Euclid Captures 60 Million-Star Milky Way Image, Aiding Exoplanet Mass Measurements
Updated
Updated · WIRED · Jun 28
Euclid Captures 60 Million-Star Milky Way Image, Aiding Exoplanet Mass Measurements
3 articles · Updated · WIRED · Jun 28
Summary
A 26-hour Euclid campaign produced the largest, most detailed visible-light image yet of the Milky Way’s galactic bulge, a nine-pointing mosaic showing more than 60 million stars plus nebulae and star clusters.
That crowded central region is ideal for gravitational microlensing, and ESA says the image will help confirm exoplanets and measure their masses more precisely by providing pre-alignment views of stars involved in future events.
Euclid did not discover new microlensing events during the short observation window, but the dataset already includes 51 known planetary systems and can serve as a reference archive for NASA’s Roman telescope, due to launch later this year.
The result also highlights Euclid’s unusual reach: each visible-light pointing covers an area 270 times Hubble’s field of view, while Keck would need about 2,000 hours to match the same mosaic.
How will this 2025 image help the Roman telescope, launching this year, find planets that would otherwise be missed?
Euclid was built for dark energy, so what other cosmic mysteries might it accidentally solve with its powerful gaze?
Euclid and Roman’s Unbiased Exoplanet Census: A New Era for Galactic Discovery and International Space Collaboration
Overview
In March 2025, the European Space Agency's Euclid space telescope captured an unprecedented visible-light image of the Milky Way's bustling core, marking a significant moment for galactic astronomy. By strategically focusing on the star-dense center of our galaxy, Euclid provided a detailed view that enables the detection of microlensing events. These events are crucial for identifying exoplanets and understanding the distribution of matter in the galactic bulge. The mission's approach was driven by the need to observe areas rich with stars, making Euclid's observation a major step forward in exploring the heart of our galaxy.