The European Space Agency (ESA) has released the first scientific results from the Euclid Space Telescope, which was launched in July 2023. Among these results are scientific images that vividly display a brilliant galaxy cluster, nearby spiral galaxies, and a colorful interstellar gas cloud teeming with hundreds of thousands of young stars. These images offer a breathtaking view into the wonders of the universe.
Moreover, a set of mosaic images captured by the space telescope has detected over 14 million galaxies, presenting the "cosmic map" for the first time. This has significantly enhanced our understanding of the roles played by dark matter and dark energy in the cosmic structure. Composed of 260 individual images, this huge map represents the first display of the largest and most accurate cosmic map ever drawn by the Euclid Space Telescope.
In the next six years, the Euclid Space Telescope will automatically scan approximately one - third of the night sky. Researchers anticipate that the final map will reveal around 8 billion galaxies, each containing billions of stars and spanning 10 billion years of cosmic history. This continuous exploration is set to unlock more secrets of the universe and deepen our knowledge of its vast expanse.
