Dark matter and dark energy are the two most significant unknowns in space. The European spacecraft “Euclid” is now expected to advance knowledge of these two phenomena, about which little is now known.
On Saturday, a Falcon 9 rocket from the US corporation SpaceX launched the European Space Agency’s ESA spacecraft from the US spaceport Cape Canaveral. The probe sent its first signal from space a little less than an hour later. The European Space Agency said that Euclid would soon solve the cosmic puzzle of dark matter and dark energy. Josef Aschbacher, director general of the ESA, remarked, “The atmosphere is very, very good here.”
“Euclid” is intended to dispel the shadows:
According to a statement made following the probe’s launch, Joseph Mohr from Munich’s Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) remarked:
“Euclid” represents a quantum leap in humankind’s capacity to understand the creation and evolution of the cosmos.”
Dark energy and dark matter make up a sizable portion of the universe. According to Giuseppe Racca, the program manager for “Euclid” at the ESA, all other known components, such as stars, planets, our Milky Way, and other galaxies, make up just around 5% of the universe. Cosmology is in a situation that can be called embarrassing.
Space is governed by dark energy and dark matter. Astrophysicist David Elbaz stated that there is more gravity in the universe than would be expected based on what is observable. The Sun should leave the Milky Way galaxy because it is rotating so quickly around the galactic center. And if it doesn’t erupt, it must be drawn to another mass that we are unable to see. It’s dark matter there. On the other hand, dark energy explains a form of anti-gravity that causes galaxies to appear to reject one another. Both are very challenging to study.
A Look at the Universe’s History:
“Euclid” ought should now illuminate the situation. Astrophysicist Elbaz describes the goal of the project as “making the invisible visible.” A high-resolution telescope is at the center of the probe, which is about 4.7 meters long, and 3.5 meters wide, and weighs a little under two tons. This has two cameras, one for the visible spectrum and the other for the near-infrared spectrum.
Related Content: SpaceTech startup, Look Up Space, snaps €14M in funding
Esa hopes to use the telescope to examine the universe’s past and examine how it has changed over the past 10 billion years. Incorporate time as the third dimension of your 3D map as well. Millions of galaxies’ worth of data will be gathered in total.
A mission worth €1.4 Billion:
The expedition is intended to demonstrate how the cosmos has grown and how specific structures were created, according to researchers. They want to infer things about dark matter and dark energy from this, as well as comprehend the connection between dark matter and gravity. The Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics’ Jochen Weller was enthusiastic: “Euclid will allow us to test Einstein’s theory of gravity at long distances and, who knows? – maybe we need to expand his theory.”
First off, the six-year expedition, which will cost over 1.4 billion euros and involve more than 20 nations, is planned. The spacecraft “Euclid” will travel around 1.5 million kilometers. The probe should be there in roughly a month. The telescope is checked and the instruments are turned on after a few tests. The mission is planned to begin its serious job in the fall and produce the first photographs after a two-month test phase in which only routine observations are taken.
The data gathered by “Euclid” can be very useful for research. The “Euclid” program manager, Racca, anticipates that in the first year of the mission, more data will be made accessible on extragalactic astronomy than has been made available from any previous mission of a similar nature thus far. “Euclid” will likely overwhelm the scientific community with an unprecedented volume of data, in my opinion. As a result, Europe might become a global leader in the study of dark matter and dark energy, according to Ralf Bender of the Max Planck Institute.
Astrophysicist Elbaz predicts that approximately a year and a half after “Euclid” launches, we should finally have a better knowledge of dark matter. However, it is uncertain what long-term findings the mission will provide. It is hard to predict the effects of improving physics knowledge and what “Euclid” will tell us today.
