Euclid Reaches L2, Shares its First Test Image

ESA’s Euclid mission has made the journey through space to reach the Earth-Sun L2 Lagrange Point. The two instruments on board have come online and taken their first images of the cosmos. The left side of the image was taken by the VISible instrument (VIS), which will help astronomers study the shapes of billions of galaxies. The right side of the image was taken with the Near-Infrared Spectrometer and Photometer, which allows astronomers to measure the brightness and color of galaxies. Astronomers will use these instruments to make the most comprehensive 3D map of the Universe, hunting for dark matter and energy.