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Euclid Telescope's First Data Release Maps 26 Million Galaxies

The European Space Agency's mission to explore dark matter and dark energy unveils its initial findings, including insights into the cosmic web and 500 gravitational lensing candidates.

A combination image shows examples of galaxies in different shapes, all captured by the Euclid space telescope during its first observations of three Deep Field areas of the sky, in this handout released by the European Space Agency on March 19, 2025. As part of a Euclid data release, a detailed catalogue of more than 380,000 galaxies was published, classified according to features such as spiral arms, central bars and tidal tails that infer merging galaxies. ESA/Euclid/Euclid Consortium/NASA, image processing by M. Walmsley, M. Huertas-Company, J.-C. Cuillandre/Handout via REUTERS
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Image shows an area of a patch of sky called the Deep Field South observed by the Euclid space telescope, in this handout released by the European Space Agency on March 19, 2025. Various huge galaxy clusters are visible in this image, as well as intra-cluster light and gravitational lenses. The cluster near the center is called J041110.98-481939.3, and is located almost 6 billion light-years away. European Space Agency(ESA)/Euclid/Euclid Consortium/NASA, image processing by J.-C. Cuillandre, E. Bertin, G. Anselmi/Handout via REUTERS
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Overview

  • Euclid's first dataset covers three deep fields, representing just 0.4% of its planned survey area, and includes observations of 26 million galaxies.
  • The mission identified 500 strong gravitational lensing candidates, doubling the known total and offering new tools to study dark matter distribution.
  • AI and citizen scientists helped classify 380,000 galaxies, showcasing the collaborative approach needed to handle Euclid's vast data stream.
  • The data offers early glimpses of the cosmic web, highlighting the large-scale structure of the universe shaped by dark matter and dark energy.
  • Euclid's next major data release, scheduled for October 2026, will cover an area 30 times larger, advancing its goal to map one-third of the sky by 2030.