A deep-space telescope on a grand mission to make the largest-ever 3D map of the universe just peered into the star-filled heart of the Milky Way. In the new observations, shared Wednesday (June 24), the Euclid space telescope imaged the center of the Milky Way in extraordinary detail, showing off more than 60 million stars crowded in the galaxy’s center.
The shiny new image from the European Space Agency (ESA) spacecraft will help astronomers confirm newfound exoplanets and use changes in starlight to measure those planets’ masses as they orbit their parent stars, according to ESA scientists.
The image was taken in 26 cumulative hours in March 2025, across nine pointings of the telescope’s visible-light camera toward the galaxy’s center, also called the galactic bulge. Each viewpoint captured a slice of sky larger than the full moon. In a statement, ESA praised the performance of Euclid under challenging conditions.
“Designed to observe billions of faraway galaxies, the space telescope’s visible-light camera is sensitive enough to tell apart individual stars in our super-crowded galactic bulge, without being blinded,” agency officials wrote.
The mosaic image will help NASA‘s Nancy Grace Roman Telescope with its upcoming planet-hunting mission, after that observatory launches aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida no earlier than Aug. 30.
One way the Roman telescope will search for new worlds is through microlensing, the same technique that can be used to examine exoplanets in the new Euclid image. Microlensing happens when one star passes in front of another from the perspective of an observer. The gravity of the closer-up star briefly bends and magnifies the light of the star behind it, allowing possibly unseen planets to pop up near that star.
An image of the Milky Way as seen from Earth, showing two zooms of Euclid’s target area.
(Image credit: ESA/Euclid/Euclid Consortium/NASA, CFHT, ESA/Gaia/DPAC,image processing by J.-C. Cuillandre and E. Bertin (CEA Paris-Saclay))
“During the last 20 years, almost 300 exoplanets have been discovered using this technique, all with ground-based telescopes and all towards the centre of our galaxy,” Jean-Philippe Beaulieu, who initiated the Euclid galactic bulge survey and co-led the Euclid Consortium’s exoplanet working group, said in the ESA statement.
Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox.
“This image from Euclid includes 51 known planetary systems — and it will assist in studying many more that will be found,” added Beaulieu, who holds positions at the Paris Institute of Astrophysics and the University of Tasmania in Australia.
An infographic showing how Euclid sees across the Milky Way, into the galaxy’s central bulge. The bottom panels illustrate the diversity of structures in Euclid’s field of view.
(Image credit: ESA/Euclid/Euclid Consortium/NASA, CFHT, image processing by J.-C. Cuillandre and E. Bertin (CEA Paris-Saclay); Milky Way artist impressions: ESA/Gaia/DPAC, Stefan Payne-Wardenaar))
A cosmic time capsule
Euclid’s observing window was too short to find a microlensing event, which requires more than 20 days of examining one star to watch for a planet’s orbit and associated changes in the star’s light. But Euclid’s work did allow astronomers to measure already-known planets. And once newer planets are confirmed by other telescopes, the image will let astronomers look back to confirm those newfound worlds’ masses.
“In 24 hours, Euclid has already captured the stars involved in all the future microlensing events that the Roman space telescope will detect, but before the stars and planets involved have aligned,” Natalia Rektsini, a postdoctoral fellow at the Paris Institute of Astrophysics who led the release of Euclid’s galactic bulge survey data, explained in the statement.
“Anyone who detects a microlensing event in the same region, for example with Roman, will be able from now on to use Euclid data as a time reference in the past and see how the stars looked before they overlapped,” she added. “Since Euclid can clearly separate individual stars, one can then measure how fast they move over time, and use that information to confirm the existence of a planet and determine its mass. This would not be possible with data from one point in time.”
How well do you know our home galaxy? Find out with our Milky Way quiz!
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Newsletter
Subscribe to our newsletter
Archaeologists excavating in northeastern France have unearthed a...
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
