How do we know the Universe is expanding?

The idea of an expanding Universe is one of the most remarkable discoveries in the field of cosmology. It might seem counterintuitive at first, as we usually perceive the world around us as relatively static but it revolutionized our understanding of the cosmos and challenged our perception of the Universe as an unchanging entity. Let’s delve into the fascinating evidence that supports this groundbreaking idea.

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What’s in Euclid’s First Light images?

Euclid’s “First Light” engineering images show a lot of things. There are obviously some astronomical objects, but also some stranger features that are not. The reason is that these images are “raw”, they have not been digitally treated the ways as needs to be done to create science-ready images. They contain a lot of features that are properties of the detectors used, but also unwanted internal reflections of the optics, as well as cosmic rays that hit all space telescopes. Converting these images into science-ready data is the task of the Euclid Science Ground Segment, which has developed a huge and very detailed data treatment (“data reduction”) pipeline over many years.

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Update from the Euclid Project Manager

Updates and thoughts from the Euclid Project Manager

Giuseppe Racca (ESA Project Manager), March 2023

Following the major achievements of last year: 

  • Installation and test of four micropropulsion pressure regulators following several issues;
  • Repaired NIPS and VIS electronic units which had faulty circuit design, but no failure;
  • Integration of the High Gain Antenna, Sunshield, Service Module and Payload module;
  • Procured a new launch vehicle (Falcon9) following the discontinuation of Soyuz and A6 delays;
  • System test campaign at environmental and functional level, including SVT/SOVTs with the instrument operations, the MOC, the SOC and the IOTs;
  • Completion of the TBTV test and start of the mechanical tests;
  • Ground Segment Readiness review showing the readiness to support the launch in July 2023,

the acceptance tests of the Euclid system have continued in the first part of this year 2023

Update from the Euclid Project Manager Read More »

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