The Euclid telescope released its first five science images on Tuesday, giving a detailed and breathtaking view of our cosmos.

Euclid was launched by the European Space Agency in July with the aim of creating a detailed map of a third of the sky by observing billions of galaxies across 10 billion light-years. With such a map, scientists hope to learn how the mysterious forces of dark matter and dark energy have affected the structure and expansion of the early universe.

While other telescopes such as Hubble and James Webb Space Telescope are designed to focus on a tiny area of the sky, Euclid was designed to take wide-angle images of enormous expanses of the universe.

Revolutionary: The European Space Agency described one of the five images as “a revolution for astronomy.” It depicts the Perseus Cluster, with a thousand galaxies about 240 million light-years away. The incredibly detailed background reveals more than 100,000 additional galaxies over 10 billion light-years away, many of which have never been seen before.

Another stunning image was that of the Horsehead Nebula, a star factory 1,375 light-years from Earth with a red cloud in the shape of a horse. The other images showed a spiral galaxy (IC 342), an irregular dwarf galaxy (NGC 6822) and a globular cluster (NGC 6397).

Dark matter? In his booklet Our Awesome Universe Potential, Joel Hilliker explains how God may have revealed the existence of dark matter to Job. In Job 38:19-20, God asks: “[T]ell me about the darkness. Where does it come from? Can you find its boundaries, or go to its source?” (Living Bible). Mr. Hilliker writes:

Perhaps “dark matter” is actually the invisible power of God holding the universe together. …

Hebrews 1:3 says that Jesus Christ is “upholding the universe by his word of power” (Revised Standard Version). Upholding comes from a Greek word meaning to bear or carry. … God holds together and sustains the universe by His power. Whatever “dark matter” actually is, we know that God created all things—both visible and invisible—and that He is the Sustainer of the universe.

Astonishing potential: The inspiring images from Euclid declare our marvelous Creator (Psalm 19:1) and give us another look at the extent of His creation.

God formed the heavens to be inhabited, Isaiah 45:18 says. Hebrews 2:8 explains that “all things” will be put in subjection under man. Ultimately, God wants to give mankind the entire universe!

To learn more about our vast universe and the incredible role you will have in it, request our free booklet Our Awesome Universe Potential.