The Euclid space telescope, launched by the European Space Agency in 2023, has captured the most detailed image of the Milky Way’s center, revealing 60 million stars. This image, taken over 26 hours in March 2025, is part of Euclid’s mission to explore dark matter and dark energy by mapping one-third of the sky. The photograph, enhanced with color from the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, will aid in studying exoplanets, or planets outside our Solar System. Although new exoplanets are unlikely to be discovered directly from this image, it will help scientists measure the mass of known planets using microlensing, a technique where a star’s gravity magnifies the light of another star. This method has already led to the discovery of nearly 300 exoplanets. The image includes 51 known planetary systems and will support future studies of many more.
QUESTION: How might the discoveries made possible by the Euclid telescope influence our understanding of the universe and our place within it?
Telescope snaps most detailed photo yet of Milky Way’s heart
