ESA Euclid Captures 60M Stars in Highest-Resolution Milky Way Image

The European Space Agency's Euclid mission has produced the highest-resolution image ever taken of the Milky Way's galactic bulge, capturing over 60 million stars. Released in March 2025, the visible-light photograph reveals the dense, glowing center of our galaxy, including nebulae, bright star clusters, and molecular clouds. The image enables scientists to search for exoplanets via microlensing, monitoring tiny changes in starlight over time. ESA notes that Euclid's sharpness and sensitivity in visible light are comparable to the Hubble Space Telescope's wide field camera, but each Euclid pointing covers an area 270 times larger than Hubble's field of view. To observe the same mosaic, the Keck Observatory would need approximately 2,000 hours. The galactic bulge consists mainly of old, cooler stars, giving it a characteristic yellow color. The image is available for zooming on ESASky.