ESA's Euclid Telescope Reveals Cosmic Atlas

The European Space Agency's Euclid space telescope has unveiled the first portion of its 'cosmic atlas', a 208-gigapixel mosaic documenting 14 million galaxies and tens of millions of Milky Way stars. This initial 1% of the map, covering 132 square degrees of the southern sky, is part of a six-year mission to create the largest 3D cosmic map ever, spanning one-third of the sky and up to 10 billion light-years away. The project aims to explore the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy, which make up 95% of the universe. The mosaic's release at the International Astronautical Congress in Milan showcases detailed images of galaxies, some interacting with supermassive black holes, and the Milky Way's 'galactic cirrus'. Despite initial operational challenges, Euclid's mission, supported by contributions from NASA, promises to enhance our understanding of the universe's structure and evolution.