Europe Prepares to Launch Spacecraft to Observe 'Dark Side' of Universe
2023-06-26
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1The European Space Agency (ESA) is preparing to launch a spacecraft designed to study the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy across far reaches of the universe.
2The launch of ESA's Euclid spacecraft is set for July 1.
3It will lift off from Florida's Cape Canaveral launch center aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
4Euclid is a space telescope built to act as an orbiting observatory.
5It will gather data scientists hope to use to create a 3D map of the universe.
6The spacecraft is expected to observe activities in billions of galaxies and help researchers learn more about how the universe developed over the past 10 billion years.
7The main goal of the Euclid mission is to study the effects and activities of dark energy and dark matter - both of which are considered mysterious forces in the universe.
8 This is because neither of these two materials can be directly seen or felt.
9Astronomers believe dark energy makes up about 68 percent of the universe, while dark matter makes up around 27 percent, the American space agency NASA reports.
10But beyond that, very little is known about the two "dark" elements.
11Dark energy is an unidentifiable form of energy that scientists believe is responsible for helping the universe expand.
12Dark matter is a material that also affects the expansion of the universe.
13Astronomers have theorized that dark matter exists because of gravity's observed effects on galaxies and groups of galaxies.
14Leaders of the mission say Euclid was built to collect data on how the universe "has expanded and how structure has formed over cosmic history," an ESA statement says.
15With this information, scientists will attempt to explain some of the properties of dark energy, dark matter and gravity, the statement added.
16The Euclid spacecraft is 4.7 meters tall and 3.7 meters around.
17It contains two main parts, called modules.
18One module is made up of a telescope and two scientific instruments.
19The other contains satellite systems, power controllers, data processors and other equipment.
20Euclid will travel to an orbiting spot about 1.5 million kilometers from Earth.
21The area is called the second Lagrangian Point.
22This is where NASA's James Webb Space Telescope operates from, as well as ESA's orbiting observatory Gaia.
23Mission leaders say Euclid will capture images in optical and near-infrared light.
24The images will cover about one-third of the universe beyond our Milky Way galaxy.
25The quality of the images is expected to be "at least four times sharper" than others captured by ground-based telescopes, the team said.
26These images will be used to create a new, detailed 3D map of the universe.
27The first images are expected to be sent back quickly once the spacecraft's operations begin in October.
28In addition to studying dark matter and dark energy, Euclid will use its infrared instruments to collect data on hundreds of millions of galaxies and stars.
29Astronomers say this will permit them to investigate the chemical makeup and motion behaviors of many different space objects and environments in greater detail.
30NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is also based on powerful, but sensitive, infrared technology.
31This has permitted the telescope to collect data and produce images from parts of the universe that were never observable before.
32I'm Bryan Lynn.
1The European Space Agency (ESA) is preparing to launch a spacecraft designed to study the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy across far reaches of the universe. 2The launch of ESA's Euclid spacecraft is set for July 1. It will lift off from Florida's Cape Canaveral launch center aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. 3Euclid is a space telescope built to act as an orbiting observatory. It will gather data scientists hope to use to create a 3D map of the universe. The spacecraft is expected to observe activities in billions of galaxies and help researchers learn more about how the universe developed over the past 10 billion years. 4The main goal of the Euclid mission is to study the effects and activities of dark energy and dark matter - both of which are considered mysterious forces in the universe. This is because neither of these two materials can be directly seen or felt. 5Astronomers believe dark energy makes up about 68 percent of the universe, while dark matter makes up around 27 percent, the American space agency NASA reports. But beyond that, very little is known about the two "dark" elements. 6Dark energy is an unidentifiable form of energy that scientists believe is responsible for helping the universe expand. Dark matter is a material that also affects the expansion of the universe. Astronomers have theorized that dark matter exists because of gravity's observed effects on galaxies and groups of galaxies. 7Leaders of the mission say Euclid was built to collect data on how the universe "has expanded and how structure has formed over cosmic history," an ESA statement says. With this information, scientists will attempt to explain some of the properties of dark energy, dark matter and gravity, the statement added. 8The Euclid spacecraft is 4.7 meters tall and 3.7 meters around. It contains two main parts, called modules. One module is made up of a telescope and two scientific instruments. The other contains satellite systems, power controllers, data processors and other equipment. 9Euclid will travel to an orbiting spot about 1.5 million kilometers from Earth. The area is called the second Lagrangian Point. This is where NASA's James Webb Space Telescope operates from, as well as ESA's orbiting observatory Gaia. 10Mission leaders say Euclid will capture images in optical and near-infrared light. The images will cover about one-third of the universe beyond our Milky Way galaxy. 11The quality of the images is expected to be "at least four times sharper" than others captured by ground-based telescopes, the team said. These images will be used to create a new, detailed 3D map of the universe. The first images are expected to be sent back quickly once the spacecraft's operations begin in October. 12In addition to studying dark matter and dark energy, Euclid will use its infrared instruments to collect data on hundreds of millions of galaxies and stars. Astronomers say this will permit them to investigate the chemical makeup and motion behaviors of many different space objects and environments in greater detail. 13NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is also based on powerful, but sensitive, infrared technology. This has permitted the telescope to collect data and produce images from parts of the universe that were never observable before. 14I'm Bryan Lynn. 15Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from the European Space Agency and Agence France-Presse and NASA. 16_________________________________________________________________ 17Words in This Story 18mission - n. a flight by an aircraft or spacecraft to perform a specific task 19optical - adj. of or relating to light instead of other forms of energy 20____________________________________________________________________ 21What do you think of this story? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 22Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.