Space · Dalmatian
Euclid maps 900 million galaxies – the Dalmatian is still waiting to be counted
Der Hündeler, Edition of Thursday, 12 November 2026
What happened
The European Space Agency’s Euclid mission has revealed more than 900 million galaxies in its first major data release. It has also turned up about 15,000 potential cases of gravitational lensing, a phenomenon that could help unlock the secrets of the “dark universe”. Launched in July 2023, the mission aims to create the largest 3D map of the universe ever made, covering a third of the sky and more than 10 billion years of cosmic history.
What does this mean for your Dalmatian?
Dalmatians are born white; the spots only appear after a few weeks. Ever since, the Dalmatian has been waiting for someone to record them officially. The ESA has now catalogued 900 million dots in the sky, while the local council, when issuing the dog licence, asks only for breed and microchip number. No two spot patterns are alike, which in the Dalmatian’s own assessment makes him at least as scientifically rewarding as a galaxy cluster. He puts his absence from the dataset down to speed: a dog bred to trot for hours beside horse-drawn carriages does not sit still for any exposure time.
What you can do now: Count the spots while the dog is asleep. With a Dalmatian that is awake, no space telescope will help.