第1870期:Europe Prepares to Launch Spacecraft to Observe Dark Side

The 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. The 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. Euclid 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. The 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.

欧洲航天局（ESA）正准备发射一艘航天器，旨在研究宇宙深处暗物质和暗能量的奥秘。ESA 的 Euclid 航天器定于 7 月 1 日发射。它将搭乘 SpaceX Falcon 9 火箭从佛罗里达州卡纳维拉尔角发射中心升空。欧几里得是一架太空望远镜，旨在充当轨道天文台。它将收集科学家希望用来创建宇宙 3D 地图的数据。该航天器预计将观测数十亿个星系的活动，并帮助研究人员更多地了解宇宙在过去 100 亿年中是如何发展的。欧几里得任务的主要目标是研究暗能量和暗物质的影响和活动——这两者都被认为是宇宙中的神秘力量。这是因为这两种材料都不能直接看到或感觉到。

Astronomers 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. Dark 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. Leaders 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. The 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.

据美国宇航局 NASA 报告，天文学家认为暗能量约占宇宙的 68%，而暗物质约占 27%。但除此之外，人们对这两种“黑暗”元素知之甚少。暗能量是一种无法识别的能量形式，科学家认为它有助于宇宙膨胀。暗物质是一种也会影响宇宙膨胀的物质。天文学家推测暗物质的存在是由于观测到引力对星系和星系团的影响。欧洲航天局的一份声明称，该任务的领导者表示，欧几里得的建立是为了收集有关宇宙“如何膨胀以及宇宙历史上的结构如何形成”的数据。声明补充说，利用这些信息，科学家将尝试解释暗能量、暗物质和引力的一些特性。欧几里得飞船高4.7米，周长3.7米。它包含两个主要部分，称为模块。一个模块由一台望远镜和两台科学仪器组成。另一个包含卫星系统、电源控制器、数据处理器和其他设备。

Euclid 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. Mission 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. The 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. In 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.

欧几里得将前往距地球约 150 万公里的轨道点。该区域被称为第二拉格朗日点。这里是美国宇航局詹姆斯·韦伯太空望远镜以及欧洲航天局盖亚轨道观测站的所在地。任务负责人表示，欧几里得将利用光学和近红外光捕捉图像。这些图像将覆盖银河系以外约三分之一的宇宙。该团队表示，这些图像的质量预计将比地面望远镜捕获的其他图像“至少清晰四倍”。这些图像将用于创建新的、详细的 3D 宇宙地图。一旦航天器十月份开始运行，第一批图像预计将很快传回。除了研究暗物质和暗能量外，欧几里德还将利用其红外仪器收集数亿个星系和恒星的数据。天文学家表示，这将使他们能够更详细地研究许多不同空间物体和环境的化学组成和运动行为。

NASA’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.

美国宇航局的詹姆斯·韦伯太空望远镜也基于强大但敏感的红外技术。这使得望远镜能够从宇宙中以前从未观测到的部分收集数据并生成图像。