ESA’s Euclid Telescope Charts Over a Million Galaxies in Landmark First Data

During the initial year, the Euclid space telescope of ESA was able to view approximately 1.2 million galaxies, which developed an extensive survey of the universe. It will map the cosmic structure over an unprecedented space, up to 10 billion light-years, with the sharpness of resolution and a broad field of view. This tremendous data enables Plutarch to know the reason why galaxies assume various shapes, and how they develop, including the role played by their central supermassive black holes.

Mapping the Cosmos

According to a report by Space.com, the Euclid telescope of ESA was launched in 2023, and it will have a six-year mission to map the universe. During the initial year in operation, the wide-field cameras of Euclid captured approximately 1.2 million galaxies. Its initial release of data (March 2025) will also only refer to around 0.5% of the planned survey, but list a million galaxies.

With an unparalleled blend of image clarity and large sky area, Euclid provides astronomers with an opportunity to systematically examine the shapes of galaxies over cosmic distances in the first instance.

Galaxies and Black Holes

Euclid data have already produced a new “galactic tuning fork” (similar to Hubble's sequence) showing young blue star-forming galaxies gradually evolving into larger red ellipticals as they merge. Astronomers have found dozens of galaxies with double cores – each harbouring a supermassive black hole.

As galaxies collide, these twin black holes spiral together and finally merge into a single larger black hole. The telescope also revealed that most galaxies are actually faint dwarf galaxies, many with bright central cores. These dwarfs are thought to merge over time to build larger galaxies.