Euclid views the core of the Messier 81 galaxy group

ensci_euclid20261112d November 12th, 2026

Credit: ESA/Euclid/Euclid Consortium/NASA, image processing by J.-C. Cuillandre and E. Bertin, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

On 12 November 2026, ESA’s Euclid space telescope released its first major batch of data: DR1-Foundation.

As part of this very large data release, Euclid observed the beautiful core of the Messier 81 galaxy group, part of which is shown here. The group’s largest galaxy, Messier 81, lies to the right, with the smaller NGC 3077 to the left, and other smaller members scattered across the frame. Wispy blue-hued cloud can also be seen – these filaments of foreground cloud are known as ‘galactic cirrus’, and are part of our own home galaxy.

Messier 81 is a ‘grand design’ spiral galaxy, meaning that it has a bright centre and well-defined spiral arms rich in gas and dust. Its immense gravity influences the galaxies near to it, including NGC 3077. It triggers bursts of active star formation within these galactic neighbours and alters their shape over time. The Messier 81 galaxy group lies around 12 million light-years away from us.

This image covers an area of sky around five times as big as the full Moon (around 1 deg2), and took Euclid just over an hour to capture.

Provider: Euclid

Image Source: https://euclid.caltech.edu/image/euclid20261112d-euclid-views-the-core-of-the-messier-81-galaxy-group

Image Use Policy: CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO or ESA Standard Licence