7 Nov 2023

This view of spiral galaxy IC 342 is one of five first science images released by the Euclid mission on Nov. 7, 2023. The ESA-led (European Space Agency) Euclid observatory, which will investigate the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy, is scheduled to begin regular science operations in early 2024.

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California delivered critical hardware for one of the Euclid spacecraft’s instruments. In addition, NASA has established a U.S.-based Euclid science data center, and NASA-funded science teams will join other Euclid scientists in studying dark energy, galaxy evolution, and dark matter.

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The spiral galaxy IC 342, located about 11 million light-years from Earth, lies behind the crowded plane of the Milky Way: Dust, gas, and stars obscure it from our view. Euclid used its near-infrared instrument to peer through the dust and study it.