The European probe “Euclid” for researching dark matter and dark energy in space has vision problems: extremely thin layers of icy water on the mirrors of the space telescope are beginning to impair its vision, as the European space agency Esa announced.
After months of research, “Euclid” teams in Europe are now testing a newly developed process to de-ice the optics. Individual parts of the spacecraft are to be heated using the on-board heaters. Although it would be easier to heat the entire probe to free it from frozen water. However, this carries the risk that important components will expand and not return exactly to their original shape – this could slightly change the orientation of “Euclid”. In order to achieve the scientific goals of the mission, extreme precision is required.
Esa wants to collect data on billions of galaxies
According to the announcement, the scientists noticed that the telescope’s vision had deteriorated because incoming starlight had become weaker compared to previous measurements. It is a known problem that water that is absorbed from the air when a spacecraft is assembled on Earth is gradually released into space.
The “Euclid” probe was launched into space in July 2023. The centerpiece is a high-resolution telescope equipped with two cameras – one for the visible wavelength range and one for the near-infrared range. They are intended to depict the movements and shapes of galaxies or help to determine the distance of galaxies.
Esa wants to take a look into the past of the universe and research its development over the last ten billion years. In total, data on billions of galaxies will be collected and a 3D map of space will be created with time as a component.
Dark matter and dark energy together make up an extremely large portion of the universe. All other known components such as galaxies only make up around five percent. So far, researchers know little about the two variables. According to ESA, “Euclid” will record the shape, position and movement of galaxies in detail.
