Title: Euclid Mission Sets Off on a Quest to Unlock the Secrets of the Dark Universe
Euclid, the European mission aiming to explore the enigmatic and uncharted regions of the universe, successfully lifted off on Saturday aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
The much-anticipated launch occurred at 15:12 GMT. Following its separation from the rocket, Euclid will embark on a voyage towards Lagrange 2, a distant point located approximately 1.5 million kilometers away from Earth. This location is home to significant telescopes such as Gaia and James Webb.
Over the next six years, Euclid will conduct observations of billions of galaxies, spanning a distance of up to 10 billion light years, covering more than one-third of the sky. The primary objective of this mission is to construct the most comprehensive and precise 3D catalog of the universe, thereby shedding light on the nature of matter and dark energy.
This mission holds great significance as Euclid will be venturing further than ever before. It presents an opportunity to either confirm the cosmological Standard Model or unveil alternative equations that may offer a better understanding of the universe’s intricacies.
With a budget of 1.4 billion euros (approximately 1.53 billion dollars), Euclid has garnered participation from Spanish companies and research centers. Together, they aim to provide new insights into the mysterious and obscure aspects of the universe.
By creating a three-dimensional map of the universe, Euclid will amass valuable information concerning the shapes, positions, and distances of galaxies. This data will contribute to advancing our knowledge of matter, dark energy, the evolution of the universe, as well as our comprehension of gravity.
Normal matter, constituting merely 5% of the cosmos, includes the planets, stars, and galaxies. The remaining 95% is composed of dark energy (about 70% of the universe) and dark matter (25%), components that continue to baffle cosmologists in their quest for explanation.
As Euclid embarks on its cosmic odyssey, astronomers and scientists anticipate groundbreaking discoveries that could potentially transform our understanding of the universe and its mysterious contents.