ESA’s Euclid Space Telescope has successfully mapped over 60 million stars in the Milky Way’s central bulge, creating the largest high-resolution visible light portrait of this region. Explore the vibrant heart of our galaxy and step into a new realm of space exploration.
This stunning image of the Milky Way’s core was captured by ESA’s Euclid Space Telescope on March 23, 2025. Image credits: ESA / Euclid / Euclid Consortium / NASA / CFHT / J.-C. Cuillandre & E. Bertin, CEA Paris-Saclay.
The Euclid telescope is expertly designed to observe billions of distant galaxies. Its advanced visible-light camera can differentiate individual stars within the densely packed galactic bulge without losing clarity,” stated Euclid team members.
This remarkable capability is crucial for scientists aiming to study exoplanets around other stars through a technique known as microlensing.
In merely 26 hours on March 23 and 24, 2025, Euclid produced this extensive image.
Beyond 60 million stars, the telescope also documented nebulae and star clusters.
“This mosaic comprises nine directional views from visible-light cameras, each encompassing an area greater than the full moon,” the astronomers explained.
“When compared to Hubble’s wide-field camera, Euclid’s sharpness and sensitivity in visible light are remarkably impressive,” they added.
“Each point captured by Euclid in just hours represents an area 270 times larger than Hubble’s field of vision.”
To replicate the detailed mosaics created by Euclid would require approximately 2,000 hours at the Keck Observatory,” they noted.
“With its speed and ability to detect faint stars, Euclid reveals details that ground-based observations may overlook.”
This groundbreaking image complements the work of the Roman Space Telescope, sanctioned by NASA, which aims to advance planetary exploration.
“This marks a unique occasion where Euclid momentarily set aside its standard cosmological sky surveys,” remarked Dr. Jason Rose, astronomer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
“Such endeavors require significant effort and planning, underscoring their substantial scientific impact.”
“Integrating Euclid’s snapshots with Roman’s future surveys will enable a more precise mapping of the galaxy and enhance our chances of discovering elusive cosmic treasures like orphaned black holes and rogue planets.”
Dr. Matthew Penny, an astronomer at Louisiana State University and co-leader of the Euclidean Exoplanet Science Working Group, emphasized: “The Euclidean observations present an exciting opportunity to refine and test our Milky Way model.”
Source: www.sci.news
