In July, SpaceX helped to launch the European Space Agency’s Euclid satellite on a groundbreaking mission. It seeks to shed light on the enigmas of dark matter and dark energy. Euclid was designed by a dedicated team, led by Professor Adam Amara from the University of Surrey. The mission is already two years into its six-year clock. This ambitious project aims to capture high-quality images of the cosmos, surveying approximately one-third of the sky and providing insights into the universe’s fundamental components.
Euclid’s main mission is to map the shape, distance and movement of billions of galaxies. Euclid has captured light that has traveled almost 13.8 billion years to reach the Earth. This amazing mission has opened up possibilities for astronomers to investigate cosmic phenomena from the literal beginning of time. The satellite’s unique capabilities allow it to survey incredibly large swaths of the sky with just one shot. The James Webb Space Telescope provides much higher resolution, but only for small, targeted areas.
Professor Amara was excited about the amazing discoveries that are yet to come, and it was infectious. He made clear, though, that understanding the universe’s secrets will take years of hard work and commitment.
“It is going to unlock the secrets of the universe, but it is going to take time.” – Prof Amara
These kids are the future Sriraksha, Astha, and Harry at the Space Centre in Surrey, England. Every student comes with dreams that square nicely with the lofty aims of the Euclid mission.
Sriraksha, a master’s student driven by her deep admiration for star gazing, articulated her desire to understand cosmic connections:
“I just want to understand how everything is connected.” – Sriraksha
PhD student Astha, from India, thinks the UK is a good place for students studying astrophysics. She envisions a future where she works with satellites analyzing data, stating:
“I definitely see myself working with satellites analysing data in the future.” – Astha
Harry, a master’s student, has always been deeply inquisitive concerning dark matter. He cautioned that we still do not know much about this enigmatic compound. He remarked:
“I just want to keep answering questions about astronomy and astrophysics.” – Harry
Professor Amara highlighted the collaborative effort behind Euclid, noting that 2,000 dedicated professionals worldwide work tirelessly to process images and seek valuable insights about the universe.
“We have 2,000 people across the world working every day, night and day, to process these images and look for little gems in what we can find out about the universe.” – Prof Amara
Reflecting on the project’s progress, he shared his excitement over the quality of images received so far:
“To see the images come through and be even better than expected was absolutely incredible because we all had sleepless nights.” – Prof Amara
Euclid will do a lot more as it flies through the vastness of space to help us learn more about dark matter and dark energy. Beyond tourism, it is a place to inspire future generations of scientists. Professor Amara said that making sure young UK scientists have more opportunities to play a role in the field is his biggest aspiration.
“My greatest ambition is to make sure UK scientists, especially the young ones, have more opportunities going forward.” – Prof Amara