Euclid project’s sharp, ‘stunning’ panoramas of deep space give dark-energy detectives more valuable clues

// custom header art window.tgam.meta.photo_desktop = "https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/editorial/News/nw-na-dark-energy/euclid-header1c.jpg"; window.tgam.meta.photo_mobile = "https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/editorial/News/nw-na-dark-energy/euclid-header1c.jpg"; window.tgam.meta.video = ""; window.tgam.meta.caption = "This is Messier 78, shown in sharper detail than ever before in new images from the Euclid space telescope. What is Messier 78 and what do scientists hope to learn by looking at it? Learn more in the gallery at the end of this article."; window.tgam.meta.credit = "Photos courtesy of ESA/Euclid/Euclid Corsortium/NASA"; // custom header layout parameters window.tgam.meta.headline_overlay = false; window.tgam.meta.headline_overlay_vertical_position = "top"; // top, centre, bottom window.tgam.meta.headline_overlay_horizontal_position = "left"; // left, centre, right window.tgam.meta.headline_overlay_gradient = true; window.tgam.meta.two_column = true; window.tgam.meta.swap_column = true; window.tgam.meta.full_width = false; window.tgam.meta.dark_background = true; window.tgam.meta.dark_background_colour = "#000000"; window.tgam.meta.centre_headline = false; window.tgam.meta.large_headline = false; window.tgam.meta.sans_headline = false; window.tgam.meta.label_text_colour = ""; window.tgam.meta.label_box_colour = ""; window.tgam.meta.label_text_colour_overlay = "" ; window.tgam.meta.label_box_colour_overlay = ""; window.tgam.meta.audio_bar = false; // custom header display overrides (optional): window.tgam.meta.display_head = "A rainbow in the dark"; window.tgam.meta.display_deck = "Stunning panoramic images of deep space from the Euclid mission open a new window on the universe – and provide clues to the riddle of dark energy"; window.tgam.meta.label = "Science"; window.tgam.meta.byline = "Ivan Semeniuk"; window.tgam.meta.byline2 = ""; window.tgam.meta.creditline = "The Globe and Mail"; .gi-media-card{position:relative;overflow:hidden;left:calc(50% - 50vw);width:100vw;margin:2rem 0;z-index:0}@media (min-width: 768px){.gi-media-card{margin-top:2.2rem;margin-bottom:3rem}}.gi-media-card.gi-media-card--credit{margin-bottom:0}.gi-media-card__wrapper{height:100vh}.gi-media-card__bg{display:-webkit-box;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;justify-content:center;position:relative;width:100%;height:100vh;background-color:#dcd9d7;z-index:-1}.gi-media-card__bg .gi-media-card__asset:first-child{opacity:1}.gi-media-card__bg.fixed{position:fixed;top:0;width:100vw;height:100vh}.gi-media-card__bg.bottom{position:absolute;top:auto;bottom:0}.gi-media-card__asset{position:absolute;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;left:0;opacity:0;-webkit-transition:opacity .25s linear;transition:opacity .25s linear;height:100vh;background-color:#fff}.js-gi-mediacard.light .gi-media-card__asset{background-color:#fff}.js-gi-mediacard.dark .gi-media-card__asset{background-color:#2c2c2c}.gi-media-card__asset.active{opacity:1}.gi-media-card__asset.remove{display:none}.gi-media-card__media{display:block;width:100%;height:100vh;-o-object-fit:cover;object-fit:cover;font-family:'object-fit: cover;'}@media (orientation: portrait){.gi-media-card__media.contain-portrait{-o-object-fit:contain;object-fit:contain;font-family:'object-fit: contain;'}}@media (orientation: landscape){.gi-media-card__media.contain-landscape{-o-object-fit:contain;object-fit:contain;font-family:'object-fit: contain;'}}.gi-media-card__fg{position:relative;display:-webkit-box;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;-webkit-box-direction:normal;-ms-flex-direction:column;flex-direction:column;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center}.gi-media-card__fg img{display:block;width:100%}@media (min-width: 768px){.gi-media-card__fg.gi-media-card__fg--left{margin-left:-50vw}.gi-media-card__fg.gi-media-card__fg--right{margin-right:-50vw}}@media (orientation: landscape){.gi-media-card__fg.gi-media-card__fg--left{margin-left:-50vw}.gi-media-card__fg.gi-media-card__fg--right{margin-right:-50vw}}.gi-media-card__caption{margin-bottom:125vh;width:calc(100% - 2.5rem);color:#fff;background-color:#191919;-webkit-box-shadow:rgba(0,0,0,0.1) 2px 2px 5px;box-shadow:rgba(0,0,0,0.1) 2px 2px 5px}@media (orientation: landscape){.gi-media-card__caption.gi-media-card__caption--left{-ms-flex-item-align:start;align-self:flex-start;margin-left:4vw}.gi-media-card__caption.gi-media-card__caption--centre{-ms-flex-item-align:center;align-self:center}.gi-media-card__caption.gi-media-card__caption--right{-ms-flex-item-align:end;align-self:flex-end;margin-right:4vw}}.gi-media-card__caption p{margin:0;font-family:"Pratt",Georgia,"Times New Roman",Times,serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.4;margin-bottom:10px;letter-spacing:.0125rem}@media (min-width: 992px){.gi-media-card__caption p{font-size:1.35rem;line-height:1.45}}@media (min-width: 768px){.gi-media-card__caption{max-width:620px}}.gi-media-card__caption i{font-family:"Pratt-Italic",Georgia,"Times New Roman",Times,serif;font-style:normal}.gi-media-card__caption b{font-family:"Pratt-Bold",Georgia,"Times New Roman",Times,serif;font-weight:normal}.gi-media-card__text{padding:1.2rem 1.5rem 1rem 1.5rem}@media (min-width: 768px){.gi-media-card__text{padding:1.4rem 1.8rem 1.3rem}}.gi-media-card__text :last-child{margin-bottom:0}.gi-media-card__title{font-family:"Pratt-Bold",Georgia,"Times New Roman",Times,serif;font-size:1.4rem;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:.0125rem;color:#fff;margin-bottom:.75rem}.gi-media-card__title b{font-family:"Pratt-Bold",Georgia,"Times New Roman",Times,serif}.gi-media-card__title span{font-family:"Pratt",Georgia,"Times New Roman",Times,serif}@media (min-width: 768px){.gi-media-card__title{font-size:1.8rem;line-height:1.3;margin-bottom:1rem}}.gi-media-card__credit{position:absolute;bottom:.4rem;left:1rem;font-family:"GMsanC-Regular","Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:.65rem;color:#000;text-transform:uppercase;line-height:1.5;letter-spacing:.0625rem}.js-gi-mediacard.light .gi-media-card__credit{color:#000;text-shadow:0px 0px 20px rgba(255,255,255,0.6)}.js-gi-mediacard.dark .gi-media-card__credit{color:#fff;text-shadow:0px 0px 20px rgba(0,0,0,0.6)}@media (min-width: 768px){.gi-media-card__credit{font-size:.75rem}}.gi-lazyimage,.gi-lazyimage--autosizes{opacity:0;-webkit-transition:opacity 500ms;transition:opacity 500ms}.gi-lazyimage--loaded{opacity:1} Astronomers are revelling in the latest images from Euclid, a minivan-sized satellite whose panoramas of the deep cosmos are intended to shed light on the nature and evolution of the universe as a whole.