The Euclid space telescope was launched into space; Everything you need to know about the Euclid telescope

The European Space Agency launched the Euclid telescope a few days ago. The Euclid telescope is supposed to reveal the most important secrets of the universe that have been hidden from the eyes of scientists until now.

For a long time, the James Webb space telescope has dominated the space news and every now and then it surprises astronomers and all those interested in the world outside the planet with a new image. Now the European Space Agency wants to make headlines by launching an extremely powerful space telescope. The Euclid Space Telescope wants to address two of the biggest mysteries of the universe: dark matter and dark energy.

The European Space Agency’s effort to reveal the secret of the universe with the Euclid telescope

All the stars, planets and everything we see in space make up only 5% of the entire universe and the remaining 95% is made up of dark matter and dark energy. Although, unfortunately, it is not possible to see them directly. Despite this, scientists have been able to confirm their existence in many galaxies using their gravitational influence.

Although there have been many limitations in this direction. Things that the Euclid Space Telescope is expected to solve to some extent with its extremely wide field of view. In the following, we will have a look at the details of this telescope and the secrets it has to reveal.

Specifications of the Euclid Space Telescope

This powerful telescope bears the name of the famous ancient Greek mathematician. Of course, Euclid is also known as the father of geometry. The Euclid space telescope is 4.5 meters long and its diameter reaches 1.3 meters. This telescope is accompanied by two scientific instruments. A near-infrared camera that will measure the distance and brightness of galaxies, and a visible-light camera that will study their shape.

These two scientific instruments are not very special and are seen in many telescopes. What makes them special is the very wide field of view of the telescope. The European Space Agency has planned a six-year mission for this telescope, by the end of which it is supposed to evaluate one third of the entire night sky and more than a billion galaxies. Also, the Euclid space telescope should have a look at 10 billion years ago. In this case, it can be said that James Webb has the upper hand; Because he was able to record an image from 13 billion years ago.

Once the Euclid telescope data is collected, scientists will use it to create two maps of the universe. The first map details how dark matter is distributed around the universe and will be produced thanks to gravitational convergence. Gravitational convergence occurs when a supermassive celestial body bends the fabric of space-time, causing light received from more distant sources to bend. In this case, objects that are further away will be visible as if placed in front of a magnifying glass.

The second map will be drawn with the help of baryonic acoustic oscillation (BOA). Baryonic acoustic oscillations are large fluctuations in the density of matter that occurred when the universe was in its early stages. Astronomers think of the BOA as a space line that is equivalent to 490 million light years in today’s universe. BOA measurement can provide significant information about dark energy.

The nature of dark matter

Dark matter is a type of matter that has a mysterious and almost contradictory nature. This material constitutes 85% of all materials in the universe; But because it does not directly interact with light, it is completely hidden. So how do we know that such a thing exists externally at all? Dark matter is invisible; But its gravitational interactions with the surrounding environment make it obvious.

This presence can be seen in the strong gravitational influence on galaxies or when stars are orbiting the galactic center at an inexplicable speed. Scientists are still unsure about the composition of dark matter. Some theories believe that the composite matter is composed of hypothetical particles called WIMPs (Weakly Interacting Heavy Particles). Each of these particles has a weight between 10 and 100 times that of a proton, and of course, they can be a suitable answer for scientists’ questions.

On the other hand, some think that the substance of the compound consists of a particle called an axion, whose mass is one billionth of an electron. Currently, scientists have not been able to find a way to prove this. Unless the Euclid Space Telescope can provide significant information in this regard.

The nature of dark energy

Except for the dark attribute, dark matter and dark energy do not have much in common. Dark energy is the name given by scientists to a mysterious phenomenon. Considering the amount of matter in the universe and the strength of gravity, the universe should not expand; But the universe is expanding at a high speed. In explaining this, scientists have said that there is probably an unknown energy in the fabric of the world that pushes everything outward.

NASA estimates that overall, 68% of the universe is made up of dark energy, 27% is dark matter, and everything we see makes up only 5% of the universe.

Euclid’s route of travel

It is interesting to know that initially the Euclid space telescope was supposed to be launched by the Russian Soyuz rocket. However, after the start of the Russia-Ukraine war and Moscow sanctions, the program was stopped and the Europeans turned to Elon Musk. The Euclid telescope has a month-long journey in space before it can reach a stable point 1.5 million kilometers from Earth, called the second Lagrange point. The James Webb Telescope is also located nearby.

Some scientists think that it is a great shame that 95% of the world remains unknown to humans. This is what made the Euclid space telescope mission so important in identifying the nature of matter and dark energy. Interestingly, this telescope can also identify other attractive celestial objects such as black holes in distant places. After that, the James Webb telescope will be able to examine it in more detail.

The European Space Agency announced that the project cost 1.5 billion dollars, of which the organization will cover 70%. The remaining 30% is paid by the Euclid consortium consisting of 15 countries.