NASA recently shared an image of the “Hidden Galaxy,” a spiral galaxy captured by the Hubble telescope, located approximately 11 million light-years away from Earth. The stunning image is part of the European Space Agency’s Euclid mission.
Described as the “first of five images released from the Euclid mission,” the galaxy, also known as the Hidden Galaxy, is situated behind a dense region of dust in the Milky Way. The Euclid mission employs a near-infrared instrument to study the galaxy by peering through the dust.
The caption on NASA’s Instagram post highlighted the significance of Euclid’s ability to study dark matter and dark energy, marking the beginning of a new era in these scientific endeavors. The Euclid mission, launched on July 1, 2023, in collaboration with NASA, has successfully reached its vantage point nearly 1 million miles away, performing as expected.
The spiral galaxy in the image bears similarity to the Milky Way, featuring a rotating disc with spiral arms extending from a dense central region. The post described the visual elements of the galaxy, emphasizing its face-on orientation, with a central region appearing whiter due to a higher concentration of stars. The spiral arms extend across the image, appearing fainter towards the edges. The background is filled with speckled stars displaying various colors, indicating differences in age, with blue stars being younger and red stars older.
The post received over 200,000 likes within five hours of being posted, with users expressing awe and appreciation for the captivating image. Comments ranged from admiration for the beauty of the galaxy to remarks about the potential use of the image as a holiday ornament. Users also expressed enthusiasm for the scientific contributions expected from the Euclid mission.
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