Euclid telescope: ESA sends back picture of the cosmos

Image source, ESA/Euclid/NASA

Image caption, Check out this incredible picture that Euclid took of the sky

A new picture of space has come through from the ESA's brand new telescope, Euclid.

The image shows a huge cosmos of stars, as a part of Euclid's project to map out large amounts of the sky.

The telescope launched from Cape Canaveral, in the US, on 1 July.

These first pictures are promising for the ESA, as it shows the telescope's technology is working as expected.

What is Euclid's mission?

The picture at the top of the page is just a test image. The telescope is taking images at the moment to try and calibrate - which basically means getting all its cameras lined up and working properly.

Eventually, Euclid will be able to map the sky, observing billions of galaxies.

Image source, TAS

Image caption, Euclid will take years to generate its 3D images of the sky

Scientists hope Euclid can teach them about a mysterious scientific concept called dark matter.

It's going to be another few months before the telescope is fully functioning, but once it's working, Euclid will create the largest ever 3D map of the sky.

If you're wondering how many stars there are in the sky, or how we work it out, Dr Maggie-Ann Pocock has the answers for you!

Video caption, The Big Question - How many stars are in the sky?