Nina Droff, edited by Yanis Darras 07:05, February 22, 2023

The European Space Agency (ESA) presented its new Euclid space telescope on Tuesday, which will go into space next summer.

Objective for the latter: to unravel the mystery of "dark matter", an essential element in our universe, and better understand why the universe is expanding.

Why is the universe growing?

The question fascinates scientists and space enthusiasts.

So, to understand this fact a little better, the European Space Agency is launching its new flagship: the Euclid telescope, an equivalent of James Webb's American telescope.

Objective of the new happy European space: unlock the secrets of dark matter. 

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Better understand dark matter

An enigmatic dark matter which represents more than a quarter of the universe and which nevertheless remains a real mystery for researchers.

With its mirror 1.2 meters in diameter and its precision, the Euclid telescope will be able to observe it and even determine how it has evolved over the last ten billion years.

With this little technological gem unveiled at Cannes this week, "we will be able to make a map of the ancient dark matter and find out how it was distributed in the universe. It will also help us to know what this dark matter really is, because we don't know at the moment," project manager Giuseppe Racca told Europe 1. 

A map of the universe soon drawn up? 

Valuable data that could allow the realization of a new 3D map of the universe in the short term.

"After only a few months in space, Euclid will have observed more galaxies than any other mission or observatory so far. It will really serve us in cosmology and astronomy", notes the scientist. 

Next step for the telescope: leave Earth next July, aboard a Space X rocket, which will take off from Florida, before starting its mission, which will last nearly six years.