NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy are teaming up to launch a unique lunar telescope, the LuSEE-Night, to search for the “Dark Age Signal,” a radio signal believed to have existed in the universe’s dark age. The telescope will be positioned on the far side of the Moon to avoid interference and radiation that many other telescopes on Earth have to contend with. The LuSEE-Night is designed to survive in the harsh environment of the Moon’s far side, which lacks any real atmosphere and makes it hard to remove heat. To build the telescope, NASA and the DOE have turned to Brookhaven Labs, which has become known for creating world-leading scientific instrumentation. The goal of the LuSEE-Night is to detect radio waves from the Dark Ages of the universe, which could help us uncover details about some of the universe’s biggest mysteries, including the nature of dark energy and how the universe formed itself. By studying the web of radio waves that still exist from those earliest times in the universe, astronomers hope to answer some of its biggest mysteries.
Lunar Telescope to Study the Universe’s Dark Ages
NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy have come together to create a unique lunar telescope that could finally help answer the universe’s biggest mysteries. The telescope is designed to search for what astronomers call the “Dark Age Signal,” a radio signal believed to have existed in the universe’s dark age, a time before stars and galaxies existed.
The lunar telescope, known as the Lunar Surface Electromagnetics Experiment-Night (LuSEE-Night), will launch in a few years and will be positioned on the “dark side of the Moon.” By placing the telescope on the far side of the Moon, astronomers hope to avoid the interference and radiation that many other telescopes on Earth have to contend with.
The goal of the LuSEE-Night is to detect radio waves from the Dark Ages of the universe. This “Dark Ages Signal” could help us uncover details about some of the universe’s biggest mysteries, starting with the nature of dark energy and even how the universe formed itself.
While the far side of the Moon offers a safe harbor from interference and radio waves, it also never faces the Earth, making it difficult to pick up signals and communicate back to Earth. The lack of any real atmosphere on the Moon also means that the surface is a complete vacuum, making it hard to remove heat. Any lunar telescope placed there would burn up quickly without proper heat management.
To help build the LuSEE-Night, NASA and the DOE have turned to Brookhaven Labs, which has become known for creating world-leading scientific instrumentation under strict design requirements. NASA and the DOE are comfortable that Brookhaven can deliver a working lunar telescope to survive such a hostile environment.
The images of galaxies from the early universe captured by James Webb have already given us insights into the universe’s past. However, by looking beyond that and studying the web of radio waves that still exist from those earliest times in the universe, astronomers hope to uncover more details about the universe’s history.
Putting a lunar telescope on the far side of the Moon isn’t as simple as dropping it on the surface and putting it to work. However, the LuSEE-Night is designed to survive in the harsh environment of the Moon’s far side. By positioning the telescope there, astronomers hope to study the universe’s dark ages and answer some of its biggest mysteries.
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