ESA’s Euclid space telescope has been providing valuable data from the depths of space for almost two years. With its help, the largest and most accurate 3D map of the universe to date is to be created, with billions of stars and galaxies. The data from Euclid is analyzed by the international Euclid consortium, which also includes the research teams of Francine Marleau and Tim Schrabback at the University of Innsbruck.
From 25 Euclid images, astronomer Marleau and her team at the Department of Astro- and Particle Physics at the University of Innsbruck have now discovered a total of 2,674 dwarf galaxies and created a catalogue of dwarf galaxy candidates. Using a semi-automatic method, the scientists have identified candidates and analyzed and described them in detail.
“Of the galaxies identified, 58% are elliptical dwarf galaxies, 42% are irregular galaxies and a few are rich in globular clusters (1%), galactic nuclei (4%) and a noticeable fraction (6.9%) of dwarfs with blue compact centers,” say Marlon Fügenschuh and Selin Sprenger from Marleau’s team.
Testing cosmological models
The study, posted to the arXiv preprint server, provides insights into the morphology, distance, stellar mass, and environmental context of dwarf galaxies. As part of the Euclid project, Marleau is investigating the formation and development of galaxies, especially dwarf galaxies, the most numerous galaxies in the universe, whose abundance and distribution provide critical tests for cosmological models.
“We took advantage of the unprecedented depth, spatial resolution, and field of view of the Euclid Data. This work highlights Euclid’s remarkable ability to detect and characterize dwarf galaxies, enabling a comprehensive view of galaxy formation and evolution across diverse mass scales, distances, and environments”, emphasizes Marleau.
Deep look into the universe
The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Euclid space telescope was launched on 1 July 2023. Scientists hope to learn more about the previously unexplored dark matter and dark energy that make up the universe. The international Euclid consortium analyzes the data. Over the next few years, the 1.2-meter-diameter space telescope will create the largest and most accurate 3D map of the universe and observe billions of galaxies.
Euclid can use this map to reveal how the universe expanded after the Big Bang and how the structures in the universe have developed. This gives scientists more clues to better understand the role of gravity and the nature of dark energy and dark matter.
More than 2,000 scientists from about 300 institutes and laboratories are jointly analyzing the mission data, which are also supplemented by ground-based telescopes.
More information:
F. R. Marleau et al, Euclid: Quick Data Release (Q1) — A census of dwarf galaxies across a range of distances and environments, arXiv (2025). DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2503.15335
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University of Innsbruck
Citation:
Astronomers discover 2,674 dwarf galaxies using Euclid telescope (2025, March 20)
