European telescope studying the dark universe unveils new images of distant galaxies

This photo provided by the European Space Agency shows various galaxies imaged by the Euclid mission. (European Space Agency via AP)

NEW YORK — A European space telescope launched to explore the dark universe has released a trove of new data on distant galaxies.

The images and other information released Wednesday by the European Space Agency’s Euclid observatory includes a preview of three cosmic areas that the mission will spy in finer detail, mapping the shapes and locations of galaxies billions of light years away. A light year is nearly 6 trillion miles.

The observatory, which blasted off in 2023 from Florida, is creating a cosmic atlas to gain clues about how our ever-expanding universe works and how mysterious forces called dark energy and dark matter may play a role. The elusive duo make up most of our universe, but researchers don’t know exactly what they are.

Over six years of observing, the mission hopes to capture glamour shots of over 1.5 billion galaxies.

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Adithi Ramakrishnan, The Associated Press