The Image of the Milky Way<\/p>\n
Euclid\u2019s image has captured over 60 million stars, as well as nebulae and star clusters, found at the centre of the galaxy<\/a> \u2013 a densely populated region that is an ideal place to search for exoplanets via gravitational microlensing.<\/p>\n \u201c[For scientists] to detect microlensing, it is necessary to observe portions of the sky crowded with stars, such as those near the centre of our galaxy, \u201d explained Jean-Philippe Beaulieu, the lead researcher of the observation campaign<\/a>. \u201cOver the past 20 years, nearly 300 exoplanets have been discovered using this technique, all with ground-based telescopes and all in the direction of the centre of our galaxy. This image from Euclid includes 51 known planetary systems and will contribute to the study of many others that will be identified.\u201d<\/p>\n Measuring Planetary Masses<\/p>\n Although detecting a microlensing event takes several weeks \u2013 which means no new ones were identified during Euclid\u2019s short timeframe of few hours \u2013 what makes this image important is that it provides the data needed to measure the masses of already known planets, as well as those of yet to be discovered.<\/p>\n \u201cIn 24 hours, Euclid has already captured the stars involved in all future microlensing events that the Roman Space Telescope will detect \u2013 but before the stars and planets involved have aligned, \u201d said Natalia Rektsini, who led the data release. \u201cThis means that anyone who detects a microlensing event in the same region \u2013 for example, with Roman \u2013 will now be able to use Euclid\u2019s data as a temporal reference in the past and see what the stars looked like before they overlapped,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n Essentially, Euclid\u2019s data will serve as a reference archive for future missions and will enable the study of exoplanets and their masses.<\/p>\n \u201cEuclid has provided unique data on the centre of the Milky Way, offering a broad and clear view of this region,\u201d said Valeria Pettorino, scientific lead for the Euclid project at ESA. \u201cThis data can also be used for other scientific applications, ranging from brown dwarfs and binary stars to stellar motions and dust within our galaxy.\u201d<\/p>\n