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ESA's Euclid Maps 60 Million Bulge Stars in Record Survey

6/27/2026

Summary

Euclid Maps Galactic Bulge

ESA’s Euclid telescope mapped >60 million stars in the Milky Way’s central bulge on 23-24 March 2025.
The 26-hour survey produced the largest high-resolution visible-light portrait of the galaxy’s heart.
Nine Moon-sized pointings stitched together match Hubble’s sharpness while covering 270 times more area per pointing.
The data, including 51 known planetary systems, will support microlensing searches, aid NASA’s Roman in verifying faint planets, and improve Milky Way models, black holes and rogue planets.

Summary

Euclid Captures Bulge

Euclid recorded a 26-hour mosaic of the galactic bulge on 23 March 2025, stitching nine fields each larger than the Moon.
The black-and-white image was later coloured with data from the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope and processed by J.-C. Cuillandre and E. Bertin of CEA Paris-Saclay.
Operating from the Lagrange-2 point 1.5 million km from Earth, Euclid captured the bulge behind the dark foreground cloud LDN 10.

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Euclid Maps Galactic Bulge

ESA’s Euclid telescope mapped >60 million stars in the Milky Way’s central bulge on 23-24 March 2025.
The 26-hour survey produced the largest high-resolution visible-light portrait of the galaxy’s heart.
Nine Moon-sized pointings stitched together match Hubble’s sharpness while covering 270 times more area per pointing.
The data, including 51 known planetary systems, will support microlensing searches, aid NASA’s Roman in verifying faint planets, and improve Milky Way models, black holes and rogue planets.

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