The European Space Agency has unveiled images of a nursery of baby stars, known as Messier 78, taken by the Euclid space telescope. Euclid uses both visible and infrared light to capture images, and its infrared camera, in particular, has allowed it to reveal previously concealed regions within the star nursery. 

Euclid also captured images of NGC 6744, a spiral galaxy. The space telescope’s findings will enable scientists to count individual stars, as well as the distribution of stars throughout the galaxy, allowing for new opportunities to deepen our understanding of galaxy formation. 

According to Valeria Pettorino, ESA’s Euclid Project Scientist, “The images and associated science findings are impressively diverse in terms of the objects and distances observed. They include a variety of science applications, and yet represent a mere 24 hours of observations. They give just a hint of what Euclid can do. We are looking forward to six more years of data to come!”

Over the course of several years, Euclid's mission will observe billions of galaxies. “It’s no exaggeration to say that the results we’re seeing from Euclid are unprecedented,” ESA Director of Science, Prof. Carole Mundell stated.