Launched on July 1, 2023, from Cape Canaveral, Florida, the European Space Agency's Euclid telescope is set to create the largest and most accurate 3D map of the universe.

The mission aims to investigate the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy, which are believed to constitute about 95% of the universe.

Dark matter, which makes up approximately 85% of the universe's total matter, and dark energy, linked to the universe's accelerating expansion, remain undetectable due to their lack of interaction with light.

Over the course of its six-year mission, Euclid will catalog 1.5 billion galaxies and provide critical data on their mass and star formation rates.

This first image, a 208-gigapixel mosaic, was created from 260 observations taken over two weeks in March and April 2024, covering a 132-square-degree area of the southern sky.

The observations will allow scientists to study the evolution of the universe over the past 10 billion years and how dark energy has influenced the distribution of galaxies.

The initial mosaic released represents only 1% of the total survey, yet it includes approximately 100 million stars and galaxies.

Euclid can survey an area of the sky 100 times larger than that of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, capturing detailed images of celestial objects.

The telescope's 3D mapping will provide precise estimates of galactic masses and cosmic expansion over the last 10 billion years.

The Euclid Consortium, comprising over 2,000 scientists from 300 institutions, is responsible for the mission's instruments and data analysis.

The initial images showcase intricate features such as spiral galaxies and 'galactic cirrus' clouds, enhancing our understanding of the universe.

Currently, 12% of Euclid's mission has been completed, with additional data releases planned for March 2025 and the first year of cosmology data expected in 2026.