Euclid Space Telescope Releases Stunning First Science Images

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November 09, 2023

With no apologies, our top story this week is mostly about staring at awesome panoramas of the cosmic depths. On Tuesday the researchers behind the European Space Agency's Euclid space telescope released the observatory's first full-color science images, and they are jaw-droppingly gorgeous. These aren't just pretty pictures, of course—Euclid's razor-sharp, wide-field view of the heavens is critical to its scientific objectives, which involve studying the shapes and distributions of galaxies to better characterize the mysterious nature of dark matter and dark energy. After reading the story, be sure to check out full-resolution versions of the images, where you can zoom in to feast your eyes on their magnificent celestial details. Speaking of zooming, check out the latest column from our contributor Phil Plait (also known as The Bad Astronomer), which explores one of the James Webb Space Telescope's deepest-yet looks at early galaxies in the far-distant universe. Elsewhere, we have stories on a record-breaking black hole, a new book about the challenges of life in space, an asteroid encounter's delightful (and unexpected) triple feature, and more. Enjoy!

Lee Billings, Senior Editor, Space & Physics @LeeBillings

Astronomy Euclid Space Telescope Releases Stunning First Science Images Fresh images show off the Euclid space telescope's ability to capture crisp pictures of vast swaths of sky By Stephanie Pappas

Astronomy Zoomable JWST Image Brings Far-Distant Galaxies to Your Fingertips The James Webb Space Telescope is gazing across the universe to find galaxies close to the "cosmic dawn"—and you can explore them from the palm of your hand By Phil Plait

Astronomy Can We Even Have Babies in Space? Why We're Not Ready for Life Off-Planet Reproducing in space is just one of many reasons we should delay settlements beyond Earth By Clara Moskowitz

Space Exploration NASA Asteroid Mission Discovers Tiny Surprise Moon with 'Really Bizarre' Shape NASA's Lucy mission flew past an asteroid nicknamed Dinky, only to discover an even smaller space rock orbiting it By Meghan Bartels

Black Holes This Record-Breaking Black Hole Could Help Solve a Cosmic Mystery The earliest active supermassive black hole ever seen offers clues on how these enigmatic objects first formed By Keith Cooper,SPACE.com

Planetary Science 'Dinky' Asteroid Is Three Space Rocks, Not Two, NASA Flyby Finds The Lucy spacecraft's encounter with asteroid Dinkinesh has revealed a bizarre "contact binary" double-moon companion By Brett Tingley,SPACE.com

Materials Science Nature Retracts Controversial Room-Temperature Superconductor Study One of the world's most prestigious science journals has retracted a major paper from embattled superconductivity researcher Ranga Dias By Davide Castelvecchi,Nature magazine

Mathematics Could Math Design the Perfect Electoral System? Graphics reveal the intricate math behind ranked choice voting and how to design the best electoral system, sometimes with bizarre outcomes By Jack Murtagh

Space Exploration Diversity in Science Includes Cultural Dress Images of sari-wearing space scientists in India remind us that research is global and cultural dress should be welcome in the workplace By Manasee Weerathunga

Climate Change The Woman Who Demonstrated the Greenhouse Effect Eunice Newton Foote showed that carbon dioxide traps the heat of the sun in 1856, beating the so-called father of the greenhouse effect by at least three years. Why was she forgotten? By Zoe Kurland,Katie Hafner,Elah Feder,The Lost Women of Science Initiative

Climate Change Earth Reacts to Greenhouse Gases More Strongly Than We Thought Climate scientists, including pioneer James Hansen, are pinning down a fundamental factor that drives how hot Earth will get By Chelsea Harvey,E&E News

Climate Change Earth Just Had the Hottest 12-Month Span in Recorded History The planet just saw the hottest span of 12 months in human history because of climate change driven by the burning of fossil fuels By Andrea Thompson

Climate Change Restoring the Planet Will Need More than a Climate Price Tag By Chirag Dhara,Vandana Singh

Planetary Science Strange Blobs near Earth's Core May Be Relics of Moon-Forming Collision An impact with a protoplanet called Theia 4.5 billion years ago seems to have left remnants deep inside Earth By Anil Oza,Nature magazine

QUOTE OF THE DAY "I don't think humans will ever give up the dream of living in space and being multiplanetary, and I think that's great. I just hope we do it slowly." Kelly Weinersmith, behavioral ecologist and co-author of A City on Mars, a new book about the promise and peril of living beyond Earth

FROM THE ARCHIVE NASA Triumphantly Unveils Full Set of Webb's First Images Breathtaking pictures that include the deepest-ever infrared view of ancient galaxies offer a preview of the spectacular science in store for the most powerful space observatory in history By Lee Billings | July 2022

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