Scientists are hopeful that a European probe, set to launch into space in a few weeks, will shed light on the mysteries of the dark side of the cosmos. The Euclid mission, with a budget of €1 billion ($1.10 billion), aims to investigate the enigmatic components of the universe: dark matter and dark energy.
Dark matter and dark energy are both invisible to astronomers, making their existence only inferable through their influence on the behavior of galaxies and stars. Understanding these dark components is crucial to comprehending the universe, according to astrophysicist Prof Andy Taylor from Edinburgh University, who emphasized the significance of the Euclid mission in unraveling these mysteries.
The UK scientists played a vital role in the construction and design of the probe. Prof Taylor highlighted the project’s fundamental importance and its readiness for launch, stating that Euclid was identified as the biggest and most significant undertaking they could pursue.
Originally planned to be launched on a Russian Soyuz rocket, the collaboration was halted due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Consequently, the European Space Agency forged a partnership with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to utilize the Falcon 9 rocket. The launch of Euclid is scheduled for July 1, with the spacecraft traveling across the solar system to its destination at the second Lagrange point, located 150 million km from Earth. From this vantage point, Euclid will survey deep space, aided by the positioning of the Earth, moon, and sun behind it. This two-tonne spacecraft will then commence its comprehensive survey of the night sky, capable of covering a third of it simultaneously and providing an intricate celestial map.
Astronomer Stephen Wilkins from Sussex University praised Euclid’s capabilities, noting its resolution power equivalent to that of the Hubble space telescope but with a broader survey range. The mission aims to utilize gravitational lensing caused by dark matter to gain insights into its composition. Prof Mathilde Jouzac from Durham University explained that different lensing patterns would indicate whether dark matter consists of light particles or large particles. This information will guide the search for dark matter particles on Earth.
The Euclid mission holds immense potential to deepen our understanding of the universe, offering valuable insights into the nature of dark matter and dark energy.
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