Spectacular images from the Euclid space telescope, including the Horsehead Nebula and a hidden galaxy, have been released for the first time.
There are five images, described by Euclid scientist Jean-Charles Cuillandre, as “a range of objects from the galactic zoo in terms of diversity, colours and shapes”.
Some of the locations have been seen before but Euclid provides better quality “razor-sharp astronomical images across such a large patch of the sky, and looking so far into the distant universe,” the European Space Agency (ESA) said.
The images spanned four areas of the relatively nearby universe, including 1,000 galaxies belonging to the massive Perseus cluster, about 240 million light-years away, and more than 100,000 galaxies spread out in the background, the ESA said.
Scientists believe vast, seemingly organised structures such as Perseus could only have formed if dark matter exists.
“We think we understand only 5 per cent of the universe: that's the matter that we can see,” ESA's science director Carole Mundell said.
The telescope snapped pictures of a relatively close spiral galaxy that is a ringer for our own Milky Way.
Euclid also took fresh photos of the Horsehead Nebula in the constellation Orion, a dramatic nursery of baby stars made famous by Hubble.
The Horsehead Nebula – also known as Barnard 33 – is 1,375 light-years away. The horse's head is formed from clouds in front of ultraviolet radiation.
Scientists hope that by scouring through Euclid's observations of the nebula, they will find previously unseen Jupiter-sized planets, as well as stars still in their infancy.
There is also an image of spiral galaxy IC 342, nicknamed the “hidden galaxy”, because it can be difficult to spot behind the disc of our own Milky Way.
It is relatively near, in galactic terms at least, at 11 million light-years from Earth.
Euclid's infrared vision was able to peer through the dust to spot never-before-seen globular clusters, ESA said.
Launched in July, Euclid orbits the sun at about 1.6km from Earth. The telescope is named after the mathematician of ancient Greece.
Image from James Webb space telescope
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
THE BIO
Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.
Favourite book: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.
Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.
Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mobile phone packages comparison
The specs
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THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
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How tumultuous protests grew
- A fuel tax protest by French drivers appealed to wider anti-government sentiment
- Unlike previous French demonstrations there was no trade union or organised movement involved
- Demonstrators responded to online petitions and flooded squares to block traffic
- At its height there were almost 300,000 on the streets in support
- Named after the high visibility jackets that drivers must keep in cars
- Clashes soon turned violent as thousands fought with police at cordons
- An estimated two dozen people lost eyes and many others were admitted to hospital
