Research report 2024 - Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics
Successful take-off of the Euclid Mission
Authors
Bender, Ralf; Fabricius, Maximilian; Grupp, Frank; Saglia, Roberto; Sanchez, Ariel
Departments
Optische und Interpretative Astronomie (OPINAS)
Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Garching
Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Garching
Summary
Dark matter and dark energy account for 95% of the matter-energy content of the universe, but they are still enigmatic. The ESA mission Euclid is the first space mission to investigate the space-time evolution of these two major components of the universe. To this end, the parameters of 1.5 billion galaxies in up to 10 billion light years distance will be measured at optical and near-infrared wavelengths. The large-scale distribution of galaxies and their gravitational lensing effect on background galaxies will provide direct clues to the nature of dark matter and dark energy.