubble Space Telescope images, which revealed the vast number of galaxies in the universe. However, Euclid’s objective is not to discover new galaxies but to investigate how dark energy has influenced the universe’s expansion throughout cosmic history. Scientists are particularly interested in determining how the rate of expansion has varied over time, and Euclid’s data could provide vital clues to understanding the fundamental nature of dark energy.

Euclid's unique ability to capture 3D maps of the universe will allow astronomers to track how galaxies and other large cosmic structures move over time. Because light from distant objects takes time to reach Earth, the telescope essentially enables scientists to look back in time and measure how the expansion of the universe has changed.

For example, just as looking at an object 100 light-years away reveals its appearance 100 years ago, Euclid’s observations of galaxies at various distances will give scientists a snapshot of the universe at different points in time. This data will help determine how dark energy’s influence has evolved, offering essential insights into the forces shaping the cosmos.

Mapping the Invisible: Dark Matter and Gravitational Lensing.

A significant challenge in studying dark energy is its connection to dark matter, a mysterious substance that makes up about 85% of the matter in the universe but does not emit or reflect light. To accurately measure the effects of dark energy, scientists must account for dark matter in their maps of the universe. Although dark matter cannot be seen directly, its presence can be inferred through a phenomenon known as gravitational lensing.

Gravitational lensing occurs when the mass of both visible and invisible matter warps the fabric of space, causing light from distant galaxies to bend as it travels toward Earth. In some cases, this warping can result in dramatic effects, such as the formation of Einstein rings—circular distortions of light around massive objects. By studying these subtle distortions, scientists can map the presence of dark matter and monitor how dark energy has shaped its distribution over time.

To ensure accurate measurements, Euclid’s survey covers a vast area—63 square degrees of the sky, roughly equivalent to 300 full Moons. As the mission progresses, Euclid will continue to expand its observational reach, eventually covering one-third of the sky by the end of its mission.

Looking Ahead: The Future of Dark Energy Research.

The data released in March provides just a glimpse of the wealth of information Euclid will offer in the coming years. In 2026, ESA will release the mission’s first major cosmology dataset, which will include additional passes of the deep field locations. This release will include more data collected over time, helping to refine our understanding of dark energy's impact on the universe.

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, set for launch in 2027, will complement Euclid’s findings, observing large sections of the sky to provide further insights into the nature of dark energy.

A Collaborative Effort.

Euclid is a truly international endeavor, with over 2,000 scientists from 300 institutions in 15 countries contributing to the mission. NASA’s involvement includes providing key instruments and technology, such as the Near Infrared Spectrometer and Photometer (NISP) detectors, developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Additionally, the Euclid NASA Science Center (ENSCI) at Caltech supports U.S.-based science investigations, and data is archived at NASA’s Infrared Science Archive.

As Euclid continues its mission, the combined efforts of ESA, NASA, and international collaborators will help answer some of the most profound questions about the cosmos, shedding light on the mysterious forces driving the universe's expansion.

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