The hazy disc of Messier 81, spied by Euclid

ensci_euclid20261112e 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 core of the Messier 81 galaxy group, part of which is shown here.

This image demonstrates Euclid’s full resolution, revealing the sheer amount of detail the mission is capturing about our skies.

The haze dominating the right side of the frame is the star-filled disc of Messier 81, the largest galaxy in the group. It shows how Euclid clearly captured individual stars within this disc.

Many background galaxies are visible across this image, including red-hued galaxies lying far from us and distant spirals with blue swirling arms. The loose collection of blue stars seen just left of centre is a dwarf irregular galaxy known as Holmberg IX. Gravitational interactions between Messier 81 and Messier 82 may have sparked star formation in this galaxy.

The Messier 81 galaxy group lies around 12 million light-years away from us.

Provider: Euclid

Image Source: https://euclid.caltech.edu/image/euclid20261112e-the-hazy-disc-of-messier-81-spied-by-euclid

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