Thousands and thousands of stars. 1000’s of hidden worlds. One unprecedented view of our galaxy.
Three years since launch, ESA’s Euclid area telescope reveals the Milky Approach galaxy’s centre in extraordinary element: a mosaic of tens of tens of millions of stars captured in simply 26 hours.However that is greater than a picture. It’s a map of stellar evolution, from darkish clouds the place stars are being born to historical populations packed into the galactic bulge.
And hidden inside this dense area of sunshine are planets we can’t see instantly.
By gravitational microlensing, astronomers detect distant worlds by measuring tiny, short-term modifications in gentle as stars cross in entrance of each other, revealing planets and even their lots by way of gravity alone.
Euclid, initially constructed to discover darkish matter and darkish vitality, is now serving to open a brand new window on our personal galaxy, and the unseen worlds inside it.
