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.

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.