By — Adithi Ramakrishnan, Associated Press Adithi Ramakrishnan, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/euclid-space-telescope-unveils-new-images-of-galaxies-billions-of-light-years-away Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Euclid space telescope unveils new images of galaxies billions of light years away Science Mar 19, 2025 4:06 PM EDT NEW YORK (AP) — A European space telescope launched to explore the dark universe has released a trove of new data on distant galaxies. READ MORE: A cradle of baby stars revealed in new European space telescope images The images and other information released Wednesday by the European Space Agency’s Euclid observatory includes a preview of three cosmic areas that the mission will spy in finer detail, mapping the shapes and locations of galaxies billions of light years away. A light year is nearly 6 trillion miles. 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. Photo provided by ESA/Euclid/Euclid Consortium/NASA, image processing by M. Walmsley, M. Huertas-Company, J.-C. Cuillandre/Handout via Reuters The observatory, which blasted off in 2023 from Florida, is creating a cosmic atlas to gain clues about how our ever-expanding universe works and how mysterious forces called dark energy and dark matter may play a role. The elusive duo make up most of our universe, but researchers don’t know exactly what they are. Over six years of observing, the mission hopes to capture glamour shots of over 1.5 billion galaxies. We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now By — Adithi Ramakrishnan, Associated Press Adithi Ramakrishnan, Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — A European space telescope launched to explore the dark universe has released a trove of new data on distant galaxies. READ MORE: A cradle of baby stars revealed in new European space telescope images The images and other information released Wednesday by the European Space Agency’s Euclid observatory includes a preview of three cosmic areas that the mission will spy in finer detail, mapping the shapes and locations of galaxies billions of light years away. A light year is nearly 6 trillion miles. 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. Photo provided by ESA/Euclid/Euclid Consortium/NASA, image processing by M. Walmsley, M. Huertas-Company, J.-C. Cuillandre/Handout via Reuters The observatory, which blasted off in 2023 from Florida, is creating a cosmic atlas to gain clues about how our ever-expanding universe works and how mysterious forces called dark energy and dark matter may play a role. The elusive duo make up most of our universe, but researchers don’t know exactly what they are. Over six years of observing, the mission hopes to capture glamour shots of over 1.5 billion galaxies. We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now